Hot Piece of Ash (Paranormal Dating Agency #28) - Milly Taiden Page 0,24

recognized her with her hair up and full makeup. She was stunning without it, but now…Tom must’ve been an idiot if he didn’t love this beautiful, sweet woman.

“Come sit with me when you get your food,” Kristin said. “Tell me if my brother was a jerk, so I have a reason to beat him up.” She grinned and Valentina felt more at ease. After making herself a waffle with blueberries and way more syrup than she should have, she made her way back. A few people glanced at her. Each smiled when meeting her eyes. No looks of disgust or judgment.

Valentina slid into a seat at Kristin’s table. “This is great. I can’t believe how big the selection is.”

“Yeah,” Kristin chuckled, “I’ll give my brother credit when it comes to feeding us. He got that right. Not sure about much else though.” Her smile told Valentina Kristin was kidding.

“Ash and I watched the pirate play last night,” she told Kristin excitedly.

“Oh, how did you like it?” Kristin cut her waffle into squares.

“I thought it was great. The place where the pirate was cut looked so real, I was sick to my stomach for a moment.”

Kristin’s brows drew down as she chewed. “I don’t remember anything like that. You sure?”

“Oh, definitely,” she continued, “the fake skin hung like a fleshy flap of cloth. It was gross.”

Kristin laughed. “Maybe I need to check it out again. It’s been a while.”

“Are there other stories about the two pirates? You know, things from the locals. I’ve read up on the females and find them fascinating. Did you know they went by the names Andy and Mark when they were disguised as men?”

“No,” Kristin replied, her brows high. “The men thought they were males? Not very observant then were they?”

“From what I understand, pirates were intoxicated more often than not.” Valentina had come across that on one of the sites she read.

“Did you see anything about their treasure?” Kristin asked. “The part in the play about the ship sinking and them throwing everything overboard is supposedly real. There honestly was a shipwreck. It’s one of the diving tours.”

“Seriously?” She gasped. “I have to do that one soon. But, no, I didn’t see anything like that. Where did that info come from?”

“That might be from the locals. The playwright did a lot of research with those who lived here when writing the play for us. You have a couple more days before you can move into your office, so maybe ask around if you’re genuinely interested.”

She wondered if Smoke knew any stories. Her stomach churned with her half-digested waffle when thinking about her date with him. She was excited and nervous at the same time. Was she moving too fast? Would he get bored with her in a day and move on to the next beautiful tourist who gave him a look?

Maybe it would be for the best. She kind of wanted to see where things were headed with Ash. She really didn’t see herself juggling two guys. It was too much work. Besides, it was highly unlikely they both wanted her in that deep, raw way she felt with Ash. She’d just have to wait and see.

“Kristin,” she said hesitantly, “has your brother dated a lot of women?” Was that something one could ask a sister? “I mean if you wouldn’t mind telling me. I don’t want to seem nosey, though I am.”

Kristin laughed. “Ash is the alpha, so every female wants to be with him. But, no, he’s honestly a bit shy around someone he likes, if you can believe that.”

“Alpha?” she asked. “What’s that?”

Kristin choked on her bite and slapped her chest. “Ah, fuck!” Kristin glanced at her watch. “It’s time to get to the office, or I'll be late.” She jumped to her feet with her plate and glass in hand. “Gotta go. See you around.”

She was gone before Valentina got a chance to say goodbye.

At the table next to her, she noticed a guy looking at her. She returned the look and saw it was Mark, the get-rich-quick teenager.

“Hey,” she said, smiling, “how’s it going?”

The boy smiled. “Uh, good. I heard you talking about the treasure. I mean, the pirates.” His smile slipped.

“Yeah, I watched the play last night.”

“Oh, right,” Mark mumbled. “I-I need-, have to go.” He jumped from his chair and hurried out the door. What was his problem? He didn’t even take his dishes to be washed. That boy needed to learn to be more appreciative for his