Chapter 11 #3
“Lucky you! I haven’t gotten money from the Tooth Fairy in so long.”
She shakes her head excitedly. “I can show you how to take your tooth out if you want. I got mine out myself.”
“Did you?” I raise an eyebrow. “How’d you manage that?”
Amber lets out a long-suffering sigh, crossing her arms. “She tied a piece of dental floss to the dog’s collar.”
I blink, then look back at Maisie. “You tied a string to your dog?”
“His name is Rufus,” Maisie explains solemnly. “And I threw a ball. He ran, and the tooth came out. It was awesome.”
“It was dangerous,” Amber corrects, her voice stern but her eyes dancing. “And if I ever catch you using the dog as orthodontic equipment again, there will be no movie. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mommy,” Maisie says, though she doesn’t look the least bit repentant.
I straighten up, chuckling. “Sounds like you’ve got a future engineer on your hands.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Amber glances back at the line they abandoned, which is inching forward. “I just wanted to say hi, but I should get back. We’re going to miss the show.”
Eli shifts his weight, stepping closer. “Our line seems to be moving faster. If you want… you could jump in with us?”
Amber hesitates, looking from Eli to me. “Are you sure? I don’t want to cut in front of people.”
“Please,” I say, waving a dismissive hand. “More the merrier.”
Suddenly, a voice yells out from a few spots behind us.
“Hey! No cutting! The back of the line is back there!”
I turn around slowly. Three teenage boys are standing there, looking surly and bored, wearing hoodies and trying to look tough. They’re probably sophomores in high school.
I stare them down. I don’t say anything, I just let my Alpha presence roll off me in a wave.
I’m six-three, I have two sleeves of tattoos, and I spend ten hours a day breaking down animal carcasses with a knife. I know how to look intimidating.
The ringleader meets my eyes for about two seconds before his gaze drops to the floor. He shuffles his feet, muttering something to his friends, and suddenly finds the movie posters on the wall incredibly fascinating.
I turn back to Amber. “They’re cool with it.”
Amber’s eyes are wide as she looks from me to the boys. “You… you have a very effective stare, Fallon.”
“It comes with the territory,” I say. “Come on, get in here.”
She steps into our spot in line, Maisie right beside her. The little girl looks up at Eli, studying him.
“Have you seen this movie before?” she asks him.
Eli shakes his head, smiling down at her. “No. This is actually my first time.”
“Me too,” Maisie says, excited to find a kindred spirit. “My Uncle Dorian told me about it. He said there are dragons that are like… death breathers? Or something?”
“Death Eaters,” I correct gently, leaning against the pillar. “That’s Harry Potter. Different universe. Though they both have dragons, so it’s an easy mistake to make.”
“Oh.” Maisie nods seriously. “Right. Death Eaters are the bad wizards. The dragons are just… dragons. Do you like Harry Potter?”
“I love the movies,” I tell her. “I used to watch them all the time when I was younger.”
“I like the books better,” Maisie declares. “The books have more details. Like, in the fourth book, the dragon scene is way scarier than in the movie.”
I look at this tiny, intense kid with the red glasses and the missing tooth, and I’m charmed. She’s smart, she’s articulate, and she’s not afraid to correct an adult. She’s a cool kid.
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I say. “I’m more of a visual learner.”
We fall into an easy rhythm while we wait. Maisie and I debate the merits of page-to-screen adaptations. Meanwhile, Eli and Amber are having their own conversation a few steps away.
“…the hydrangeas were just… mush,” I hear Amber saying softly. “I think the cold storage unit is fluctuating again. I’m worried about the roses.”
“I know a guy who does HVAC work. I can call him,” Eli offers.
“You don’t have to do that, Eli.”
“I want to.”
As I listen, I catch a whiff of Amber’s scent. It’s fainter than it must be when she’s right next to Eli, but it drifts over on the air currents.
Jasmine and rain. It’s a beautiful smell, complex and layered. I can see why Eli is smitten.
She’s not just pretty; she has a gentleness to her, a fragility that makes you want to protect her, but she’s also got a backbone—she’s standing up to her daughter, managing a business, dealing with life.
If I hadn’t met her in the context of Eli’s obvious infatuation, and if I didn’t know she had a kid and a history, I definitely would have tried to hit on her. She’s exactly the kind of woman I usually go for—pretty, sweet, interesting.
But that ship has sailed. We don’t share our women.
Besides, I look at her, at the way she looks at Eli when she thinks he isn’t looking, and I know she’s not the Smokehouse type. She doesn’t need a casual fling with a tattooed butcher. She needs what Eli is offering—stability, kindness and gentleness.
I’m happy for him. Really. Even if it means I have to hear about it for the next six months.
We finally reach the ticket counter. The cashier looks tired, chewing on a wad of gum.
“Four for How to Train Your Dragon?” Eli asks before anyone else can speak.
He pulls out his wallet and pays for Amber and Maisie’s tickets along with ours.
Amber protests. “Eli, no, you don’t have to—”
“I insist,” he says, handing over his card with a charming smile. “Consider it a celebration for the tooth.”
“Thank you,” she says softly.
“And two large popcorns,” I add, stepping up to the counter. “And three sodas. Dr. Pepper for me, and…”
“Root beer!” Maisie chimes in.
“Root beer for the lady,” I finish. “And a water for the fancy pastry chef here.”
Eli rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with water, you know?”
If we were alone, I’d call him a nerd. His argument that he eats too much sugar at work so he skips on soda and most kinds of sugar outside of the kitchen makes absolutely no sense to me.
Or maybe I just have a sweet tooth.
I pay for the concessions, and then I turn to the three surly teenagers who are now standing at the counter, looking sullen as they count out crumpled dollar bills.
“And tickets for these three,” I say to the cashier, tossing a twenty onto the counter.
The three boys look up, stunned. “What?”
“Just take it,” I tell the cashier, waving them off.
The boys stare at me, mouths open, as the cashier hands them their tickets. They mumble a confused “thanks” and scurry away toward the theater, probably wondering what kind of crazy town they’ve walked into.
“What was that about?” Amber asks, looking at me with a mixture of amusement and confusion.
“A random act of kindness,” I say, grabbing the sodas. “Shall we?”
Eli offers Amber his arm, which she takes with a shy smile. Maisie skips ahead, clutching her bucket of popcorn like it’s a pot of gold.
This is going to be an interesting night.