I scowled at him, but he grinned. I set my tea down and took a bite of the creamy raspberry tart. One of these days he’d figure it out, and the answer might hurt.
Sterling leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table to look me in the eyes. “Cassian, now that it’s just the two of us, I have to ask you something serious.”
My heart skipped a beat at the intimate request. I wiped crumbs off my face and finished chewing before answering. “Go ahead.”
“Do you think it could have been Jasmine?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I shot him a flat gaze. “Are you trying to make me mad? She’s the one who told me to contact the Force. She’s doing everything she can to help you with the case, not to mention she’s a co-owner. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“So, she’s our prime suspect,” he joked.
I threw my napkin down and stood up to leave.
“Wait, wait!” Sterling stepped in front of me to keep me from walking away. “I’m sorry. I was just joking.” He rubbed my upper arm with his steady hand, and I hated how much I enjoyed his touch. “I know this is hard for you. I got too comfortable with you and with the case, and I shouldn’t joke like that.”
I sighed and carefully removed his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m touchy about family right now,” I said.
“I know,” he said, folding his hands behind his back.
“Jasmine is my cousin, but she’s my oldest friend too. She would never do that.”
Sterling nodded. “I know.”
I returned to the table and took my seat. “Sterling… I don’t want to know who it is.”
Sterling smiled sympathetically as he sat across from me again, but he didn’t respond. I frowned into my tea while he took a sip of his coffee. “Can I ask about your favorite childhood memory? What did Ezzila want to take?” he asked.
I sipped my tea, feeling ashamed at the answer. “It took place at Fibbersnap Inn, actually.”
“Really?” he asked with a smile. “What happened?”
I sighed, cupping my hands around the warm mug. “It was around this time of year. Grandpa showed me how to build a snowman with… with magic.” He smiled and nodded, encouraging me to continue. “It was my first magic lesson. He showed me how to lift snow without touching it, and then he taught me that everything you need to give a snowman its personality is out there in nature, and that good magic is resourceful magic. Afterward, we went inside, and he made me hot cocoa and wrapped me in a blanket by the fireplace, the same one where I wrappedyouin a blanket,” I added with a smile. “And he told me a legend about the forest surrounding Fibbersnap Inn.”
“What’s the legend?” Sterling asked.
“According to Grandpa, a pegasus lives in those woods, but she only shows herself to individuals with pure intentions and kind hearts. He said to make sure I was kind to all beings in the forest, because she’s watching.”
“Do you believe the legend?” Sterling asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe he just wanted me to be nice to animals, but it could be true. Pegasuses are rare, but they exist.”
“Do you think he saw her?”
“Hm…” I sipped my tea again. I had often wondered that myself. My grandpa told me he hadn’t seen her, but he was a humble man. Of course, if he had seen her, then he lied to me, which would not have been very pure of him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. What about you?”
“Me?” Sterling looked stunned at the question. “I-I’ve never seen a pegasus. Sorry.”
I sputtered a laugh. “No, what’s your favorite childhood memory?”
“Oh,” he said, laughing with me. His laughter died quickly, and his eyes wandered across the room. “I don’t know. I didn’thave a great childhood. Maybe Ezzila could see that, and that’s why she didn’t want mine.”
I set my tea down to watch him. It broke my heart to think of Sterling as a little boy having a hard time. I didn’t know what had happened to him, and I didn’t know how to ask. “I’m sorry, Sterling. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.”
Sterling shook his head, avoiding eye contact. “It would just make you sad. I don’t want to do that to you.”
“Sterling,” I said in a pleading voice, hoping it would draw his eyes to mine, and he did look up. “I like learning about you. If you need to get it off your chest, I want to listen.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyebrows twitching together for a moment like he dared to hope I meant it.
