* * *
My mother gives a long,low whistle as she assesses my appearance. “Gods above, Sophia. You are a beautiful woman, and that is one fabulous dress.”
I smooth my hand over the waist and release a deep breath. “Thanks. I just wish there was a little more of it.”
“Seven sent it?” She admires it appreciatively when I nod my head. “He knows what he’s doing. This is how the pixies who frequent the Dragonfly Club dress. You’ll fit in… have a better chance of getting them to talk. And you won’t need as much illusion.”
“Right.” I tug at the hem, but it’s not getting any closer to my knees. I’m just relieved that my father took Arden into town to go shopping and she’s not here to heckle me.
“How is Seven?” Mom asks, her fingers tangling in front of her stomach.
“Still an asshole.”
She snorts. “I know what he did to you was terrible, but it’s hard for my mother’s heart not to picture him as that sweet boy who first walked through my door.”
I pause, remembering something I’d wanted to ask her. “Do you remember what happened that day to him? Why was he crying?”
She sighs. “I’m not surprised you don’t know. You were too young to understand.” She smooths her hair. “His parents forgot about him.”
“Huh?”
“It was the end of the day, and I was volunteering at Bailiwick’s. I’d offered to clean up your grade one classroom, so we were the last ones out of the school. You heard him crying in the woods behind the playground and ran to him as if he were a lost kitten in need of rescue. Maybe he was. The boy was a puddle of tears by the time you brought him to me. His parents simply forgot about him, left him at school. Do you know, when I dropped him off at that fancy house of theirs, his mother didn’t even apologize? Just wrangled him inside and shut the door.”
I close my eyes for a second, trying to reconcile my adult mind with my child’s experience. “Wait… they forgot about him? But they’re leprechauns! That doesn’t sound very lucky.”
Mom runs her hand along the misshapen knitted blanket on the back of our couch. “Luck only works when you focus on something. That woman never focused on Seven or Evangeline. Her eyes… it was like she was dead inside. That family might be made of luck and swim in pools of money, but they’ve never spent an ounce of it on learning to love each other, Sophia. Frankly, I’ve always thought the lot of them seemed a bit miserable.”
I think back to the early days. Seven and Evangeline were always warm to each other and to me, but their parents were largely absent and always indifferent until the end when Chase Delaney was openly hostile to me. Mom is right. Something was missing in their family.
For some reason, the realization that Seven had a troubled family life weighs heavily on my heart. I tell myself that I don’t care, that it’s been long over between us and what happened back then doesn’t matter, but my heart aches of its own accord. I think what bothers me most is that I never noticed. Even my seventeen-year-old self never thought to ask Seven if he was treated well at home. I’d just assumed that because he was a leprechaun—rich and gorgeous—that he couldn’t have any problems as common as a poor home life.
I glance at my watch. “I’m going to be late.”
Mom follows me to the foyer. “Better hurry then. Wise if you’re out of here before your father sees you anyway.” She chuckles. “Good luck tonight.”
With a peck to her cheek, I’m out the door.
The thing about living in a theme park is that when someone says they’ll pick you up, they don’t mean at your front door. Dragonfly Hollow consists of five separate but connected parks. Wonderland, Dragonfly After Dark, Sunrise Kingdom, Thrilldare Island, and a water park called Mermaid Cove. My parents live in Wonderland, which includes the Enchantment subdivision, Godmother’s tearoom, Bailiwick’s Academy, and River’s Tavern, as well as a main street full of shops like my parents’, a fae learning center, and a selection of rides and entertainment. It’s a family park that is appropriate for all ages.
Where I’m going tonight is not. Dragonfly After Dark is home to a world-class hotel and spa, the Dragonfly Casino, as well as a variety of taverns and adult-entertainment venues—improv comedy clubs, sexy magic acts, and darkly lit and intimate music venues. But the cornerstone of the After Dark theme park is the Dragonfly Club.
The entrance to After Dark is about ten miles from the entrance to Wonderland, which means we have to drive there. Only no cars are allowed inside the theme parks themselves. When I visited Seven at the casino yesterday, I got there by riding a character shuttle that runs during the day from the circle drive outside the front of Wonderland to the one outside After Dark. That’s as close as Seven can get to pick me up.
My stilettos click on the sidewalk, and anxiety worms its way into my brain again. I’m going to meet Seven. I’m going to have to ride in his car with all that masculine energy and tightly coiled power. Anticipation zings through me. Damn it, why am I still attracted to this man? It’s like he’s a sore tooth I can’t keep from poking with my tongue. I wish I could take the shuttle, but it’s done running for the day.
When I reach the circle drive, it doesn’t take any detective work to know which car is his. A sleek black Mercedes roadster is parked by the curb, and the man himself is leaning up against it, looking annoyed. His eyes rake over me, from my hair that I’ve left down in loose curls to the shoes he bought me and then back up again. His expression is pained.
“What’s up your ass?” I ask.
“You’re late.”
“You try walking a half mile in these things,” I say, pointing at my feet.
His eyes catch on the hem of my dress. If anything, it’s even shorter on than it looked when I held it up to myself. It barely covers my ass. The corner of his mouth turns down slightly, and it makes me smile. He bought this thing for me and insisted I wear it. If he doesn’t like it, there’s only one person to blame, and it’s not me.
He opens the car door. “Get in.”
I do, careful to tuck my skirt beneath me. He rounds the car and climbs in the driver’s side, but he doesn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he just stares at my bodice.
