Page 70 of Christmas Magic

Chapter Twelve

Holding a cup of coffee he’d just purchased from the bakery, Lucian yawned as he walked down the sidewalk to the front entrance of Black Cat Antiquities. The sun had risen only a short while ago, and the early Saturday morning air, tinged with a trace of fog, held a wintry nip.

Earlier, lying under a blanket on the sofa, he’d debated waiting for Molly and having breakfast with her, so they could finish their conversation from the evening before. As he’d lain in the quiet house and petted Galahad lying at his side, he’d mulled Molly’s claim that he’d been caught in a spell. Cat’s Paw Cove was a town filled with all kinds of magic. It was possible for him to have been enchanted…but, with his extensive knowledge of magical powers, also unlikely.

He’d hurt Molly last night. His behavior had been less than chivalrous. Strange that he’d acted so thoughtlessly, but he had.

In the stillness before dawn, his feelings for Cora, so undeniable the night before, didn’t seem as all-consuming. Still, he couldn’t recall being romantically involved with Molly. Sure, she registered in his thoughts, but when he tried to delve deeper, he hit that odd mental wall.

While debating whether to stay and cook breakfast for him and Molly or leave before she woke, he’d eaten three cookies from the container still sitting on the coffee table. The sugar rush had helped him wake up more, and reality became clearer. He wasn’t spellbound. He loved his Fair Maiden. Truth formed one of the foundations of knighthood, and he wouldn’t deny the truth of his affections for Cora.

Better that he’d be gone from the house when Molly woke than put them both through more torment.

At the door of the store, he grinned at Galahad. The feline sat watching him from behind the glass of the left front window. Lucian pulled the ring of keys from his pocket, unlocked the door, and using his left foot, nudged it open. He’d brought the remaining cookies to the shop with him. They’d go perfectly with his coffee, and hopefully the combined sugar and caffeine would help wake him up enough to review the magic reports from the overnight hours.

“Lucian.”

Cora.

A surge of joy rushed through him. He glanced over his shoulder to see her stepping out of her Cadillac she’d just parked at the curb. Letting go of the door and taking care not to spill his coffee, he bowed to her. “Good morning, Fair Maiden.”

She chuckled. “You’re out and about early again.”

He smiled, unable to contain his pleasure at seeing her. “It’s going to be another busy day. I thought I’d get a head start.”

“How lucky that I ran into you. I have something for you in my car.”

“Oh?”

“I picked it up on my way into town. Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Not yet.”

At that very moment, his stomach growled.

“Let’s go eat,” Cora said. “It will give me the chance to tell you a bit more about the event.”

“Event?”

“It’s not tonight, but the following Saturday. I’ll tell you more at breakfast.”

He should really review the readouts. But, he also had a responsibility to Cora—and he hadn’t yet managed to ask her for an introduction to Santa, Lord of the Elves. Being granted an audience with his lordship would mean Lucian could figure out his knightly role in the realm of Cat’s Paw Cove. That, in turn, would clarify his squire’s status.

“Lucian!” Galahad meowed through the glass. “Don’t go with her.”

He must. Not just for his own good, but the squire’s.

“Milord!”

Lucian locked the door. Ignoring Galahad pounding his paws on the glass, Lucian walked with Cora to her car.

A few minutes later, they walked down the Boardwalk to the café that he remembered catered to the early morning fishermen. As he and Cora entered, the smells of fresh java and frying bacon lingered in the air.

A memory flickered: A vast hall with straw-covered floors and wooden beams crossing overhead. The tantalizing scent of bacon brought to mind a suckling pig that had been cooked on a spit over a fire. Ah, but he’d enjoyed the endless flow of wine, numerous courses of food, and bawdy antics at feasts. He could hardly wait for the next one.

Not happening at this establishment, though. Instinct told him this wasn’t the time or place for raucous jesting and drunken dancing on the tables.

A pretty, blond waitress showed them to a booth. “Coffee?”