Page 110 of Kingdom of Aramis

“Phew, Colbie girl. Seems like you are in a right pickle,” Grampy says while washing and drying his hands before leaning against the sink. “Well, don’t you worry about a thing here. Jenny and I are loving it here, so at least that’s one worry off your shoulders.”

I give him a big hug, and he hugs me back. I sag against him, feeling no small amount of relief at his words.

“Thank you. Both of you have made this transition so much easier. I know I’ll probably never be able to return, but I would have hated closing down my dream. Once I’m crowned, I’ll put out feelers for a full-time baker, I promise.” I tell them, but they quickly assure me there is no rush. I feel no small amount of relief that at least one thing in my life is going right.

Chapter

Twenty-One

Colbie

“Why don’t you make sure the boys haven’t broken the coffee machine? I’m assuming you won’t be staying?” Granny asks, and I shake my head.

“No, we’re just waiting to speak to Brock, and then we’ll head out,” I explain, and Granny frowns.

“Oh dear. The bookstore has been closed for the last three days. We haven’t seen Brock or Niles since they burst in here screaming about being kicked out of the shifter zone for helping your mother.”

“Haven’t seen your mother either,” Grampy says, exchanging a worried look with Granny. “We expected her to come and rant about being prevented from seeing you, but we haven’t heard anything. We were going to call and tell you today if she didn’t appear. You know Malina, she’s likely sulking with some man, having her ego stroked.”

They aren’t wrong about my mother, but I’m surprised about Brock and Niles. Apart from the day of the parade, the store never closes. They are normally open seven days a week.

“That’s strange, but we’ll wait until after normal opening time, and if they don’t open, then I guess we’ll try to figure out where they ended up. I know they were banned from the shifter zone, but I think they have a place here as well. Maybe I’ll ask one of the guys if they know.”

I head out into the cafe and find my guys with Olivia and Justin. I hear them grilling my mates for information, but the guys are doing a good job of being vague. They all have coffees in front of them, and the coffee machine still seems to be in working order, so that’s a relief.

“Colbie!” Olivia jumps to her feet and starts to move toward me, but she stops and frowns. “Am I supposed to curtsy or something now?” she asks, looking from me to the guys and back again.

“No, don’t be silly,” I say, waving her to me for a hug.

“Not yet anyway,” Gryffin mutters quietly so Olivia and Justin don’t hear. I guess he’s right. If they decide to become shifters once this is all over, then they may end up having to curtsy to me after all, but that’s a future Colbie problem.

“How are things going?” I ask, looking between them when I pull away from Olivia.

“Great. Your grandparents have been amazing. Olivia and I are learning so much from them,” Justin says enthusiastically, and I blink in surprise. He hasn’t ever been particularly excited about working at the bakery. I always thought he was only killing time until he moved on to the next thing, but it seems I was wrong. Maybe he just needed a challenge. This is good. Maybe I won’t have to look for a baker, and they can take over those duties, and we can hire two new servers.

“Joe even taught me how to pipe some of the animals.” Olivia grins, and I feel a small amount of sadness, but mostly relief that my life’s work is going to be in the hands of someone who loves it as much as I do.

“That’s awesome. Learn as much as you can, and the two of you can take over in the back when they decide they’ve had enough, and we will hire two new servers,” I say, and they both kind of puff up with pride and assure me they will.

I turn my attention to the windows and notice it’s still overcast and drizzling. “I’m going to duck out the back and see if Brock and Niles are next door, then we can get going,” I tell my guys.

“I’ll come with you.” Gryffin drains the rest of his coffee and stands up. I wait for the others to insist on coming, but none of them move. Maybe they already discussed it. If too many of them accompany me, they might overwhelm the two male shifters. Gryffin is a good choice because of who his dad is. Even if they don’t view me as the queen, but as the girl who worked next door, they will recognize his authority as prince of the shifters.

“Drink up, boys. We need to open in ten minutes,” Justin warns the others as Gryffin and I make our way through the kitchen.

“I’ll come back and say goodbye before we leave,” I tell my grandparents as they exchange a worried glance.

Out in the alley, Gryffin follows me as I walk to their back door. It’s closed, but that’s not unusual given the weather. I knock and then rub my hands together to warm them, the cold quickly seeping into my skin.

“I can’t believe how cold it is compared to yesterday,” I murmur as we wait. Gryffin grabs my hands and rubs some warmth into them. I instinctively move closer, seeking the heathis body is putting off. My beast twirls with excitement at his proximity, and when I look up at him, he’s smirking at me.

“You okay?” he asks, knowing full well the effect he has on my body. “Is the mating call giving you a hard time?”

I arch an eyebrow and look down at the bulge in his tight pants, and my lips lift in a smirk.

“Not as hard a time as it’s giving you.”

He shrugs unapologetically, but I turn my attention back to the door. It’s taking too long for them to answer.