Page 4 of Magic and Muffins

Cross stood in front of the stove, making something that was smelling really good. I peeked around him at the mushroom and spinach omelette. My stomach growled loudly, and he grinned.

“Sit. This will be ready in a minute.”

“Are you going to make one for Vena?”

“Not a chance.”

I laughed and sat at the kitchen island.

While I ate, he told me about the swift progress the construction crews had made. The second floor was complete, except for the furnishings and decor. The first floor was mostly complete, and the third floor was less than halfway finished.

I finished the omelette before Vena’s voice rang out below.

“Holy crap! This place is amazing.”

Her footfalls echoed up the stairs. When she reached the second floor, she abruptly stopped and looked around. Wearing jean shorts and a tank top with her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked relatively unscathed from the previous day’s events. Just a few scratches on her upper arm from Adriel.

“Damn, Cross,” she said. “Money definitely talks. This place looks even better than I imagined. Except for the old-person plastic wrap on the furniture. That’s not staying, right?”

“Vena, it’s new furniture,” I said as I took the plate to the dishwasher that still had the plastic film to protect the stainless steel. “It hasn’t been unwrapped yet.”

“I love unwrapping things, especially when it’s new or Anchor.”

“Speaking of your giant boy toy, where is he?” Cross teased.

Anchor’s voice came from the stairs. “He’s right here.” A moment later, the towering werewolf who’d claimed Vena’s heart appeared. “The changes in this building are extraordinary. I can’t believe this used to be a strip club.”

I shivered at the memory of the old vampire nest, Juicy—a feeding ground the vampires had run under the guise of a strip club. Thankfully, Cross had removed any trace of the old place.

“As requested, here is the list of books.” Vena dug in her shorts pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. “You might need to pad the budget. Some of those are rare.”

He took the paper and glanced at what she’d written. “This won’t fill the shelves.”

“Not entirely. But blank space is perfect for decorations. Like…we can memorialize Everly’s favorite kitchen implements. Her first mixing bowl. Her grandma’s rolling pin. Her mom’s spatula.” She looked at Anchor. “We were spanked with it. It didn’t actually hurt. Bet I’d feel a titillating sting if you were holding the handle.”

“Vena,” I said in warning.

She grinned at me. “We could have a lit-up spot for your favorite whisk.”

“Not my whisk,” I said.

Even though I knew her reason for not wanting to fill the shelves with books had nothing to do with decorations and everything to do with her overspending, I still saw merit in it.

“I like the idea, though,” I added.

“Tell me what decor you’d like in the space, and I’ll get it,” Cross said.

Vena nodded and hurried me toward the first-floor door. “I’ll point out some spaces that would be great for decorative items.”

I allowed her to usher me downstairs, where people were still working. The progress struck me again when I saw painted walls, bookshelves, and finished floors covered by protective paper. A crew assembled kitchen equipment in the main area, and another installed all the kitchen appliances and fixtures. Even the display case was already there, protected by moving blankets.

Cross’ attention to detail was more than I had imagined from the blueprints he had shown us…just days ago?

“Do you see anything that needs to be changed?” Cross asked from behind me. I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“It’s perfect.”

“It’ll be perfect when we get books in here,” Vena said.

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