Free Demons Don't Always Tell The Truth (Kate Storm Series Book 3) by Meredith Allen Conner

gargoyle in yet another.
    I set the dusting spray and cloth on the counter and stepped onto my porch.
    "Hey. How's the . . . Al, is that glue?"
    Damn it. I could see at least two tubes next to his front paw and it looked like he had a couple more hidden behind his tiny backside.
    "Hey, Doll." Al shifted, shuffled a napkin over the tubes and blinked at me. "All done with the cleaning already?"
    "Yes. I am." I marched over, picked him up and set him on the ground then grabbed the wooden tray. "You're just lucky I ordered more of these meatballs."
    Al's little nails scratched the floor in a rhythmic pattern as he followed me inside.
    "Glue can't hurt a demon, Doll."
    Damn it. He didn't sound apologetic, more irritated.
    "We do not insult, hurt or try to injure our guests in any way, Al." I slammed the tray onto my kitchen table. "Nor do we try to glue parts of their anatomy to the appetizers."
    I whirled around with my hands on my hips to glare down at him.
    Al shrugged, lifted one paw and licked it. "You forgot to include some entertainment tonight. I was just trying to help."
    I opened my mouth to let him have it when I caught sight of the clock.
    Sweet Spirits, I had just over an hour before everyone arrived. My hair would take a good forty minutes alone.
    I shook my finger at him as I hot-footed it out of the kitchen. "You better behave yourself tonight, Al."
    I was shutting the bathroom door when I head him mutter, "I knew I shoulda used the rat poison. It woulda have been so much faster."

 
    10. A Witch, A shirt and A Disaster.
     
    The doorbell rang as I was attempting to button my blouse. Apparently my cleaning frenzy wasn't as calorie reducing as I thought. Or I had put on more weight than I wanted to admit.
    Impossible.
    I must have grabbed the wrong size.
    The doorbell rang again. I still had a good twenty minutes before anyone was supposed to arrive. Maybe a neighbor wanted to borrow something.
    I gave up on the uncooperative buttons and tried to simply yank the top over my head. The silky material got stuck underneath my breasts. I tried to pull it back down, but it was bunched too tightly and a couple of the buttons had somehow tangled up which prohibited the shirt from moving.
    I hadn't been able to close the buttons near my breasts so the stupid blouse was scrunched up just under my bra with my purple bra and upper chest fully exposed.
    The shirt was too small.
    I didn't want to acknowledge it, but it was kind of hard to miss now that it was attempting to smother me.
    My brand spanking new top was too small.
    The doorbell rang again.
    I grabbed a zip up sweatshirt hanging from the back of my bedroom door and shrugged into it as I headed towards the front door.
    I refused to let this upset me. Obviously, this was the store's fault. They had mis-marked the top.
    I couldn't remember any untangling spells for the life of me.
    Damn it. I really wanted everything to be perfect for tonight.
    I'd hidden the glue and the rat poison - I did not remember buying rat poison - and put Al on the deck with my iPod and instructions for selecting a playlist. I was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to scroll through the music, but I figured it would keep him out of trouble and give him something to do.
    At least my hair was done. My curls had gone into full combat mode. Rather than attempting to win that battle, I'd simply pulled my curls into a top ponytail.
    They were contained and my new dangly beaded earrings wouldn't get caught. A win-win as far as I was concerned.
    Plus it had cut down on my primping time. Which meant I was ready ahead of time except for my new blouse which someone had clearly mis-marked.
    I'd get rid of my neighbor, find my untangling spell and put on my red top with the low neckline and comfortable waist. Red always looked good on me.
    And I wanted to look good tonight. I was throwing a party and had big plans to seduce my demon boyfriend later. I definitely wanted to look my best.
    I didn't like it, but