Chapter 4
Chapter Four
CASSIAN
“Mornin’, Cass,” Griffin said to me when he arrived the next morning.
“Good morning, Griffin!” I said, looking up from the messy jumble of keys in the drawer, which had become a disaster since business picked up.
Instead of heading for the pub, he approached the counter and rapped his fingers across the top a few times.
“You all right?” I asked.
“Willo said she’ll consider helping you,” he said.
I beamed at him. “That’s great!”
“She’d like to talk to you first. And Mr. Thorndrop.
Caught me by surprise, frankly. She hates officers of the Force, but hearing about what he did for you yesterday must’ve softened her,” Griffin said.
“I also told her how well the two of you are gettin’ along, and she figures if you trust him, she’ll give him a chance. ”
Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and I turned away to hide my embarrassment. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure you do. Anyhow, I can watch the inn until Jasmine’s up if you and your man want to visit her today,” he said.
“He’s not my man,” I said through a laugh.
Griffin shrugged. “Whaddya say?”
I cleared my throat, nodding. “Sounds great. After the morning rush, I’ll let you know when we leave.”
“I’ll be waitin’.”
I was eager to tell Sterling the news. Olive hadn’t arrived yet, so I invaded the kitchen to prepare his morning coffee, assembling a small silver tray with the small brewing pot, sugar, and cream, and brought it up to him early.
He answered the door blearily, dark hair messy, and rubbing his eyes. And no shirt.
I must have turned bright red trying not to stare. I must’ve forgotten to say anything, because he said, “Good morning, Mr. Fiddlesap. Is everything all right?”
I admired his dedication to the joke even while half asleep. “Morning, Turnip. Sorry to wake you so early, but I have exciting news.”
“Mm, it’s okay since you brought coffee,” he said with a smile. “Come in.” He stepped aside and held the door open for me.
I only intended to deliver the coffee and news and return downstairs, but the invitation was tempting.
“I can’t stay long. I’ve got to be downstairs to handle the morning rush.
” I stepped into the room to set the tray on his table.
“Get yourself dressed—” I scanned him once more, adding, “if you want.” His eyebrows bounced up, and I regretted my inability to resist flirting with him.
“We’re going to see Willorunia after the rush. She wants to talk to us.”
Sterling sat at the table, yawning. “Do you know her well? You seem much closer to the people here than I originally thought.”
“Oh, um…” I didn’t know why it always surprised me when he pointed this out.
I had known these people my entire life, but the way I was always dipping in and out of their lives made me feel like a stranger.
“She influenced me to become a witch. She’s also one of the few people in my life who always saw the real me.
When I was a child, she never forced stereotypical ‘boyish’ activities on me, and her gender-blind introduction to witchcraft really helped clear the view of my life path. ”
Sterling stopped pouring his coffee to watch me. I immediately felt silly for telling him something so personal. “That’s lovely. Does she know?” he asked.
“No.”
“You should tell her,” he said, continuing to pour the dark drink into his mug, and then he took a sip of plain black coffee. I swore I saw him drink it with cream and sugar before. Was I serving it wrong? “I’m sorry if I’ve been referring to you incorrectly. May I ask about your gender?”
“Oh, it’s—you haven’t. I’m… well, I don’t know.
” Explaining this to him flustered me. Griffin was right; I did like him a lot, and maybe part of me didn’t want to ruin my slim chances of him liking me back if he was into men.
But if he was only into men, he wouldn’t like the real me.
“I go back and forth. Most of the time I feel like a man who likes to look feminine, but sometimes… Sometimes I wish people would see a woman when they looked at me. Nothing can be done, though.”
“That’s not true. You just let me know when you feel that way and I’ll change the way I talk about you, all right?” he said, sipping his coffee again.
He watched me struggle to find words. I’d never been so open with anyone about this, because I just expected people to look at me funny and move on, but this…
I’d never felt this before. His words made my soul feel safe and warm.
Like I didn’t have to guard myself around him.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “What about you?”
“I’ve been a man every day so far,” he said.
I nodded, fighting a smile. “And, um… Sorry to change the subject, but can I ask about your preferences? I don’t want to get it wrong,” I said, pointing to the coffee.
Sterling looked me up and down slowly. “You never get it wrong. I like it however you present it.” He looked me in the eye as he took another drink and then lowered the mug, licking his lips.
Heat spread across my face and down my neck, and ventured even further to a place that made it dangerous to be alone in a dim room with him. “I—we’re talking about coffee, right?”
He smiled and shrugged. “Sure.”
I laughed shrilly and tugged my high collar. “I, uh—I better get back down there. I’ll be back after the morning rush to fetch you. Enjoy your—your coffee,” I stammered, practically running for the door.
“I will. Bye, Cassian,” he said.
The memory of the conversation distracted me through the rush.
Was I overthinking it, or did he flirt with me?
If it had just been about coffee, he said it in such a salacious way I don’t know how I could convince myself he wasn’t flirting.
Thank the gods for this counter between me and the customers, because my attraction was obvious.
Fortunately, when the rush ended, I wasn’t so hot under the collar anymore.
Unfortunately, it only lasted until Sterling arrived downstairs.
He had somehow become more attractive since earlier that morning.
Even his straight posture and the way he leaned both elbows on the counter got me blushing again.
It was all over when he smiled and said, “Hey, Cassian.” I don’t know at what point he stopped calling me silly names, but I almost wished he would go back.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“Ready when you are.”
I snatched my cloak from the office and swung it around my shoulders before running to tell Griffin we were leaving.
I led the way to Griffin’s home, which was south of the inn down Forger’s Trail.
This was a lesser-used trail, which branched off to a few private properties in the woods and ended at a small town called Dreckle.
We walked in silence until I wondered if he was as flustered as I was, or if he was simply comfortable with silence.
“Cassian, I, uh…” Sterling said, rubbing the back of his neck.
I perked up at the sudden conversation. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to apologize for how I spoke to you earlier. It was unprofessional. I’m here to help you get your inn running again, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Sterling,” I said, covering my mouth as I giggled. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I asked what you liked, and you answered.”
Sterling smiled, watching the muddy trail pass beneath his boots. “All right. As long as you’re okay.”
“Thanks for worrying about me. I suppose I should apologize for telling you getting dressed was optional. That wasn’t very professional of me either,” I said.
Sterling’s eyebrows rose, but he still didn’t look at me. He must have forgotten. “I’d never be mad about a beautiful person telling me clothes are optional.”
A grin split my face, and I couldn’t contain the giggle that escaped me. “I only hope I’m beautiful enough to be forgiven.”
Sterling looked at me with a lopsided smirk. “You have a mirror, don’t you?”
His words electrified my body, and the giddiness inside me prolonged my giggling. Sterling thought I was beautiful. I thought he was quite beautiful too.
When we stepped onto Willorunia’s property, her door swung open, revealing a dark, flickering interior. She was expecting us.
Our feet crunched on the ice as we stepped up to the door. I knocked gently against the open door and called out, “Willo? It’s Cassian!”
Willorunia appeared, arms outstretched and draped in flowing black sleeves. Her dark hair cascaded to her hips, and her familiar grin greeted me. “Cassian! It’s so good to see you, darling! Come here!”
I stepped inside and threw myself into her arms. The warm smell of cinnamon and dried herbs brought me back to my youth. Grandpa would sometimes let me spend the busy hours with Willorunia, and she’d show me whatever magic she was working on that week. “It’s good to see you, Willo!”
“You too, Cassian. I’m terribly sorry about your grandfather. We all miss him so much.”
Tears stung my eyes at her words, and I squeezed her tighter. “Thank you. So do I.”
Willorunia released me. “I want to apologize for not visiting you sooner. Not to pin the blame on my husband, but I believed the situation was worse than it is.”
I didn’t want to know what that meant. “That’s okay, I know you’re a busy woman.”
“And you must be Sterling,” Willo said, stepping away from me to scrutinize him. Sterling was brave, but even he tensed under her gaze. “A Force officer, hm? I’ve never let one of your kind in here, but I take commendations from my husband seriously.”
“I’m flattered, thank you,” Sterling said. He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Willorunia.”
Willorunia slipped her hand into his, gripping it for half a second before releasing him. “Likewise.”
“So, I don’t know how much Griffin has told you, but—”
“Everything, Cassian,” she said.
I hesitated. “All right, so… Can you help?”
“I must need an official diagnostic report from a professional witch, but I apologize, I cannot work for free,” she said.