“It’s beautiful,” I say, then smile at her. “I’ll take it.”
“It’ll be $150.”
“What?!” Mave straightens, seeming thoroughly appalled. “It’s a goddamnlighter, woman, not a handcrafted vase. You seriously think you can trick us int–”
“Mave.” I place a hand on his forearm and shake it in warning. “Calmdown, please.”
He looks down at me. “Iamcalm, Nettie. You seriously think this trash costs $150? If you really need a lighter, you can find one for $3 at the fucking grocery store. And news flash: that lighter will do exactly what this one does.”
Oh my God.
I glance at Toyah, but thankfully, she seems unfazed by Mave’s outrage. It’s probably because she deals with all kinds of customers on a daily basis, but still, that doesn’t mean I’m not embarrassed by what he said.
I let go of his forearm as I glare at him, then face Toyah again. “I’ll take it,” I repeat myself, then pull my card out of my purse before handing it to her.
Mave looks displeased, but it isn’t the first time I’ve gotten this reaction out of him, and it most definitely won’t be the last.
Julian picks a charm bracelet for Landon, and as he asks Toyah about its origin, I quickly snap a photo of the lighter and send it to Dorran.
Me:If you were an inanimate object…
He takes a bit to reply, and by the time he does, Toyah has handed my card back to me, and Julian has paid for his bracelet.
Dorran:That’s actually pretty accurate. Biblical too, if you wanna look at it in that sense.
Me:I can’t wait to watch you light your cigarette with this. It’s going to do all sorts of things to my insides.
Dorran:You’re so easy to please, Little Swan.
Dorran:Also, you didn’t have to buy me anything.
Me:I’ve got two words for ya: shut up.
Dorran:I could skin you alive for saying that, you know.
Me:And yet you won’t, princeling.
Dorran:You’re way too confident for your own good. But fortunate for you, I’m going to enjoy fucking that assertiveness out of you later.
“Cigs?”
Feeling flushed and a little out of breath after having read Dorran’s text, I look up, and find Julian giving me a knowing smirk. “Let’s go; we’ve gotta head back to the HQ.”
I purse my lips. “Already?”
Mave opens the store’s door for me and jerks his head to the side. “Get out of here before you make another impulsive purchase. Because I swear to God if you do, I’ll lose every piece of my commonsense and do something I probably wouldn’t want to.”
My lips twitch as I fight back a smile. I then slide my phone and lighter into my purse, but not before responding to Dorran’s last message.
Me:I look forward to it.
Me:P.S. I gotta go, but I’ll call you later.
I turn around and give Toyah a wave, then walk out ofAurora’s Antiques.
“Wanna grab a quick bite before we get back to work?” Julian asks once we’ve crossed the street and reached the other side.
“Yes, please,” Mave and I say in unison, making him chuckle.
