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Story: Something Cryptid This Way Comes (Love in Maplewood #9)
His gaze darts to my mouth, and I swear I hear the faintest whimper come out on a puff of warm air from his lips before his gaze returns to my eyes. “The same. Thanks. And a hard cider for Jo.”
“Coming right up.” Conall moves away, whistling as he goes, only to stop and compliment the person three seats down.
The tension in Trevor’s muscles eases, though he’s still standing close enough I can see the lighter shades of caramel in his eyes. “He’s like that with everyone.”
I run my thumb back and forth along his shoulder because I have yet to move my hand from it. “Good thing I’m not interested in him. Are you?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve known Rory and Conall forever. We’ve been spending more time together since Alaric started dating Jake. Jake’s older brother is Zach, one of Rory’s partners.”
“So many tangled threads.” I don’t know who any of these people are, and I don’t care, but I would listen to Trevor list everyone who lives in Maplewood if it meant being this close to him.
“You have no idea. Wait till everyone is in one room. Pure chaos.” Gaze still locked on me, he tips his head in Conall’s direction. “Conall’s sweet. He genuinely means the nice things he says. But he’s only interested in one person, though he won’t admit it.”
Ah. Much like me.
Conall returns with our drinks. Trevor claims his and Jo’s then his gaze goes past my shoulder toward the other side of the patio. “Alex just arrived and is heading this way. In the green shirt, twelve o’clock.”
“Thanks.” Drink in hand, I turn in that direction.
A shorter guy with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a smattering of freckles across his nose, waves as he approaches us. “Hi, Trevor. And you’re Bram?”
“That’s me.” I extend my hand and we shake. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking the time.” I gesture toward the bar. “What can I get you?”
Before Alex can answer, Conall slides in and leans over the bar. “Hey, Alex. Your usual?”
“Sure. Thanks, Conall.”
Conall winks at him then gets busy mixing a drink, tossing out compliments to Alex, me, and everyone else in the vicinity as he works.
When Conall sets the glass on the bar, I tap the polished wood. “Add it to my tab.”
He gives me a thumbs-up in response before he moves on to the next patron.
“I’ll leave you to your interview. Alex, you’re welcome to join us for dinner when you’re finished.” Trevor gestures toward the table with Jo and our other friends.
“Thanks, Trevor. I’d love to, but I’m meeting Cody after this.”
“Tell him I said hi.” Trevor smiles at us, pats my shoulder, then waves and heads back to our friends.
Alex points out two vacant barstools toward the far end of the bar. “Let’s sit there.”
Holding my drink high to protect it from the throng, I follow him. This section is less crowded and out of the path of foot traffic, less of a chance of getting jostled or interrupted.
He takes a sip of his drink, then leans in so we can hear each other over the din. “How has your investigation been going?”
The scent of fries and burgers wafts toward us.
I press a hand over my rumbling stomach.
Research interview first, food later. “I’m getting a good mix of stories.
Recent sightings, ones that are decades old, and encounters that are positive and negative.
It’s been really interesting.” I hold up my phone.
“Are you okay with me recording the interview?”
“Sure.”
I hit the button and set the phone between us. “How old were you when you thought you saw Mabel?”
“Twelve.”
“Where did it happen?”
“In Finn Hunnicutt’s backyard, early in the morning.
Summer break had just started, and I’d spent the night at Finn’s for a sleepover.
This was at the house he grew up in, not his current home behind the vet clinic.
I got up early and went into the back yard to try out my new camera.
My parents had given me a Canon EOS 350D for my birthday.
And that’s when I saw her. I’ve never spotted her again.
I’ve heard that you think you saw her twice? ”
I down a mouthful of beer. “Yeah, when I first got to Maplewood as a kid and right before I moved away. Other times, I was in the woods and got the feeling that something or someone was watching me, but I didn’t see anything.
Those were probably animals.” Thinking about those moments now, I can easily recall the chill of fear.
“I didn’t have any equipment then. Now, I have night vision mode and cameras that can detect heat signatures.
Good for trying to catch cryptids, but also to look out for wolves, bears, or big cats. ”
He pulls an envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket and passes it to me. “Here’s a copy of the photo. By the time I got my camera up, I hadn’t had time to account for the low lighting of barely dawn and Mabel was moving fast, so it came out blurry.”
I open the envelope and slide the photo onto the bar. Alex points to a long, leafy blur amid the trees in the middle of the picture. Their bend and angle look almost like arms and legs captured in mid-motion, but could easily be branches or vines. The image is too fuzzy to make out details. “Hmm.”
He nods. “Right? I guess you get sent a lot of pictures that are inconclusive.”
“I do.” Leaning against the bar, I swipe through my phone’s photo carousel, showing him some of the things people have shared with me.
“Most people who reach out are pretty shaken up by what they experienced. That’s why it’s so important to me to investigate and see if sightings can be explained by something mundane.
” I pick up the photo by the edge so I don’t smudge it with fingerprints.
“Can I include this in my episode about Mabel?”
“Sure, if you want.”
As we finish our drinks, Alex tells me about his experiences photographing the various festivals and confirms he’ll be taking pictures during Cryptid Night.
After he leaves, I reclaim my seat at the table beside Trevor and greet Alaric, Jake, Ever, and Dmitri. Our group has grown in size with the addition of Rory Kelly and his partners Adrian and Zach. The throuple run the pub together.
Hades has enough lead with his leash to visit each of us, accepting pets and watching the floor for any dropped food. Bandit is content to curl up on Trevor’s lap.
Conall brings me a fresh drink and a generous serving of shepherd's pie. He drags over an empty chair and sits, stealing one of Rory’s fries. “I have a Mabel story for you.”
I drive my fork through the layer of mashed potatoes and into the ground beef. “Hit me with it.”
“The four of us went rock climbing.” He points to himself, then to Jake, Zach, and Alaric. “We were about to attempt a new area, but something in the woods kept drawing us away from it. I swear I saw our leafy green goddess. Zach thinks my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
Zach raises his pint. “I still stand by that.”
Conall waves him away. “All I know is, the next day, we heard that area was damaged by falling boulders, and if we’d been there, there’s a pretty high chance we would’ve been injured. ”
I pass my fork to Trevor so he can try the pie. “You think Mabel saved you?”
He beams a smile. “Of course.”
“People who’ve been lost in the woods credit her for guiding them to safety. So, it’s possible.”
Vindication flaring bright in his green gaze, Conall turns to Zach. “See?”
“I’ll believe in Mabel when I see her.” Zach bites into his burger. He and his brother share the same strong and stocky frame and could be twins except for their haircuts. Short and blond for Jake and a mohawk for Zach.
“Come to Cryptid Night.” Jake’s suggestion holds a thin edge of challenge. “Alaric and I will be there. So will half of the people sitting here.”
Zach rolls his eyes, but the gesture lacks any heat. “Fine. But only because I’m curious. And you might need me.”
Jake snorts. “Says the man who jumped at the sight of a spider the other day.”
“It was two inches from my face. Let’s see you stay calm in that situation.”
Conall leans back, tucking his hands behind his head. “They’ll do this for hours.”
Adrian smirks. “So will you and Rory.”
As we eat and try the pub’s new maple infused beer, the playful jabs continue, layering under multiple conversations ranging from the format for Cryptid Night, Halloween costumes, music lessons, the pub’s seasonal menu, and Jo taking part in the pumpkin carving contest. In a way, this group reminds me of my football teammates and the guys I went to college with.
Close-knit, fun, and though they might argue, they enjoy each other’s company.
I’ve been so immersed in the podcast that I haven’t found many friends in Philly yet, aside from Charlie and a few guys on Philly’s pro football team.
Maybe it’s more of my brother’s city than mine. Maybe Maplewood was my place all along.
Trevor leans into me and his breath feathers over my ear. “Should we get out of here? We need to feed the dogs.”
“Yeah, let’s go home.” I reach for my jacket, but he plucks it up before I can, and hands it to me.
Saying goodbye takes a while with so many people, but soon we’re on our way. The night’s turned colder now that the sun has set. Goose bumps break out all over my skin as we walk home beneath a sky with more stars than I’ve seen in a while.
When we get inside Trevor’s house, he takes one look at me, tells me that my lips are turning purple at the edges, and insists I take a hot shower while he feeds the dogs.
Warm again, and smelling of his soap, I return to the kitchen. My laptop waits for me on the table.
Trevor finishes adding fresh water to the dogs’ bowls. “I’m heading to bed.”
“I’ll be up soon. I want to get some ideas down.” The slide of the chair against the floor seems loud with the rest of the house so quiet.
He nods, then rests his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t work too late.”
“I won’t.” I look into those gorgeous brown eyes and want to ask him to stay. Don’t go to bed yet. But that’s ridiculous. Right?