24. ZARA #2
“It’s not you I don’t trust,” Tilly muttered, “it’s them.
But I’ll come with you. I need to shower and get changed first though.
Will you wait for me?” She looked like she hoped Phoebe was going to say she didn’t have time to hang around waiting for her to get ready, but she nodded and told her there was no rush.
“Fuck, that was way harder than I’d hoped,” she said as she put the kettle on and set about making herself a cup of tea. “She really is convinced that her father and Quinn have some nefarious scheme in hand, isn’t she?”
“Are you sure they don’t? You were pretty keen to help her get away from Avalon yourself not too long ago.”
“I may have overreacted a tad, but the Quinn thing kind of tipped the balance. If I’d known he’d planned to talk to her and explain that he’d only agreed to get her father off her back and give her some breathing space to decide what to do, it would have been a different story.
But before he could do that she’d left Avalon.
I think the poor man was more than a little offended,” she added with a giggle.
“Why would he want to help her like that though?”
She frowned. “I’m not sure, actually. I didn’t think to ask. Does it matter?”
“Well don’t you think it’s a bit odd? They’re obviously not friends, or she would have talked to him instead of running away. Why would Quinn want to help her? Unless he’s got a thing for her and was hoping she might feel the same.”
“Gods, I don’t know,” she groaned. “I wish I’d never got involved in the first place. And I’m sorry I got you involved too. How has it been having her here? I hope she hasn’t disturbed your peace too badly.”
“Are you kidding? It’s been a blast. I’ve loved having the company.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on the poor zookeeper’s face when she asked how much it was to ride the hippos.
And taking her to Tesco was an experience I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to miss.
Can you imagine Tilly in the chocolate aisle of a Tesco superstore? ”
“I imagine you’ll be going there again if she decides to come back to Avalon to stay then,” she said with a smile. “So she can stock up with goodies first. What else have you been up to?”
“We haven’t had a chance to do everything on her list yet.
We went clothes shopping – she’s probably going to need to borrow some suitcases to get it all back to Avalon – and I invited Morpheus for dinner so she could meet him, and she tried to convince him to take her dream walking with us.
I think he was a bit traumatised, but he’ll survive.
Watching her negotiate her salary with Theo last night was an education, but she really does seem to have a flair for the job, so she’ll probably prove herself worth every penny.
Oh, and we’re going to do a girls’ night out at one of Theo’s clubs in London, which you are coming to so don’t even try and wriggle out of it when the time comes. ”
“I’m glad she hasn’t driven you insane.”
“Not at all, but I don’t think she’s enjoying being here as much as she expected to. I know she misses you, and her dad, even if she doesn’t say as much. Honestly, if she can sort things out with her dad, I think she’d be far happier staying in Avalon and commuting to Theo’s from there.”
I’d also had to put my training in Fae on hold while she was here, which I wasn’t happy about.
“Have you started working in the potion shop yet?” I asked, changing the subject as I heard a creak from Tilly’s door as she opened it and then her footsteps heading for the stairs.
The last thing I wanted was for her to eavesdrop on our conversation and think I didn’t want her here.
“Or is Jed still finding reasons for you not to?”
“Oh, he’s still doing his best to run interference,” she said, rolling her eyes, “but I threatened to borrow Mrs M’s bicycle and start cycling to work if he doesn’t sort me out a motorbike pronto.
And I told him if I do that I’m asking for a job at the tavern instead because it’s closer to home.
” She giggled. “I’m not sure if he was more scandalised by the thought of me serving behind a bar or riding a bicycle to get there, but I’m hopeful he’ll be producing suitable transport in the next few days. ”
I shuddered. “Do you really want to be riding a motorbike, Phoebe? They’re so dangerous. What’s wrong with that lovely little golf cart we go to the karaoke on?”
“What, the one that does five miles an hour downhill? It’d be quicker to walk.”
“I’m ready.” Tilly hovered in the doorway, looking like she was going to the gallows rather than home.
“Come on then.” Phoebe stood up. “You don’t have to look so worried. You have my word that no one will try and stop you from leaving Avalon after you’ve spoken to your dad.”
She didn’t look very reassured, but she followed Phoebe outside without further protest, although she did shoot me a pleading look over her shoulder, as if to say, ‘I’m counting on you, don’t let me down’.
“So how did it go yesterday?” Tilly had texted me an hour before her shift at Theo’s was due to start telling me she was okay and was going straight to work from Avalon but would be back here after.
She’d been fast asleep when I’d got home from dream walking, so I’d had to wait until this morning for an update.
“My dad was surprisingly reasonable actually. Made me feel a bit bad for leaving the way I did, but at least it gave him enough of a jolt to try and see my side of things. He admitted he’d gone about things the wrong way because he didn’t want me leaving Avalon, and he promised he won’t try and make me marry anyone I don’t want to marry.
And he said he doesn’t like the idea of me working at Theo’s, but he’d try and get used to it if I agreed to move back home instead of staying here. ”
“And the Quinn thing?” I was almost afraid to ask. “Did you see him?”
“No, thank goodness. He wasn’t there. He’d gone off doing something urgent with Jed. But he left a message that he’s going to come here this morning so we can, and I quote, ‘sort this shit out once and for all’. The cheek of him. As if I’d want anything to do with him after this.”
“He does have a point though, Tilly. You need to get this sorted out for your own peace of mind. What time is he coming?”
That question was answered by a tap on the kitchen door, and I went over to open it as she obviously had no intention of doing it.
“Morning, Zara. Sorry for gatecrashing your place but I need to talk to Tilly,” he said as I stepped aside to let him in. “Hello sprite. I was hoping we could talk.”
Tilly’s face took on a mutinous expression as Quinn’s deep voice cut through the tense air, which didn’t bode well. “I have nothing to say to you, djinn.”
Djinn? Well that was a revelation. For some reason, I’d always assumed he was some kind of shifter. Quinn the Djinn. I stifled a chuckle and as if he knew what I was thinking he shot me a ‘don’t you dare’ glare before sinking into a chair at the table.
“You don’t have to say anything, but you are going to listen, even if I have to tie you to a chair first. So you may as well come and sit down. I have no intention of marrying you.”
I almost laughed at the look of distaste on his face and the outrage on Tilly’s.
“Why not? What’s wrong with me?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I could ask you the same question. You’re the one who fled Avalon at the mere thought of it. I have no interest in marrying you for the same reason you don’t want to marry me. It’s a terrible idea. Am I wrong?”
“So why didn’t you just say that to my father in the first place, you moron?” she said, finally sitting down in the chair furthest away from Quinn. “Then I wouldn’t have had to come and live with Zara to get away from you. No offence, Zara.”
“If you’d stayed around and talked to me instead of running away you’d already know the answer to that question,” he snapped. “I was trying to help you.”
“Help me? Help me?” She looked like she was about to combust.
“I thought that if we pretended to be an item it would get your father off your back for a while, give you some breathing space while you decided what you were going to do. And then when our ‘relationship’ didn’t work out, he’d hopefully give up on the idea of arranging a match for you with someone else. ”
“Why would you want to do that for me?” she demanded suspiciously. “What’s in it for you?”
“I have someone I want to get off my back too,” he admitted, a bit sheepishly. “I thought if I was openly courting you, she might leave me the hell alone.”
“Really? Who is she then?”
“Her name’s Marta and she’s a fucking nightmare.”
“The Marta? The one who was acting like a total bitch to Tilly before?” I’d been keeping out of the conversation until that point, but I couldn’t help myself when he said that name.
“Yes,” he gritted out. “That Marta. The woman’s relentless. She seems to think I’m just playing hard to get.”
I struggled to keep a straight face. I’d been on the other side of that situation enough times to be able to sympathise, but the thought of Quinn playing hard to get was hilarious.
“Hmmm.” The sheer delight on Tilly’s face was more than a little worrying.
I knew that look all too well by now. She was brewing a giant pot of mischief.
“I’m beginning to see that there was some merit in your plan after all, Quinn.
” She shot me a triumphant look. “Can you imagine how much Marta would hate it if I got the man she’s been trying to get her claws into?
The sheer humiliation of having me snatch him from under her nose without even trying?
” She was practically vibrating with excitement now.
“I’ll do it. I’ll come back to Avalon with you and let you pretend to be my devoted suitor.
You’d better buckle up, djinn, ‘cos you’re about to find out just how wild dating a sprite can be. ”
Poor Quinn looked like he didn’t know quite what he’d let himself in for. I could have given him a rough idea, but it was going to be far more fun watching him find out for himself.