Chapter 2 #2
If Calder hadn’t been eavesdropping, he could have told them that the strength of the feel of someone’s magic wasn’t a definitive indicator of witch versus shifter. Often a shifter felt a little less magical than a witch, but not always.
There was another clatter. Maybe a utensil this time. “I have never, in my entire life, played my cards right, Simon.”
“Maybe he likes that,” Simon said, still unfazed.
“I belong in the kitchen,” Adam argued.
Calder could actually hear him gearing up to ignore Calder and pretend this had never happened. But apparently, Simon had Calder’s back.
“Look, you’ve got two choices. Either you get out there and say hello, or I go out there and set up your first date.”
Adam gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
“Have you met me?” Simon demanded.
Sighing out an aggrieved breath, Adam said grumpily, “Fine. But when this all goes wrong, I’m blaming you for eternity.”
“Fine.” Simon sounded incredibly cheerful. “But when it all goes right, I’m going to be in charge of your wedding.”
Adam spluttered. “You are the worst.”
“But I have good taste,” Simon said, unperturbed. “Now come on, get your ass out there. I have customers to serve.”
Adam screeched. “Simon! You’ve been in here haranguing me while there are customers out there? What is wrong with you?”
“Time’s awasting,” Simon said brightly.
Letting out an impotent sound of irritation, Adam apparently allowed himself to be led.
Calder just had time to school his expression to one of mild hopefulness, and then the swinging door was pushed open, and Adam emerged, stumbling a little.
Simon was at his back, and it looked like he’d given him an actual shove to get him through the door at the same time that he’d yanked something off Adam’s head—a hair net?
Adam’s eyes were huge, and he was staring at Calder like a deer in headlights.
But then, Calder couldn’t take his eyes off him.
Simon bustled behind the counter, and a moment later, he was shoving something at both of them.
Automatically, Calder took it. When Adam fumbled his plate, Calder’s free hand snapped out to grab it.
With a sweet and saucy smile, Simon winked at them. “Cake! I’ll have drinks for you in a minute. Now go sit down so I can serve these customers.”
Adam’s brown furrowed as he said, still staring at Calder, “Like we were keeping him from serving the customers!”
Feeling insensibly warmed by the “we,” Calder observed, “I get the feeling Simon sees the world the way he wants to see it.”
Adam huffed a laugh. “Well, that’s certainly true.”
His eyes were made up of multiple flecks of different blues, like the ocean near the shore on a sunny day. Calder was fascinated, and Adam seemed to be equally entranced by Calder. They stood there for several long minutes, just staring at one another.
This close, Calder could catalog every feature.
Adam’s hair was a riot of golden curls. He had a dusting of freckles across his nose, pale skin, and a sharp chin.
There was no sign of the injury that had bled yesterday, so Adam must have used a healing spell.
Calder felt himself relax a little, relieved.
Adam was shorter than Calder by several inches, but he had long arms and legs, like everything was slightly out of proportion. Calder could only imagine those long limbs wrapped around him.
Something of what he was thinking must have translated onto his face, because Adam went slowly scarlet, heat rushing up his cheeks and making his ears go pink.
“We should sit down,” Adam said abruptly, gesturing and nearly hitting a nearby customer.
His cheeks went, impossibly, even pinker, and he stumbled but managed to keep his balance as he led them over to one of the small tables at the back of the shop. He sat down gracelessly, knocking the table with his knee, but since nothing was on it yet, there was no damage done.
Calder joined him, setting down the plates that Simon had given them. Adam blinked at them like he was surprised to see them, and Calder liked the idea that the man had been concentrating so much on Calder that he’d forgotten about everything else.
“Oh,” Adam said. “He gave us two different slices.”
Calder switched his focus to the cake, realizing that Adam was right. One of the slices was dark chocolate with a lighter icing. There were peanuts, little peanut butter cups, and a dark chocolate drizzle on top.
“Peanut butter and chocolate,” Adam explained. His eyes widened. “You don’t have any allergies, do you?”
He looked like he was posed to knock the plate off the table.
Calder smiled at him. “No allergies.”
“And do you, uh, like cake?”
Adam peeked up at Calder through thick, tawny lashes, and Calder, who valued honesty and plain-speaking, would have blithely lied if necessary. Fortunately, he didn’t need to.
“I love cake,” he confessed, voice thicker than normal.
Adam swallowed visibly, and though the hectic color had begun to die down on his face, two spots on his cheeks remained.
“Good, that’s good,” he said, then bit his lip.
“What kind of cake is this?” Calder asked, pointing at the second plate.
“Victoria sponge,” Adam explained, looking immediately more relaxed. “Buttercream and strawberry jam with a vanilla cake. The cake’s a little heavier than the chocolate. I usually make a lighter chocolate cake since there’s so much richness with the icing and peanut butter.”
“Do you make all the cakes?”
“Uh huh.” Adam nodded his head several times before he seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped. “Which slice do you want?”
Calder looked down at the cake and then up at Adam. “How about we share them?”
Adam swallowed again. “We could—” He had to clear his throat. “We could definitely do that. I like sharing.”
He laughed awkwardly, but Calder just smiled at him, charmed.
Simon bustled over with two mugs, napkins, and forks. He was beaming.
“Here you go. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I made you a cappuccino.”
Simon gestured at the mug he’d set in front of Calder. He’d poured the milk foam so that the drink was decorated with a heart. Simon was not subtle. Calder liked that about him.
Then he gestured at the one in front of Adam. “And for you and your sweet tooth, it’s a mocha with extra caramel sauce and whipped cream. Try not to get it all over your face.”
He winked outrageously, and then he was hustling back to the counter.
Adam slumped down a little, like he was trying to disappear.
“Ugh,” he grumbled. “Sorry about him. He can be a lot.”
“I find him charming,” Calder assured him.
Adam’s gaze snapped up to his and then skittered away again. “Oh, uh, good.” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, Simon is super charming. Very happy and graceful and beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have him.”
Ah. Calder should have realized how his comment sounded.
“I’m certainly grateful to him,” Calder said smoothly. “He brought me to you.”