Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 1) (20 page)

Owen took over the shimmer, and Juniper and I clocked out.

In the elevator, I leaned against the wall.

“Tired?” she asked.

I nodded. “And my night’s not over yet.”

“How come?”

I smiled despite my lethargy. “I have a date with a certain vampire.”

“You don’t.”

“I do. We’re going to dinner.” And if I was going to get through it, I was in desperate need of a hot shower, a little caffeine and some sugar. Preferably at the same time.

Juniper shook her head. “Well, you have fun. But be careful.” Then she grinned. “Pete’s coming over with Thai and a movie.”

The doors opened and we got out. “That sounds perfect.”

We stopped at our respective doors, both digging for our keys. She got hers in the lock then looked at me. “You could always do the same with Greyson. Have him over, I mean.”

I pushed my door open. “You think Toly would approve a vampire?”

She laughed. “I have no idea, but I’d like to see his face when you ask.”

“Tell me about it. Have fun tonight.”

“You too.”

About ten minutes after I got into the apartment, I hit the shower, Dr Pepper in hand. The combination did wonders. Thinking about Greyson didn’t hurt either. For the half an hour it took me to get ready, I was able to push the problem of the employees to the back burner.

But at some point, the two collided, and I started practicing a speech that would charm Greyson into telling me about the elevator. A speech that involved me promising him
things
.

Of course, then I’d have to deliver if he came through. I liked the guy. A lot. But maybe not so much that I was willing to sleep with him to gain access to secret areas. Not yet anyway.

Or would he rather bite me? There was a thought that hadn’t occurred to me earlier, but the man
was
a vampire.

Maybe I could agree to that. One small bite. Body part of my choice. Although maybe I should do some research on vampires before agreeing to anything that involved fangs. You know, just in case one small bite wasn’t enough for most vamps.

I ran a slick of raspberry gloss over my lips and stepped back to take in the whole picture. Not bad. He’d said a nice dinner, so I was in a little black dress and heels that would have been sensible if they’d been a half inch shorter. Unlike my evening with Cooper, tonight I was going for sexy.

Irresistible, actually. That way Greyson would be unable to say no to me when I asked him about the elevator again.

I brushed a piece of lint off my dress and went out to stock Spider up on food before I left. I gave him some love as he chowed down, then grabbed my small evening bag and my leather jacket and went to meet Greyson by the warehouse door.

There was no sign of him as I stepped onto the sidewalk.

Then I heard a long, low whistle. I turned toward the sound and saw him walking in my direction.

He wore a dark suit with a crisp white shirt open at the neck. The image of this wild, untamed man in a restrained suit was the most delicious thing I’d seen since the day I’d walked into Delaney’s.

The suit fit him perfectly and had no doubt been made for him, but there was something about him in it—maybe the too-long curls or the dark stubble shadowing his face, or the out-of-place excess of silver jewelry—that gave him an air of dangerous, rebellious bad boy.

Or maybe that’s just how vampires looked when they dressed up.

He took my hand as soon as he was close enough to reach me, wrapped his strong fingers around mine and lifted them to his mouth for a kiss. His lips lingered there as he spoke. “You look good enough to eat.”

A shiver ran through me and I knew he saw it. I tried to play it off. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“I don’t date girls. Just women. And even then, not very often.” He held on to my hand as he brought it to his side.

“Are you trying to flatter me?”

“No.” His eyes flashed silver. “If I was trying to flatter you, I would tell you that you are the most radiant creature I have ever beheld, and that seeing you looking so beautiful this evening fills me with the desire to spoil you in ways you’ve not yet imagined.” He pulled me closer. “I might even say that while our evening has just begun, I already dream of when I might next have the honor of your company and the pleasure of your hand in mine.”

I stared at him, feeling like the elven equivalent of infatuated mush. I was so overcome with feelings I couldn’t name that English had become a foreign language. I might have mumbled something. Or maybe I just made a noise.

Either way, he leaned in and brushed a kiss across my mouth. “Good evening, my darling Lilibeth. I trust your day has gone well.”

I nodded. Good, I still had movement. I cleared my throat and tried for words. “It was busy.”

“Would you rather not go out then?”

“No.” I smiled. “I absolutely want to go out.” We could stay in another night when we didn’t look this hot.

He returned my smile and slipped his arm around my waist. “Then off we go.”

We took our time on the walk to the restaurant. Maybe that was Greyson being mindful of my high heels or maybe it was because we were wrapped up in conversation, but either way I was happy for the fresh air.

And the outstanding company.

We even came upon a pet store and got a new tag for Spider. Greyson bought him a little fluffy catnip toy, too, insisting I give it to him when I got home.

If the man was trying to cement a place in my life, he was doing a pretty good job.

I had to admit, Greyson was an experience unlike any I’d had before. As the Winter King’s daughter, I’d attended many formal events where I’d been plied with elegant words meant to flatter and turn my head. Most, if not all, of those men had been trying to sway me to buy favor with my father.

But Greyson was just being Greyson. A man who had no reason to be anything other than what he was. It was so refreshing that being with him was like seeing the Northern Lights for the first time.

I was seriously on the verge of falling into deep like with this guy. That worried me a little. Mostly because one of us could end up hurt when I left. And by one of us, I meant me. I hadn’t counted on developing feelings for anyone. I hadn’t even thought I’d be dating!

But that bridge had been crossed. Now I just had to find an adult way to handle what was happening. I mean, bringing a cat back to the North Pole was one thing. Bringing a vampire home? That might not go over as well.

Of course, I was assuming Greyson would even be interested in visiting. Maybe being with me was just him having fun. Maybe it meant nothing to him.

Maybe that’s what I should go with.

Because the last thing I wanted was to get my heart broken again. I’d had enough of that with Cooper.

Dinner was at a little French place called Café Claude. It was dark and intimate and lit primarily by candles and a few dim chandeliers that cast soft prisms of light over everything. Pristine white cloths, gleaming silverware and sparkling crystal adorned the tables. Soft violin music played in the background. If you’d told me we’d suddenly been transported to Paris, I would have believed you.

I couldn’t imagine a more perfect spot for dinner with a vampire.

After we were seated and drinks ordered, Greyson took my hand across the table. “Do you like it?”

“It’s lovely.”

“They just opened a few weeks ago. The owner, Jacque Baptiste, has been a friend of mine for many years.”

“Is he a vampire?”

“No. He is a
voyante
.”

Greyson’s French accent sent a trill down my spine. His normal Irish one was tempting enough, but the French? Dangerous. “I don’t speak French, so I don’t know what that means.” But he could say it again as many times as he liked.

“A
voyante
is a clairvoyant. Jacque gets glimpses of the future. It’s not something he can always control, though.”

That gave me a moment of pause. “How does that work? Does he have to touch people? Or something they’ve touched?” Because either way, I might get burned.

“No, they’re just visions that come to him. No touching involved. And since he can’t control it, the gift does him very little good as far as making money.” Greyson smiled. “Fortunately, he’s also a very talented chef.”

I smiled back in relief. Seemed like I was in the clear. “This town never ceases to amaze me. So who’s Claude then?”

Greyson laughed softly. “His little white terrier. The French love their dogs.”

Before we got deeper into our conversation, a short wiry man with bright black eyes came to the table. He held out his arms to Greyson and rambled excitedly in French. Jacque, I was guessing.

Greyson answered him in French. I closed my mouth to keep from drooling. Then he broke into English and introduced me. “My lovely companion, Lilibeth Holiday.”

Jacque kissed my hand and smiled brightly. “Lilibeth, it is my pleasure.”

“Mine as well.”

He released my hand and snapped upright like a soldier awaiting orders. “I will make anything your heart desires.”

How sweet. “That is quite the offer. What do you suggest? I’m not picky. In fact, since you’re the chef, I leave the decision up to you. I will eat whatever you put in front of me.”

He put his hand flat to his chest and sighed. “I am in love.” Then he smiled at me. “I will bring you the best dish.”

“What about me?” Greyson said.

Jacque fluttered his hand at Greyson. “You will get what you get.”

I laughed. “I like this guy.”

Jacque took off for the kitchen, and our server showed up behind him with our drinks: wine for Greyson, sparkling water for me. I needed my head clear.

The server left and we were alone again.

Greyson swirled the wine in his glass. “How was your spaghetti dinner last night?”

“Good. Fun. I won one of the raffle baskets. It’s a whole spa package.” I’d promised to take Juniper, but now I was thinking I might send her with Buttercup in my place. After they found out who I really was, it might help smooth things over.

“Very good. So you’re enjoying Nocturne Falls then?”

“I am. This is such a great town.”

He swallowed a sip of wine. “It is. There are so few places that people like us can live our lives in the open. This place is a gift.”

Too bad I was going to have to return it. “Is that why you work for the town then? Because you want to give back?”

“That, and I want the town to remain successful. Entertaining the tourists does that.” He smiled into his wine. “The Ellinghams are also very generous employers.”

That perked me up. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “They compensate their employees very well. Housing allowances, substantial salaries, discounted store rents, whatever it takes to put the right people in the right positions.”

My mind was working faster than I could put into words. “So if they wanted you to work for them, they’d put together a package that would be hard to turn down?”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

Which meant they were very capable of hiring away the store’s best employees. But then wouldn’t those employees still be traceable? From what my father had said—and the census supported—they had all seemed to disappear. Or was that something the Ellinghams had arranged? A way of protecting the workers they’d poached from being poached back?

But then why would they have said anything to my father about the issue? Unless that was just a way of covering their backsides.

I was so confused. But I also felt like I might be on to something. Something I needed to dig into a little more. “Are they hiring?”

His brows lifted. “Looking to change jobs already?”

“Hey, no reason not to keep my options open, right?”

“Fair enough. You want me to set something up for you?”

“You’d do that?” If I talked to the Ellinghams and showed them what I could really do, like the full extent of my magic, they might make me an offer. I could see for myself if they were behind our missing elves.