Page 4 of Little Music of Night

Lisa hadgushedabout how the owner of the cafe was really good at matchingcreatures.I’d laughed when she clarified she meant people, but I still thought about that. It was funny, given that the entire cafe had a monster theme to it. They’d really gone all out. Even the menu had a lot of bizarre items like catnip lattes and werewolf moon cold brews.

But, then I met the owner. A tattooed guy with copper-red hair and a beard. He’d promised me he could match me with someone perfect.

So here I was.

Back at Creature Cafe.

Taking a chance on letting a giant tattooed cupid match me.

I opened the front door and startled as a large man stepped past me.What the hell?My head whipped around as he left.

I could have sworn he had wolf ears.

But no. That would be absurd. Well, maybe not so completely absurd. He could have been a furry. My gaze tracked him through the window, my temples throbbing. No, he . . . definitely had fuzzy ears and a tail and looked like a werewolf.

“Okay, then,” I whispered.

Hallucinating before a date. Great.

“Hey,” a friendly voice said. “Welcome in.”

I swallowed hard and glanced up at the counter. The cafe was quiet, but not completely empty. A couple sat at a table together but when I looked at them, my head only hurt worse.

Was this a migraine? Lisa got migraines about once a month and they were awful. Whenever she came down with one, I always took care of her cat if I could and brought her care packages. I was lucky to not have to deal with them, but maybesomething was happening to me. Maybe it was all the stress of not knowing if I’d been picked for my dream role with a company in New York.

I gravitated toward the counter, meeting the dark eyes of the man pulling a shot of espresso there.Holy fuck.He was hot. Devilishly hot. Dark hair pulled back into a messy bun, dimples on either side of his soft smiling lips, anddamn. He worked out, that was for sure. He wore an apron with a small name tag that saidBell.

“Bell,” I said. “That’s such an interesting name.”

“Thanks,” he chuckled. “It’s for Bellamy, who happens to be a demon rather high up in the Hell chain of command. At least that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve never met the real guy.”

Oh . . . Okay. Okay, then.

“Right,” I said slowly. A nervous laugh bubbled up. Maybe I was finally losing it. “Uhh, I am not really sure what I’m doing here.”

“You’re here for a date.” His smile was dazzling. “Right? With the two phantoms.”

Phantoms.

Had I hit my head? Slipped and fallen somewhere? Was I dreaming?

“Yeah,” he said. “They’re already waiting at the table in the back.”

He pointed toward the back of the cafe and I craned my head, but I didn’t see anyone in the booths. In fact, there wasn’t anyone back there.

“I don’t see anyone,” I said. “Maybe they ghosted me.”

Bell snorted. “They don’t strike me as the ghosting type, ironically. Um, let me walk you back there. My dad was supposed to be here for this but got hung up with something. I’m certain my mom and other dad are responsible for it.” Hewrinkled his nose. “They’ve been mad at each other but it can only last for so long, so maybe they’re finally making up.”

“Have you heard the termtoo much information?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“Have you considered it applies to you?” I mused.

“I’ve been told.” Bell grinned. “Before I take you back there, what kinda coffee do you want?”

“I’d rather have tea, if you have any,” I said. “Do you have breakfast tea?”