Chapter 19
The waiters at Dragonfly’s catered to our every desire, always bowing obsequiously while following orders from Atticus, who oversaw every detail of our date to ensure it was perfect.
He owned a classy establishment that I’d rarely visited, and while the red room was a little too noisy for me, I absolutely loved the rest of it.
Even better, we didn’t have to pay for a thing.
The only part Salem took care of was generously tipping the staff.
Salem and I enjoyed a scrumptious dinner in the gold room, and it was delightful to experience our first real date.
It had been seven days since he moved into the heat house with me.
Although I worked tirelessly cutting all the glass pieces, which turned out to be a massive undertaking considering the scale of the window, the pack invited me to play games, have drinks, visit the bookstore, and spend time with them.
They were the family I missed. I called my mom every night, and Lucian set up a video chat that made it feel as if she were there with me. He even called up someone he knew in her area to visit her house and set up a large monitor and show her how to connect.
After Salem and I finished our meal, we enjoyed a drink in the green room before leaving.
I wasn’t ready for our date to end, so once upstairs, I convinced him to sit at one of the tables.
The warm food and dim lighting were inviting, but it was a front in case police or humans wandered in.
They offered free meals to keep it busy enough that it wouldn’t look suspicious.
I traced my finger around the glass window that I’d made, the candlelight glittering against the colors.
“How far along are you on the project?” Salem asked before sipping his water.
“Well, I’m almost done cutting. Then comes the fun part. And also the hard part.”
“Painting? Why is that hard?”
I shrugged and sat back in the wooden chair.
“You have to get the colors right. It’s not easy because the window is enormous, and I want it to be perfect.
” While brushing a loose tendril away from my face, I caught Salem staring.
“Do I look nice? Joy did my nails and hair. I’m not used to pinning it up this way. ”
He reached across the table and clasped my hand.
I loved the way he touched me. He didn’t need to say a word when his emotions did all the talking.
Salem wasn’t a man who waxed poetic, and I didn’t want him to be anything other than his authentic self.
I only wished that I had the gift of pushing my own feelings into him.
Since I couldn’t reciprocate in the same way, I verbalized my thoughts so he knew how wonderful and kind he was, how grateful I felt for every moment we spent together.
“You’re breathtaking,” he finally said in his quiet way.
And he meant it, which bought a smile to my face. The reverence in his touch made me want to store this memory forever.
Melody had hooked me up with one of her dresses and made a few alterations to the green material. The halter top suited my style, but instead of a revealing neckline, the fabric bunched up and then hugged my body around the waist.
The girls had fun giving me a makeover. Joy styled my hair and nails, and Hope lent me a bracelet and ring made from rose quartz.
Since I normally didn’t wear a lot of makeup, Cici gave me a light finish.
Robyn watched on while telling me a hilarious story about how she and Montana drove to Austin for a movie date and he ate so many peanut M&M’s that she had to rent a hotel room because of his stomachache.
When he felt better, they went swimming in the pool, and she accidentally shifted.
The date seemed jinxed from the start, but she said all the unexpected and terrible things make the best stories.
During our date, Salem’s expression fell whenever he looked into my eyes for too long. He was noticing the orange hue, a constant reminder of my illness. It made me wish I could reverse time and not tell him about my condition.
I admired his brown sports jacket over his white shirt.
Salem didn’t normally dress up, and I thought he was handsome no matter what he wore.
His beard was groomed nicely, and his heady cologne had me leaning in more than once for a whiff.
But the fact he had his hair down—that was the best part.
It was funny to see people’s reactions when they recognized him.
“Are you cold?” he asked. “I don’t know why you didn’t bring a shawl or jacket. It’s cold tonight.”
“Because then I wouldn’t have a reason to cuddle up close to you.”
A smile touched his lips, and he leaned forward. “Can’t think of any other reason?”
“Not a single one.”
I put my hands in my lap. “You shouldn’t have left your phone at home.”
“I didn’t want any emergency calls interrupting us.”
“Yes, but that’s your job.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you by taking off.”
“I don’t care,” I argued. “That’s what you do for a living, and it’s important. You’re on call because people need you. Anyhow, I told Lucian to answer your phone and call me if anything comes up.”
He gave me an admonishing look that made me laugh.
“Okay, maybe it’s a little devious,” I admitted, “but you don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings or disappointing me.
I can see why it would be a problem for some people, but that’s why I fell in love with you, Salem.
You’re the most selfless person I know, and tonight’s the only time I’ve ever seen you do anything selfish. ” I rose from the table and swayed.
Salem caught my wrist. “You okay?”
I leaned down and kissed him softly on the mouth. “Just getting my bearings. No biggie. Thank you for tonight. It was magical.”
His emotions swelled.
“I’m going to make a quick trip to the bathroom before we leave.”
When I straightened up, Salem pulled me closer and then rested his head against my stomach.
“Don’t be so glum. You’ll ruin a perfectly beautiful night.” I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head when his mood lightened. “Miss me while I’m gone.”
Since the upstairs bathroom was undergoing repairs, I weaved around the busy cooks in the kitchen and entered the doorway leading downstairs.
The dark stairwell had black lights that lit up every speck of lint on my dress like snow.
I carefully descended the carpeted steps, which were lined with blue lights.
Paying customers had their hands stamped so they could go in and out without issue.
The man standing at the bottom recognized me and inclined his head on my approach.
At the foot of the stairs, I swung right and slammed into a waiter.
“Oh no!”
Plates slid to the edge of the tray, and to prevent utter destruction, I dropped to the ground to catch a falling glass. When ice water spilled onto my back, I erupted with laughter.
“Miss, I am so sorry!” the server exclaimed while clutching his tray. “Please don’t bother. I’m so very sorry.”
Crouching on the ground with an empty glass in my hand, I stared at his shiny shoes. “It’s my fault. I need to watch where I’m going.”
When I shot up, I smiled at the man’s black-rimmed spectacles, which reminded me of the ones Buddy Holly wore in the 1950s. It wasn’t common to see immortals with spectacles since we didn’t typically have vision issues.
“I like your glasses,” I remarked, hoping to break the tension. “You look distinguished. Again, I’m… I’m so sorry. I can be such a klutz, and I shouldn’t have rushed around the corner like that.”
He pulled a spaghetti noodle off his shirt and flicked it onto the tray. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m supposed to watch corners. This is my first week, and I’m already walking on eggshells.”
I set the glass on his tray. “Well, I personally know your boss, and I’ll put in a good word for you. Kindness goes further than perfection.”
He bowed his head graciously before heading to the staff elevator around the corner. I looked down in horror at the spaghetti sauce on my dress.
As I headed toward the bathroom hallway, I glanced over my shoulder at the room and stopped in my tracks when I spotted some of the Arrowhead pack heading into the adjacent red room.
Tak led the group, followed closely by Lakota, Robyn, Montana, and Joy, who had little Violet in a baby sling against her side.
Catcher was also with them, trotting alongside Joy.
“Huh.”
Businesses typically didn’t permit shifting inside. Atticus must’ve made an exception for Catcher since he never shifted. Calvin let him in the Rabbit Lounge, but lots of crazy stuff went on there.
A woman discreetly pointed at them. Her companions looked over their shoulders before exchanging judgmental looks.
They obviously knew about Violet’s shifting condition.
Gossip sure didn’t take long to travel around this town, but at least they weren’t stupid enough to whisper it where Atticus might overhear.
I’d only been at the house a short time, but he loved that baby like his own flesh and blood and would snap the bones of anyone who said a negative word.
Before they filed into the next room, Joy smiled at me over her shoulder and waved.
I waved back, wondering if they had driven out here to check on us.
Hope hadn’t come, but she had her hands full with negotiating a deal with a fine-metals distributor as well as making special necklaces for the new store.
Between creating designs, working with contractors, and setting up the new Moonglow location, she and Melody were swamped.
My fingers brushed across a chair as I walked between two tables. I snapped my hand back. “Ouch.” I touched the empty chair again, and the emotions were still hot.
So much rage.