Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
The room was full of vines and flowers. I blinked awake to the smell of jasmine and night-blooming tobacco, soft petals brushing against my cheeks.
“Oh shit,” I whispered.
My bedroom looked like a jungle had exploded.
Caelan stirred against me, tightening his grip against my abdomen. He nuzzled my neck and placed a kiss against my shoulder.
I sensed the instant he opened his eyes. Caelan stiffened and inhaled deeply.
“Want to explain?” he murmured in my ear, his voice deep and rough with sleep.
It was nice being involved with a guy who didn’t lose his shit over something like a random jungle in the bedroom after a sleepover. “I must have gotten too tired and didn’t burn off enough magic yesterday.”
I felt his grin against my skin. “I can help you burn off some excess energy.”
His hand started seeking lower. I sucked in a gasp and pressed against him.
“Do jungles turn you on?”
He chuckled. “Only women who can make them.”
I turned over and crawled on top of the Shifter Lord. “Hmm. I’m a little partial to wolves, too.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “Oh? All wolves?”
I tapped my finger to my chin in mock thought.
Caelan growled and yanked me down, catching my lips in a bruising, claiming kiss.
Seconds later, there were no more words.
The automaton was finished, carefully placed in the walk-in fridge to await the anniversary dinner. We sat around my worktable, a mound of fresh flowers in the middle, making table centerpieces, smaller and more elegant than the ones we’d done for Caelan’s get-togethers.
The walk-in traffic had been a little slow today, allowing us to catch up on orders.
Rain pounded the pavement outside, only the bravest of tourists out and about.
Tess seemed normal, and Ash wouldn’t meet my gaze which told me he hadn’t broken the news to Tess yet.
Moira kept glancing at me and him, then at Tess, a small frown marring the perfection of her pale brow.
I hadn’t said anything about what was going on.
Getting involved in my employees’ business was a fast way to lose said employee, so I interfered when I needed to (which was extremely rare) and gave advice the rest of the time.
Whatever was going on between them had to be settled by them, not me or Moira.
“Alright,” Moira blurted. “What’s going on?”
I placed a white anemone in the bouquet and kept my mouth shut.
Tess frowned. “What do you mean? I’m trying to figure out if orange goes with green and it’s messing with my head a little.”
“If it’s the flower stem, Tess, green goes with everything.”
“Oh. I guess so.” Her soft voice warbled.
My heart broke a little bit. I sent Ash a disapproving look.
Moira’s lips thinned. “Oh Ash.” She shook her head in disappointment and put the ranunculus down. “I’m going to get a head start on Hattie’s bouquet. Maybe I’ll draw something and see if you like it.”
Our eyes met. She jerked her head slightly toward the left. I shook my head once.
No, we were not meeting in the freezer to gossip about our coworkers.
Not in front of them at least.
Ash’s shoulders slumped. “Tess?”
She hummed a little tune as she put a salmon-colored rose in the foam. “Hmm?”
Ash sent me a desperate look.
I chewed on the side of my lip. “Why don’t you two take a longer lunch? We aren’t expecting much business today, and there’s no reason for all of us to be in the shop.”
Tess glanced up from her centerpiece. “It’s only 10:30.”
“Grab a coffee first. How about you two come back at 1?”
Tess blinked. “Are you sure?”
“Very,” I assured her. The smile I gave was as reassuring as I could make it, but my heart hurt for them both. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you,” Ash mouthed. He helped Tess up, snagging her jacket by the door. Once they were both bundled up, they hurried outside to his car.
Moira and I watched them go.
“Is he breaking up with her?” she asked quietly.
“I think so. He was supposed to do it yesterday.”
“That’s why it was so awkward.” Moira scrubbed a hand over her face. “Damn. Any chance of them working it out?”
My gut told me no, but I didn’t want to put an absolute on something I only saw from the outside. “Maybe,” I said instead.
She put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Things are changing.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my eyes and sighed. “What about you? Anything new in your life?”
Moira laughed and sat back down at the table. I pushed a pile of flowers over. “Still single. Still trying to make the perfect cup of tea. Still trying to figure things out. So, the answer is…not really.”
She smiled. “Whatever happens, we will all still love each other, Evie. You never have to worry about that.”
“I’m more worried about us fading away from each other.
” Ash and Tess dating had made me pause and wonder if it was a good idea, but they’d liked each other so much I was hard pressed to stop them.
If I was a more logical person, I would have extrapolated the data, come to the conclusions that statistically most relationships don’t work out, and put a stop to the madness before it started.
But I wasn’t an ice queen and had a soft spot for both Tess and Ash.
This was…human in a way. An ending. Maybe not a final one, but one for now.
“Tess is young, and Ash has been through heartbreak before. They’ll be okay.
Eventually.” Moira sorted through the peonies for the best color.
“And even if we go our separate ways, I don’t think we’ll ever fade.
” A faint smile tipped her lips up. “Though I think you’re overreacting.
None of us are going anywhere for a long time. ”
“That’s what you say now,” I grumbled. “But two of our people are out there breaking up.”
Moira snorted. “Tess needs a job and Ash basically lives here. I don’t think either of them will uproot their lives over this.”
“I hope not.”
“And if they do, you can guilt them into staying. You’re great at that.”
I tossed a pansy at her. She caught it, laughing.
“Now stop being so maudlin and let’s finish this up before they get back.” Moira stuck the pansy into her own arrangement.
Ash and Tess returned an hour and a half later. While Tess looked fine, Ash looked like he’d gotten hit by a train.
“Mind if I take off for the day?” Ash asked quietly as Tess returned to her spot behind the desk and checked the shop email.
“Sure.” I touched his arm. “Are you alright?”
His jaw tightened. “Tess doesn’t love like us. She’s fine.”
My brow furrowed. “Ash, I don’t think anyone loves the same, nor do I think that assessment is fair. I’ll check—”
“Don’t.” A sharp shake of his head. “Leave her be for now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Without another word, he hurried out the door and back into the rain.
Moira and I exchanged glances. She rose from my worktable and went over to Tess, murmuring quietly.
I couldn’t hear what was said, but Tess was here, and she seemed okay.
That was all I could ask for now.