Page 17 of Magical Melee

I chuckled as she pulled a shot-sized flask from her belt and raised it. “I always keep this on me. You just never know when you might need it.”

I smiled and glanced at Skye, who seemed to have calmed down.

“You know what?” I brought my gaze back to Stella. “I will remember that tomorrow, but I think tonight, I’m just going to go back to the room with my bestie, gossip, eat some room service food, and collapse.”

Keegan took a step back and looked over at Nova. A silent communication passed between the two, and I wondered if maybe they were together.

Not that it mattered to me.

I just ran into him after nearly forty years.

Forty years.

Where did the time go?

My cheeks blushed as he caught me looking at him, and Skye pulled me off the table. My feet hit the floor with a thud, and I got my bearings before nodding to the eclectic group standing around the reading room watching me.

“I hope to see you around tomorrow,” I said with a little wave as I followed Skye through the beaded doorway, through the shop, and out the door to the sidewalk, where people meandered in costumes and lines began at cafes and bars along the main street of Stonewick.

“This town has it down,” I said with admiration.

Skye spun around with wide eyes and grabbed both my hands. “I am so sorry for dragging you to that place. I had no idea things would go so awry.”

For some odd reason, I had a pull to defend the people inside the shop. I’d barely just met most of them, but they felt like…

I cleared my throat and shook my head frantically. “Please, I’ve had a blast from the moment I arrived in this town. What happened to me in there wasn’t their fault. I just haven’t taken care of myself recently. I was dehydrated, and my emotions got the better of me.” I wasn’t sure that was entirely true, but it sounded perfectly plausible.

I felt a set of eyes on me, and I glanced across thestreet to the tea shop to see Frank’s two front paws on the interior windowsill. His big brown eyes watched me closely.

Skye followed my gaze and chuckled. “This place is something else. Anyway, I got us all checked into the hotel when you were fainting on everyone. Our luggage should be in our room.”

“Room service okay to you?” I asked, rubbing my temple.

A dull ache pounded between my ears, and dehydration seemed like the likely culprit.

I glanced over at Frank again, who still studied me intently.

“Absolutely,” Skye said happily. “I can’t tell you when I last ate in bed. I can see it now. A plate with a sloppy cheeseburger, garlic fries, a slice of cheesecake…mmhm,”

I chuckled as we made our way down the sidewalk to the boutique hotel.

A line of gargoyles stood saluting guests as they peered from the edge of the roofline.

I pointed toward the concrete sculptures and nodded. “Nice touch, huh?”

She chuckled and nodded. “I didn’t even notice those. We shall see if the rooms are as creepy as the rest of the town.”

I cocked my head and frowned. “You think this place is creepy?”

It felt like home to me.

Oddly.

“Yeah. A little.” She shrugged. “I mean, creepy in a good way.”

“Ah, right. Yes, in a good way.” I chuckled.

The front of the hotel was beautiful. Large boulders and wooden pillars, along with a portico, offered shelter from the Wisconsin elements.