Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)(4)
“It’s leftover. It’s free. Coffee’s on me, a welcome-to-town gift. If Cassandra sent you here, then there has to be a good reason, and I’m eager to hear your story.”
Sam tasted the pie and let it melt in her mouth. This was normal. She considered her answer as she chewed. “I don’t think I’m free to tell my story yet,” she said. Not until she knew what it was anyway.
Mariah nodded just as a cheery voice rang out from the back. “Pour me some of that java, dear. I feel a good wind in the air. It’s time to fix my beignets.”
“Dinah, we’ve got company. Come meet Sam.”
“You finally got a man, Mariah girl?” A tiny African-American cook swaddled in a white cotton apron popped through the swinging doors. Short Afro hair, ruby lips, rings in her ears—and an Adam’s apple and no breasts under a flannel shirt much like Mariah’s.
Dinah took one look at Sam, cocked a hip, and pouted. “You ain’t no Sam. You’re as straight as our ghostcatcher here.”
That’s when the wind blew open the front door and a uniformed officer strode in—limping.
Chapter 2
Rather than reply to not being a Sam, she studied the tall, masculine arrival overpowering the feminine atmosphere. Mariah and Dinah didn’t flinch at his entrance. Unlike them, she observed the uniformed officer from a perspective of fear—and not just because her eyes were on a level with his powerful chest. The mirrored shades tucked between the buttons of his khaki shirt oddly escalated her fear. Had he come in because her car was a stolen vehicle? She bit down on her tongue to keep from freaking out.
Finally daring to lift her chin, Sam looked straight into single-lidded green eyes in a flat-nosed, taut-jawed visage that indicated mixed-race parentage. For some reason, the tightness in her chest lessened. He met their stares with a hardened expression and a nod. Studying his full lower lip, Sam swallowed for different reasons. She was definitely heterosexual. Or terror turned her on.
He took off his official cowboy-style hat, revealing short-cut dark hair. “Good morning, ladies.” His laser-beam gaze focused on Sam. “Don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
“Sam, this is Deputy Chen Ling Walker. Walker, Sam is staying up at Cass’s place. She’s brought Emma back, so all is well.” Mariah poured a mug of coffee and slid it across the counter. She gestured from Sam to Dinah. “Sam, this is Dinah, the best cook in town. If you’re looking for work, she’s the place to start.”
Dinah held out her hand. It was callused, blunt, and strong. “Sammy here has a blue aura that bodes well, hon. If she’s staying, I’m hiring.”
Was she staying? It wasn’t as if she knew where else to go. “Thank you. Let me sleep for a few hours so I can think straight before I make any major decisions.” And pray she’d wake up knowing who she was. Was it possible to hire people without ID?
“That coffee won’t help you sleep.” The deputy threw his leg over a counter stool one away from hers. “That your Subaru in the lot?”
Oh gulp, here it came. “Good car,” she murmured evasively. “Didn’t give me a bit of problem even when the deer jumped at it.”
“I’ve been thinking of getting one for the traction in winter, but they’re not very tall. You’ll have to give me a ride sometime.” He drank his coffee and looked at Dinah, adding a note of hope to his voice. “Don’t suppose you have any of that pie left over?”
Sam looked guiltily at the last piece on her plate.
“Don’t you worry, hon, I brought in a fresh one just for you. Give me a minute to get set up, and I’ll be right out.” Dinah sashayed out as if she were in full evening regalia.
“Blue aura?” Deputy Walker asked.
Sam mentally thanked him for asking.
“Blue has all the positive connotations of the universe,” Mariah said, polishing off her piece of pie. “Clear thinking, healing, calm, intuitive, and in the right shade, clairvoyant.”
“You read auras too?” Sam asked, wanting to believe in hocus-pocus because she had nothing else to go on. She didn’t feel very clairvoyant though. Or calm.
“Nah, I just watch and learn. Pays to keep up with the crazies in this town. Dinah is one of the sane ones, though. I’m sure the good deputy here can tell you all about her past, but it doesn’t matter up here. I’ve got to get back to my route. If you want me to show you Cass’s place, I’ll ride along with you. That’s easier than biking uphill.”
Sam would have liked to have heard about Dinah’s past, but the knowledge that the deputy checked everyone out scared the bejeebers out of her. Although—if she wasn’t a criminal—maybe she could ask him to trace her license plate?
What happened if she couldn’t get into Cass’s place? Could she leave her car in the driveway and sleep in it?
She savored the last bite of pie, finished her coffee, and stood up. “Good meeting you, deputy.”
He saluted her with his mug but didn’t bother looking up. Well, so much for that quiver of attraction. She probably looked like dirt. She felt like it anyway.
Mariah shouted at Dinah that they were leaving, then led the way out. To Sam she said, “We all have our secrets out here. Not all of us keep them. Be careful to whom you talk.”