No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells (Mystic Cafe Series) by Rose Pressey Read Free Book Online Page A

fedora, and positioned it on the counter beside him. He wore black pants and a white button-up shirt. I gave a halfhearted smile and nodded in return.
     
    “ Hi,” I said weakly, handing him a menu. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
     
    Somehow, I knew he wanted more than coffee, and it wasn’t the cherry pie he wanted, either.
     
    “ Sure. I’ll take sugar and cream, please.”
     
    My hand wobbled slightly as I placed a mug in front of him and poured. He studied the menu and I studied him. It was hard not to—he was good-looking. Dark hair, tall, and well-built. He wasn’t from around here, I knew by his accent. Was he lost? Not a lot of tourists in these parts.
     
    Mary Jane watched from over my shoulder, being her inquisitive self, as usual. By the look on her face, I knew she was dying for me to ask the stranger why he was in town. I suppose it was my job to make small talk with customers, so what harm could it do?
     
    “ So, you’re not from around here?” I’m not known for my subtlety. Better to get right to the point.
     
    “ No.” His voice had a laugh in it. “How’d you guess?”
     
    “ I know everyone in this town and I don’t know you.” Okay, so I didn’t know everyone, but he didn’t know that. I wiped off the counter—better than staring.
     
    He nodded. “Good point.”
     
    “ Plus, you talk like a Yankee.” I grinned.
     
    “ A Yankee?” He unsuccessfully attempted to hide a smile behind his coffee mug.
     
    I’d gotten used to the accent, but now that I’d returned home, it stood out like a veggie burger with low-fat cheese on Mystic Café’s menu.
     
    I nodded. “Yes, you know, from up north.”
     
    “ Maybe you should be a detective or a reporter,” he said.
     
    “ Is that what you are?” I asked.
     
    He sipped his coffee and eyed me for a minute. “Not exactly, but I am from New York.”
     
    “ I knew you were a Yankee!” I chuckled.
     
    “ You got me—guilty as charged.” He held his hands up in surrender.
     
    He had a teasing tone in his voice, but I knew he was there for something more than witty banter.
     
    The customer at the end of the counter approached the register, handing me cash for his cherry pie and coffee. His movements appeared less stiff. The spell really had improved his arthritis pain.
     
    When the customer had walked away, the stranger continued his questioning, “So, what’s going on in Mystic Hollow, Kentucky?”
     
    I shot a look to Mary Jane and she shrugged. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
     
    He took a sip of coffee, then placed his mug down, never taking his eyes off me.
     
    I glanced down at my apron and fidgeted with a loose thread, avoiding his stare. “Nothing goes on in this town,” I said.
     
    With his gaze still fixed on me, his grin faded and he said, “Someone told me otherwise.”
     
    “ Someone did?” I bet my gulp was audible from across the room.
     
    “ Let’s not worry about how I know yet.” He wrapped his hands around his mug.
     
    How he knew what? What did he know?
     
    “ It seems you’ve had an out of the ordinary few days.”
     
    “ There were moments.” I swallowed hard.
     
    “ One moment in particular?” He regarded me with purpose, waiting for an answer.
     
    “ Right. Well… I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I wish something went on in this town, it can be boring. But sorry, there’s nothing to report.” I wiped the countertop again, brushing off invisible crumbs.
     
    He opened his briefcase and pulled out a card, then handed it to me.
     
    The card read:
     
    National Organization of Magic
     
    Tom Owenton, Lead Investigator
     
    Uh-oh.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    “ Our records indicate that we haven’t had a problem with Mystic Café or your grandmother since…” He shuffled his papers, then peered up at me. “Since never.”
     
    “ You keep records?” My mouth dropped. The fact that they kept files and already had one on me was