Chapter 11
Bluebell
“Bluebell, I’m here!”
Tiana’s voice drifts from the Bodice’s front door to where I am in the storeroom.
“Back here,” I shout, knowing she’ll easily find her way to me.
Moments later, the beautiful purple-haired troll appears in the storeroom door, amethyst brows rising high. She plants both big hands on her hips and looks around.
“My oh my, what is going on here? This place is a bit more of a mess than I would have expected.”
I stand and pull her in for a quick hug. “That’s exactly why I need you, friend. The Bodice and I aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye, and I thought she’d appreciate a friendly face.”
She cocks her head sideways, big tusks sticking up from her lower jaw. “Exactly how not getting along are you?”
Overhead, every ceiling beam creaks and wriggles. Shoe boxes fly off the shelves, hitting me. Although, at this point, it’s happened enough that I lift my hands just in time to avoid getting a box corner to the eyeball.
“Okayyyy then,” Tiana says. “Buxom, girl, you should be ashamed of treating Bluebell like this. She was a customer for decades, honey.”
Thank you, I mouth when the Bodice lets out a sorrowful series of groans.
“I thought you’d be happy to see an old friend,” I say loudly to the building. “She’s going to take over some of my shifts.”
Tiana drops to a knee beside me, gathering up an armful of boxes. “Listen, honey, I’ve got this, and I’ll be here until closing. If this is like any other day of yours, I imagine you’ve got a to-do list a mile long. Why don’t you get on outta here and I’ll see if I can figure out what’s going on?”
I squeeze her shoulder as I flash her another grateful smile. For the first time when I leave, the Bodice opens the door for me and doesn’t slam it behind my back.
Outside, I stop in the street and lift my arms like I just won a gold medal. Hopping up and down, I squeak out my excitement.
“Making progress with the store?”
Hadrian’s deep voice shocks me, and I freeze, turning slowly to find him standing to my left. I run a hand through my hair, laughing. “Yeah, I think so. Just a little bit, but yeah? I mean…we’ll see.”
He looks at the front door, lifting a hand from his pocket to wave. “Hey, sweet girl, you being nice to our neighbor?”
Silence.
“Just a bit of progress,” I admit.
“Keep at it,” he says softly. “I know you’ll get there. I think you could win over anyone you want, Bluebell. Anyone. And I mean that.”
Fuuuuuck me.
His eyes drift to the leopard-print leotard I’m wearing as a shirt today. It’s rare I let my whole arms hang out, but I was doing porch yoga this morning, and I ran out of time to change.
He smiles. “Can you take off today?”
I yank my to-do list out of my pocket and wave it at him. “I don’t know, Hadrian. Whatchu got in mind? Because this is all the stuff I’ve got to get done today. Where’s Jasper?”
“I don’t know,” he says simply. “I wanted to hang with you.”
“Are we doing this?”
I don’t realize I actually asked that aloud until he smiles at me. “We’ve been best friends for two decades, Miss Tucker. What could be more normal than hanging out?”
Not hanging out?! Not almost kissing?!
I shrug. “Right, yeah, of course you’re right.”
He hands the to-do list back to me. “Why don’t I come help you with some of the stuff on that list?
Then we can grab some lunch together. As friends.
” The saucy look on his face suggests “friends” might not be exactly what he has in mind.
Last night showed me a side of Hadrian I wasn’t expecting, but in the light of day, I sorta thought I dreamed it up.
I’m second-guessing that right now.
“Okay,” I chirp. “Now that Lemon’s moved into Furyon’s place, I’ve got to get hers fixed up for a new tenant. You want to come help me clean?”
He laughs. “Can’t imagine anything I'd rather do. Why don’t the Jays help you with this stuff?”
I bark out a laugh at his nickname for my three brothers. “Jasper cleaning?” I shrug as I wave for us to head toward the rental cottages around Main Street’s corner.
“He would,” Hadrian says. “If you asked.”
I suck in a breath. “But would he do a good job? That’s the thing.
And that first time a new renter walks in the door sets their expectation of how our rental relationship will be.
Not to mention, he’s actually pretty freaked out about his third-level test. He’s been studying, if you can believe it. ”
He sighs. “You sound just like your mother when you say that.”
“I suppose I got it from her,” I admit. She taught me most of what I know about running our business, then promptly stepped away so she and dad could spend more time renovating Tucker Ranch. That process has been going on for a very long time.
When we arrive at cottage number four-thirty-two, she waggles pale blue shutters at us.
“Hey, sweet girl,” I call out. Smiling up at Hadrian, I fish around for the keys in my pocket. “We shouldn’t need to be here too terribly long. I just need to clean up and make sure she’s feeling alright. The new family moves in next week.”
He’s silent as I open the door for him. Pressing my palm to the doorframe, I close my eyes and allow the black magic course through me.
Sparks tickle my fingertips as I receive the house’s sentiment.
She’s happy, healthy, doesn’t need healing of any sort.
She shouldn’t, because I check on all of our buildings regularly, and with twenty-two properties around Pine Gulch, it’s a lot.
Smiling, I remove my hand and head inside, halting when I see the way Hadrian’s looking at me.
“Your magic is astonishing,” he says.
“You said that last time you saw me use it,” I tease.
“And I’m astonished anew.” He grabs the cleaning supplies. “I’ll tackle the bathroom?”
I cock my head to the side. “I…I know you offered to come do this, but for some reason, I really didn’t see you cleaning bathrooms.”
He gives me a fake shocked look. “Right? Hadrian Alkazar, star skyball player, scrubbing toilets and pulling blonde vampire hair out of the shower drain? I’ve done worse. You should have seen me fixing the septic out at the ranch.”
I tsk. “You should have called me for that!”
He shrugs and heads for the bathroom, glancing at me over his shoulder. “I like the hard work, Bluebell. I like getting my hands dirty. Maybe I should tell you a little more about how I got them dirty last night?”
I freeze as he disappears toward the bathroom, shuffling his wing tips together as he goes. He’s got his tail wrapped around his thigh, his huge beefy thigh.
Did he really just say that?
It’s blissfully quiet as he cleans the bathroom and I start in the bedroom.
For an hour, we work in silence. When he eventually emerges smelling of bleach and lavender cleaning solution, I smile.
It’s fake, though. I don’t know where we stand after his tease just now and what he said against the door last night.
Because I couldn’t possibly forget the way his mouth felt against the curve of my ear.
He sets the cleaning supplies down on the small rectangular dining table. The moment stretches long as beautiful purple eyes focus on me.
“We need to talk, Bluebell,” he says in a voice so quiet, so commanding, I feel it all the way in my bones.
“About what?” I whisper.
“You know what.” He removes his hands from his pockets, unfurling his tail from around his thigh to lash it behind his back like a cat.
Or a predator.
My heart leaps into my throat. “Okay, Hadrian.”
His lips pull into a half smile. “I know what you did last night, Bluebell, after you went into your apartment.”
I gasp, embarrassment hitting me hard and hot. “I…I—”
He shakes his head. “I’m not saying that to embarrass you. I’m saying I know, and because of that, I did the same thing in the hallway against your door.”
A full gasp leaves me then.
“I can’t stay away from you,” he says. “And if I’m honest, the main reason I came back here is you, Bluebell.” His gaze softens. “I know it’s a lot to admit this fast. I told myself I’d try kissing you first, but it turns out, my self control’s shot when you’re around…”
Black stars dance behind my eyelids as I struggle to figure out what to say. We’ve been avoiding this attraction since he came home and we shared that almost kiss. But there’s been nothing obvious since then.
Or has there?!
“Hadrian,” I begin, but just as I say his name, his comm watch rings.
He groans and lifts his wrist. His coach’s name hovers above it. He shakes his head. “I’ll call him back later. Like I was saying—”
The watch rings again, insistently.
“You should get that,” I offer. “For real, I’m good.”
“Fuck,” he hisses, running a hand through his black waves and looking between me and the watch. “I really should take this, I’m so sorry.”
I lift both hands as I back toward the door. “We’ll finish this conversation, I promise. I’m just going to head into town, but call me later, okay?” Part of me is desperate to run from the conversation because I don’t know if I’m ready for it.
His tail lashes faster, and he sucks at his fangs, staring at me like he’s not sure if he agrees with my suggestion. “Call you later, I promise.”
Nodding, I spin toward the door and do my best not to break into a run. I speed-walk until I get half a block away from the cottage, then I lift my wrist and comm Lemon. She picks up on the first ring.
“Bluebell, hey girl. You’ve been busy this w—”
“I need you,” I hiss. “And Oz. Meet me at the boats right now!”
“Okayyyy,” she says. “Right this second?”
“Yes,” I bark. “I promise you have nothing better to do than what I need right now. I have never called and asked you for anything, but—”
“I’m coming now,” she says. “Don’t worry, friend. I’ve got your back. You want to call Oz, or should I?”
“I’ll do it.”
She clicks off, and I call Oz next. “Meet me and Lemon at the boats right now, Oz. I need your help. It’s a friendmergency.”