Chapter 17 Beck #2
“I’m glad,” Maisie says. “If he doesn’t treat you right then you just let me know. I’ll gather the girls and we’ll go have a talk with him.”
Thankfully, Nori is quick with her refusal. “There won’t be any need for that.”
“Good. Want to see your book club’s first themed cupcakes?” Maisie asks, seemingly ready for a change of topic.
There’s a sharp intake of breath from Nori, then she exclaims, “Maisie! These are gorgeous!”
Peeking out from the back room, I quickly glance at the quaint cupcakes and the bloody knives sticking out of them, glad that Maisie truly matched the theme of the book, before I resume my task.
“Thank you. I’m really proud of how they turned out,” Maisie says. “Very on theme for our murder mystery, don’t you think? And the knives are edible. And of course it’s just raspberry compote and not blood and guts bubbling out of the frosting.”
“You’re a genius,” Nori praises. “And thank you for coming. I’m so happy to have you here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Seriously,” Maisie emphasizes. “Sorry I didn’t RSVP earlier, I just wasn’t sure if I could stay for book club because I had an order for a birthday cake that also had to be delivered this morning.
Thankfully Ren offered to take it into Cape Easton for me so I can be free to attend.
You can imagine the list of instructions I gave him to deliver that cake in perfect condition.
Thank fuck he has a tail to use for extra balance.
Well, that tail is good for many other things too, if you know what I mean.
And Viggo volunteered to take Ren and the cake so Beck could be here for you. ”
“What?” Nori breathes out. “I didn’t know.
” Satisfaction rolls through me that I was able to organize everything to be here for Nori today.
Eliciting Viggo’s help wasn’t that hard to do once I explained to him why I couldn’t ferry creatures to and from Cape Easton today.
Turns out that Starry Hill really supports courtship.
Maisie continues, “It’s really all good. Ren’s happy to help. He’s sad he had to miss book club though, because we read the book together. Maybe he can join for the next one.”
Lucille joins the conversation as they discuss other book and cake pairings, and slowly more creatures filter into the shop, each one making some kind of favorable remark when they notice Nori’s lovely curls.
I move at a snail’s pace in the back, wanting Nori to live in the moment without me stealing any of her attention.
She deserves all their accolades for what she accomplished today.
Starry Hill truly values community, and Nori has created a new opportunity with this book club for us bibliophiles to come together.
But the cherry on top of this literary cake is how much Lucille loves the fresh light Nori has been able to shine on The Dancing Daisy and the way she’s breathed new life into the shop.
I recognize Peregrine’s voice as the satyr asks someone, “Can you believe Beck missed karaoke last night? He’s never missed a night that I can remember.
” The owner of Starry Hill’s clothing store, The Crowned Boot, has always enjoyed a good gossip session, and I guess it’s my turn to be the subject of their discussion.
Unsure if they know I’m here in the back, I keep absolutely still as I process this observation.
I do enjoy karaoke, but I always sing the same song.
It didn’t even enter my mind to go last night once Nori was in my arms. Perhaps we can go together next weekend and we can duet the song.
That’s a suggestion I’ll be sure to make later.
Marisol speaks next, her yawn still apparent as she says, “Can you blame him? If I had Eleanor with me, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere.
” I didn’t think the siren would come today, considering how late she usually closes the pub on weekends.
It makes me so happy to know that the town is showing up for Nori, even if it’s not strictly convenient for them to do so on a Saturday morning.
Maisie’s voice is filled with innuendo. “Eleanor, hope you made it worth his time and serenaded him with your own voice all night long. Or did Beck give you a private performance?”
I can just imagine Nori’s blush as she replies neutrally, “I haven’t heard him sing in years. But we used to make up dances and sing together all the time as kids.”
Peregrine hums conspiratorially. “Well, every Friday night is karaoke night. You have to come next week and join us. It’s so much fun.”
Not even daring to breathe, I wait for Nori’s response. “I’d love to, but I don’t know if my schedule would allow it. I often work late, so it might be tight coming here straight after work and making it before everything’s over.”
“Just move here already. We know you want to,” Maisie says, sounding very eager to have Nori a permanent part of the Starry Hill community.
My dragon bolts upright, pressing his head against my chest to hear Nori’s answer as nervous scales flit over my skin.
Sharing my anxious thoughts with my dragon, I bombard him with a flurry of questions.
Will she refuse? Will she say she’s considering it?
Shouldn’t I be the one asking her these questions?
What do we do if she says yes? What do we do if she says no?
Lucille’s voice pulls me back from my panic spiral as she tells the others, “Stop harassing Eleanor. Let her take her time.”
Nori’s tiny sigh is barely audible, so I quickly shuffle some boxes, making a little more noise so human ears can pick up on my presence before I exit the back room with the refilled jars and stack them in their proper locations.
Tilly waves at me from across the room. “Morning, Beck. You staying for book club?”
“Of course,” I answer simply and incline my head at the other creatures in attendance, a few more than RSVP'd. “Shall I get more chairs?” I ask Nori, quickly counting heads and finding we’re now at eight attendees instead of the five we expected.
Nine, if I count Aurelius, the mothman who owns The Lonely Rake next door, hovering by the entrance.
“Yes, please. I think we need a couple more, if you don’t mind,” Nori says, placing a hand on my arm.
Everyone else fades away as I look at the most beautiful woman in existence and I fight against the urge to pick her up and carry her home so I can make love to her until our bodies are spent and our souls are aligned.
Tilly’s voice cuts through my notions. “Both Doc Calla and I wanted to come today, but one of us had to man The Bandaged Heart. We had to flip a coin to help us decide who got to come, and the other will join for next month’s pick.”
Richard, who brought themed pies from The Flowering Teapot, had a similar experience with Annamae, but she graciously let him come today while she stayed behind to tend to their customers.
Peregrine simply decided to close his shop, saying the first new event on the calendar is more important than the few stragglers who’ll come peruse his clothing store on a Saturday morning.
Eventually, everyone is seated after a few of us carry more chairs over.
They snack on cupcakes and pies while sharing their thoughts on the book, discussing plot points and favorite characters.
A few came with notebooks, others with annotated copies so similar to how Nori writes in the margins of her own books.
I enjoy every second of watching Nori in her element, talking about all the Easter eggs and red herrings and how they’re woven into the romance subplot, even if it’s still a mystery book.
Maisie sits forward in her seat and everyone’s heads turn to look at her. “I totally liked the mystery of it all. And the fact that he killed the competition so he can be sure to get the girl. I mean, is there anything more romantic than a guy stepping out of his comfort zone to win your heart?”
That thought has my attention. Have I stepped enough out of my comfort zone for Nori? Can I do more to win her heart? I know she’s said she’s mine, but how do I fully convince her to move in and spend the rest of her life with me?
There are a couple of noises of agreement from the others before Maisie continues, “My only complaint is where was the smut? The ravishing? I wanted him to rip her clothes off. No, for her to rip his off when she realized what he’s done and reward him for all his effort.”
Ravishing? Ripping clothes off? That, I can do. I’ve wanted to do that and explore the curves hiding underneath Nori’s clothes for months. Last night I had the privilege of getting a small taste of her, but I’m ready for the full meal, to devour Nori and…
“Yeah, I agree,” Aurelius says with an enthusiastic nod, bringing me back to the present.
“This book would’ve been perfect if there was a deliciously smutty reward for the reader at the end.
” Throughout the meeting, Aurelius positioned his seat closest to the door so he could hear if a customer needed help at his shop, popping back to assist them before returning to the discussion.
Peregrine wiggles his eyebrows. “Or in the middle.” The smile the satyr sends the mothman’s way has Aurelius’s feathery antennae twitching excitedly.
Tapping her pencil against her notebook, Nori asks, “So you’re saying you want more smut?”
Maisie balls her hands and brings them to her chest. “We need smut. All the smut.
“Scandalize us,” Marisol adds, waving a hand against her face like she’s hot.
Would Nori want to be scandalized? Would two cocks be considered scandalous for a human?
Tilly holds up a finger. “But still give us plot.”
Peregrine adds, “And a mystery.”
A slow smile creeps over Nori’s face and she leans back in her seat. “Mission accepted,” she purrs.
In this moment, Nori looks so comfortable and so sure of herself while being the center of everyone’s attention. The sight of her at ease like this, talking about a topic she’s truly passionate about, makes pride bubble up in me, scales slowly flowing over my chest as my dragon echoes my thoughts.
I knew I loved Nori, but realizing just how much almost brings tears to my eyes. It takes monumental effort not to be swept away by my emotions and to sit still while she continues to shine in what looks to be her natural habitat.
“It’s not too tall of an order?” Lucille asks Nori with a tilt of her head.
“I might have just the book for that,” Nori says and starts ticking off on her fingers.
“It has a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of smut. It has an FMC escaping a sex cult, and a knight ready to annihilate anyone who dares harm her, but he keeps telling himself that he doesn’t have any real feelings for her. ”
“Yesss,” Maisie practically growls. “Give me more of that. I love some secret pining. Where do we sign up?”
Nori looks around the room and studies the different expressions of everyone present.
“Would you be interested in different types of book clubs? Like one can be more smutty romance and one can remain as closed-door mysteries where romance is only a subplot? You don’t have to answer right now, I’ll have a signup sheet on the refreshment table after this, but if you’re comfortable with it, maybe by a show of hands, how many of you would want to join for the smutty romance pick? ”
Almost everyone raises a hand, and I quickly raise one in support too.
If Nori is coming to Starry Hill, then I’m doing everything and anything to spend more time with her.
I’ve never read a smutty book before, but from what the other women have been hinting at, I might just learn something from them.
Richard clears his throat. “I’ll raise a hand for Annamae.
And one for Calla. They already read a lot of romance, so having others besides them and Lucille to discuss their type of books with might be fun.
And if that book comes in audiobook format, even better.
Annamae likes to listen while she bakes.
But I’ll keep to the tame mysteries, if that’s okay. ”
Aurelius hesitates for a couple of seconds before he finally asks, “Is it possible to meet on a Sunday afternoon or evening? That way more of us can attend and don’t have to worry about our own shops or have to close them.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Aurelius,” Peregrine says, effectively causing the mothman’s entire face to turn pink, his wings giving a small flutter of pleasure at the compliment.
“Yes. Then we can alternate meetings. One week mysteries, one week smutty picks, and we can add more if you’re up for it,” Tilly suggests as she absentmindedly rubs her stomach. “But don’t feel pressured to say yes to any or all of it.”
There are more murmurs of agreement, and Nori steals a quick glance at me. Her voice turns shy as she says, “I can ask Beck if he wouldn’t mind ferrying me about so much.”
It feels weird to hear her call me Beck again, but I’m glad she did so in front of the book club, because I’m only Nori’s Shinsu. For now. When the time is right, I’ll reclaim the name fully. But not before I explain to Nori why I stopped using it in the first place.
“He doesn’t,” they all answer in unison.
I echo, “I don’t.” And silently add, “This way I’m sure to have you all weekend, every weekend.”
Maybe it’s too soon to ask Nori if she wants to move in with me, even if she’ll only stay on weekends, but just in case she says yes, I’ll clear out half of my closet and prepare her a reading corner this week.
I’ll do anything to turn my old mill into a place that she can call home, somewhere she’ll always feel welcome and loved.