Love Your Entity(16)
“Is something wrong?” Zoe asked.
“I’m just a little jumpy about leaving the house.”
“Why?”
“Do you know Ronan?” Sierra asked.
Zoe moved closer so she was standing on the sidewalk near Sierra. Zoe was wearing a red down jacket with a black scarf artfully wrapped around her neck. “I’ve met him,” she said.
“He thinks he has a claim to my house.”
“Damon told me.”
“So you know Damon too?”
Zoe grinned. “I know him very well. We live together.”
So that’s why Damon had showed up so fast yesterday. He lived right next door.
“I heard you and Ronan signed an agreement to share the house,” Zoe said.
“A temporary agreement,” Sierra said.
“Well then, you don’t have anything to worry about. Where are you off to?”
“I have to return the U-Haul van this morning,” Sierra said.
“Do you need a ride back?” Zoe asked.
“I can take a taxi.”
“Save your money. Unless you’re independently wealthy?” Zoe teased her.
Sierra laughed. “No, I’m not.”
“Then I’ll give you a ride back. My car is already out front.” She pointed to a red Mini Cooper.
“I’ve been thinking of getting one of those,” Sierra admitted. “I sold my used Ford Fiesta back in Cleveland. It was on its last legs anyway.”
“At least we’ve got sunny weather,” Zoe said. “February in Chicago means temperatures can go either way. Fifty degrees like it was yesterday or barely thirty like it is today.”
“So you’ve been in Chicago a long time?”
“Almost a year,” Zoe said. “We moved from Boston.”
“You and Damon?”
“No. My grandmother and me. She’s out with a friend this morning. Let me grab my keys and we can be off. I’ll follow you.”
“At least let me treat you to breakfast as a thank-you,” Sierra said an hour later as they returned to the neighborhood.
“Deal.” Zoe pulled in front of Heavenly Cupcakes a few minutes later. “They have great coffee here too.”
“Daniella makes great cupcakes and great coffee?”
“Yes, she does. She’s also a really nice person.”
“She gave me a good reference for Ronan.”
“Hi, Zoe. How are you doing? Who’s your friend?” the young woman behind the counter said as they entered the shop. Her dark blond hair had attention-grabbing streaks of purple that matched the neon-purple earrings she wore. The tag on her navy blue Heavenly Cupcakes T-shirt said her name was Xandra.
Zoe made the introductions, then she and Sierra placed their orders. Sierra went for a latte and a mocha cupcake while Zoe went for an espresso and a devil’s food cupcake.
Then they sat at one of the bistro-style tables next to the front window.
“This is a nice place,” Sierra said. “I love the Art Deco architectural details, the decorative moldings, and the framed angel prints. The black frames really pop against the pale pink walls.”
“Daniella has done a great job with it.” Zoe took a sip of her espresso before saying, “I hear you’re an author.”
“That’s right.”
“I looked you up on Amazon. You’ve gotten some wonderful reviews, including in Booklist and Library Journal.”
“You sound very knowledgeable,” Sierra said.
“I sound like what I am,” Zoe said. “A former librarian.”
“You’re not a librarian now?”
Zoe shook her head. “I’m a soap maker. I have my own line of botanical soaps and creams. I sell them online. Bella Luna is the name of my business.”
“I’ll have to check it out,” Sierra said.
“And I’ll have to check out your books. It sounds like your vigilante ghost hunter Nicki Champion is quite the woman. She always gets her ghost.”
“Not always,” Sierra said.
“Oh, now I am intrigued.”
“No one is always successful,” Sierra said.
“Not even ghost hunters?”
“Especially them.”
“A number of the reviews on Amazon said how realistic you made the ghost world sound. As if you had experience yourself.”
“Yeah, I hear that a lot,” Sierra said.
“And?”
“And it’s a nice compliment.”
“That’s all it is? You know your house is rumored to be haunted,” Zoe said.
“I love those kinds of rumors. I’ve got research books on haunted bridges, mines, and hotels. What about your house? Is it supposed to be haunted too?”
“It’s not my house. I’m renting. Nick owns the property. I think you met him last night,” Zoe said.