Page 74 of Christmas Magic

Chapter Thirteen

Holding Tim, Molly frowned as she walked into the main part of Black Cat Antiquities. It had gone nine o’clock, and the sign on the door hadn’t been switched to ‘Open’. Lucian’s laptop sat unopened on the table in the back room, which meant he’d been in the shop but hadn’t gotten to the reports yet.

“Galahad?” she called.

A thud drew her attention to the fluffy feline, who’d jumped down from a chair in the front window. “I’m here. Lucian, though, is AWOL.”

“What do you mean, AWOL?” asked Rose, following a short distance behind Molly with the other three female cats.

“He left and hasn’t come back,” the squire meowed, “even though he should have.”

“Oh, Lucian,” Daisy murmured.

Petunia and Marigold shook their heads.

Molly struggled with a flare of anguish. Finding her fiancé gone from the house that morning without even leaving her a note had been painful enough, but he’d also shirked his responsibilities to his grandfather’s store? The Experts expected him to review the data in a timely manner. The security of the shop and town depended on him monitoring the reports and making sure irregularities were promptly investigated and dealt with.

He could, of course, have been delayed while buying his morning coffee. He might even have run an errand and lost track of time. Yet, the duty-conscious Lucian she knew and loved would still have managed to glance over the reports before nine—and he’d have opened Black Cat Antiquities on time.

Unless he’d been manipulated by the enchantment.

Unless—oh, please, no—he’d gone to meet with The Dealer.

“Do you know where Lucian went?” She couldn’t keep from sounding concerned.

“He left a while ago with Cora.” Sitting on his haunches, the squire growled. “I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Did you get your feewings hurt?” Tim mewled as Molly set him down on the floor.

“A little.” Galahad hissed. “Cora seems to have a firm hold on him. I wish we could get rid of that bloody spell.”

So do I.

“Bwuddy?” wide-eyed Tim mewled. “What does that mean?”

Daisy tsked. “It’s not a word for baby cats to use.”

Tim’s eyes grew even wider. “Why not?”

“Because,” Daisy said.

“’Cause why?”

“Just because,” the female cat said firmly.

“So I’d be in trouble if I said ‘bwuddy’?” Tim asked, so innocently.

Trying not to smile, Molly set her purse on the counter.

“Bwuddy,” Tim meowed. “Ooops. I said ‘bwuddy.’ I’m not allowed to say ‘bwuddy.’”

“Tim,” Daisy yowled.

“Is it really bad to say ‘bwuddy?’ ’Cause when I say ‘bwuddy’—”

“You cheeky kitten!” Daisy scampered after the giggling Tim.

Molly unlocked the front door and turned the sign. After Marigold, Petunia, and Rose promised to find her if a customer entered the shop, she and Galahad went to the back room. Biting down on her bottom lip, she sat at the table, started up Lucian’s computer and, with the squire beside her, looked through the reports.