Gwen giggled again.
“You don’t understand,” I told them, crossing my arms over my chest. “The second I rolled into this weird little town, Cade Hightower took it upon himself to mess up all my plans! Without even asking!”
“Seeing as your plans involve fleeing Salem, ne’er to return, that’s fine by me.” Florence shrugged. “I say mess away, Detective Hightower.Mess away.”
“I second that,” Gwen said. “For the record.”
“Listen—” I started, but was cut off by Flo.
“You know, as happy as I am to hear you think Hightower is so dreamy, can we get to the good stuff already?” She pressed her palms together, then slowly started pulling them apart. “Yell when I reach an accurate size representation.”
My eyes sought the ceiling for divine intervention.
None arrived.
Damn and blast.
“Ignore her, Imogen,” Gwen suggested, amusement thick in her voice.
“Fine! Keep the mystery all to yourself!” Florence dropped her hands back to her lap with a scowl. “At least confirm that his ass is as magnificent out of those jeans as it looks in them.”
My lips tipped up in a small smile. “Well, I didn’t have a stack of quarters on hand to test your theory but…”
Flo sucked in a breath, waiting.
“I can confirm, the detective’s ass did not disappoint,” I finished. “And he’s a good cook, but… his skills in the kitchen pale in comparison to those in the bedroom. That’s all I’m saying on the subject. Unless you plan to waterboard me, drop it.”
Gwen grinned.
Flo sighed. “Fair enough.”
“Anyway,” I said pointedly changing the topic. “How was your naked moonlight dancing adventure with Agatha and Sally?”
“Surprisingly awesome,” Gwen cut in. “You’d never know it to look at them, but the Bay Colony ladies canparty. Canes and all.”
“I’m joining the coven,” Florence confided.
“You can’t join the coven, Flo.” Gwen rolled her eyes. “You aren’t a Wiccan.”
“Honorary member, then. I need to get me one of those spiffy velvet robes. You know, you should really start stocking those here at the store, Gwennie. They were cool as hell.”
“Agreed.”
“How does one join a coven, exactly?” I asked.
“Not sure. I’ll keep you posted if I succeed.” Flo stood up suddenly, crossing toward the espresso bar. “Anyone else need a coffee? My jitters are wearing off, which means it’s officially time for another macchiato.”
Gwen shook her head. “None for me.”
“My bloodstream is already 95% caffeine,” I said.
“So… that’s a yes on the latte, then?”
I laughed. “What the hell, let’s make it 98%. I’ll need it if I’m going to last the next few hours while we wait for news.”
The metallic clang of a portafilter against the counter was Flo’s only reply.
“I just hate this,” Gwen muttered. Her delicate red brows were pulled into a glower. “Sitting around uselessly…”