The Baby Dragon Bookshop (The Baby Dragon #3)

Chapter 1

Snow fell from the sky in thick clumps, blanketing the hills of Starshine Valley. Emmeline Sterling watched from the window as the snowflakes fluttered down, a steady stream of white against the cold and dark night.

Winter was always her favorite season, but there was no time to appreciate the season’s beauty now. Taking a deep breath, she returned to her task: she needed to find a needle and thread.

“Aha!” she spoke aloud in the empty bedroom, spotting what she was looking for in the dresser drawer. “There you are.” She grabbed the needle and thread, shutting the drawer with a snap.

Her heels clicked on the marble floors as she exited the bedroom, joining the sounds of the party raging below: the clinking of champagne flutes, the quick bursts of melody, the laughter and chatter, and, of course, baby dragons playing (or fighting) together.

Wind whistled outside the great Sterling estate, home of Emmeline’s only paternal uncle and favorite cousins.

Today, she was here for her youngest cousin, Genevieve, who was turning twenty-two. Ginny was throwing a joint birthday party for her and her baby dragon, Fang, who had just turned one. Only the most enthusiastic threw parties for their baby dragons, and Ginny was very enthusiastic indeed.

Emmeline walked down the stairs, back to the party, where Ginny and Fang were attached at the hip.

Fang never strayed more than half a foot away from Ginny, his black scales glimmering under the lights, his purple eyes adoring as he looked over at his rider.

Dressed in a black velvet jumpsuit, her dark hair pulled back in a neat fishtail braid, Ginny looked at her baby dragon with equal affection.

A few baby dragons played outside in the snow, while a handful were on the dancefloor, bouncing to the music beneath the lights.

The party was in the ballroom, which was used in the winter months, when it was too cold to have parties outside on the grounds. As Emmeline searched for her aunt, she was stopped by cousins who wanted to say hello and ask her advice, and she paused to ruffle nieces’ and nephews’ hair.

She petted baby dragons and evaded uncles’ questions, before finally, finally making it to the other end of the ballroom, where her aunt was seated at one of the tables, her mood twice as sour as the citrus soufflé served for dessert.

“I’m back!” Emmeline said, sitting down on the empty chair beside Auntie Marie, the eldest of the Sterling siblings. She wore a sleeveless navy blue sheath dress with an embroidered shawl around her shoulders, her dark hair pulled up in a neat twist to reveal the pearls on her ears and necklace.

“Darling, you took your time,” Marie said, clutching her shawl around her arms tighter. She leaned in close, dropping her voice. “Did you find it?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Emmeline replied. She held up the needle and thread, and Marie released an exhale. She dropped her shawl from one shoulder, revealing a slight tear in the seam on the dress’s shoulder. Emmeline quickly threaded the needle and got to work.

“I will be having words with my tailor,” Marie fussed, brows crinkled with distress. “I cannot imagine how such a thing could have occurred.”

“Don’t worry,” Emmeline coaxed, fingers moving quickly. “Just a moment and you’ll be back on the dancefloor with Grandad.”

Emmeline winked, and Marie finally smiled.

“Your grandad needs to share his secrets with the rest of us,” Marie said, shaking her head. “I have no idea how his knees haven’t given out!”

“All done!” Emmeline said, finishing off the stitch. She pulled a compact mirror from her purse, then opened it for Marie to see.

“Excellent,” Marie said. Emmeline stood, offering her aunt her hand.

“Can I get you anything else?” Emmeline asked.

“A coffee would be splendid, dear,” Marie said. “All that tension has given me a headache.”

“Of course.” Emmeline set off, finding a waiter on the sidelines to bring Marie her coffee. “Decaf, with two creams,” she instructed. If Marie had caffeine this late at night, she’d never be able to fall asleep.

The waiter nodded, heading off to complete the order and, after kissing her aunt goodbye, Emmeline scanned the room, catching sight of a table full of discarded dishes. She tsked, then stalked over to another member of the staff.

“Can you please pick up the dishes from that table?” she asked, pointing it out.

Then, there was a spilled drink, and Emmeline had to make sure that got cleaned up before somebody slipped. All night, she’d been keeping her eyes peeled, and little things kept popping up.

Releasing a sigh, Emmeline rubbed her temples. Luckily, the party was almost over, and with it, the tension of the last few weeks would be over, as well.

When Ginny had asked Emmeline to help with throwing the joint birthday party, of course Emmeline had said yes, even though Ginny’s mother, Cecilia, was well-versed in throwing such parties.

“I can’t ask my mom because you know she will just do too much,” Ginny had explained.

“Don’t worry,” Emmeline had replied. “I’ll handle it.”

She had spent the last few weeks organizing it all, and the party had gone off without a hitch, which was to be expected. Emmeline Sterling never failed. Things always went flawlessly according to plan, and everyone had complimented her all evening for a job so well done.

She was used to the praise, but still it warmed her, and she tried to hold onto that now as her head pounded.

Eyes scanning the ballroom, she looked around at her expansive family, taking in the sight of laughing children and couples holding hands, cousins jesting and aunts scheming, along with some tiny baby dragons asleep in bassinets, while other baby dragons played with one another.

Emmeline smiled to herself. The Sterling clan was big; her father was the youngest of five, and she had many, many cousins, who were divided into two sections: the older ones in their late thirties and early forties who were married with children, and then the younger ones who were all in their mid- to late twenties and early thirties.

In the younger section, Aiden was the oldest, then Emmeline, but Aiden was not that involved, so it was Emmeline who took care of everyone and everything. While she did love being there for people, she was growing tired.

She thought of stealing away for a moment but, just as she turned, she caught two of her nephews arguing, both of their little faces turning red. With a sigh, she walked over to them, crouching down to grab hold of both their shoulders.

“Hey, you two,” she said, and the five- and six-year-olds turned to her.

“He won’t play with me!” the younger of the two complained, lip wobbling.

“You keep cheating!” the older one told Emmeline.

It was well past their bedtimes.

“Why don’t you both go find your mothers, hm?” Emmeline suggested. “I think there’s hot chocolate.”

Both little boys forgot their argument. “With marshmallows?” the younger one asked.

“With marshmallows,” Emmeline confirmed, standing up straight again.

“Race you!” the six-year-old said, and then they were off. Emmeline watched as they ran into the crowd, past a familiar face.

“Emmy!” Saphira called, spotting her. She waved, and Emmeline went to where Saphira stood with Aiden. Saphira was one of the newest additions to the Sterling clan, as the massive engagement ring stacked with a diamond wedding band on her hand would attest to.

The sweet owner of the Baby Dragon Cafe was dressed in a flowy midi dress in a deep pink color, her wavy black hair done up in a complicated updo—which must have been courtesy of her mother-in-law.

Ginny had always been boyish, and Cecilia had long since yearned for a daughter-in-law who would allow Cecilia to dress her up.

Saphira had a girly and romantic style and thus happily obliged.

Her dress was accessorized with a stack of gold bangles and a simple nose-pin, both of which she always wore, as well as heels that had long since been kicked off. Her husband was beside her, and Emmeline’s cousin Aiden smiled as she walked over to them.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you all night!” Saphira said. One of her arms was around Aiden’s waist as she was tucked into his side, but with her free hand, she reached for Emmeline.

“Oh, you know me,” Emmeline replied, pulling Saphira out of Aiden’s arms and twirling her. Saphira laughed.

“Hey, don’t steal my dance partner,” Aiden objected, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind. She giggled, leaning back against his chest as she held his forearm. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up.

Without heels, Saphira was average height, considerably shorter than Emmeline, but she fit adorably in Aiden’s arms. Emmeline wrinkled her nose at them fondly. “You two are too cute.”

Aiden smiled, while Saphira giggled.

“We’re just missing Millie tonight,” Saphira said. Emmeline felt a slight stab in her chest at the mention of her little sister.

“I miss her so much,” Emmeline replied.

She didn’t have many close friends—she had never needed any, not with a family as large as hers. She had always had a built-in partner-in-crime in her sister, Millicent, who was a year younger than her. Unfortunately, Millie had gotten married a few years ago and moved hours away.

With two children and another on the way, she didn’t visit more than a few times a year, and Emmeline sorely missed her, though she was used to the ache of it, now.

Sometimes, it almost felt as if this was how it always was, and she was surprised to recall her memories in which Millie lived in Starshine Valley.

It was strange how when you got used to things changing, it almost felt as if the way things were hadn’t happened at all.