She shakes her head. “It can’t go anywhere, Sophia. He’s one ofthem.”
I nod. “A leprechaun, yes. It doesn’t matter to me at all. It never did.”
Maybe this was a mistake. Penelope glares at me like an alien’s tentacles are flailing from my mouth. I don’t even think she’s breathing.
“Say something, Pen.”
“How long has this been going on?” she blurts.
“Since right after the hospital.”
“Six weeks?” she rasps. “You kept this a secret all that time?”
“I’m sorry. I was afraid of how you might react. And I wanted to be sure. We’re keeping it quiet for now. No one else knows.”
“I’m the first to know?” She points at her chest, and I see pride flicker across her blue eyes.
Technically she’s not the first. River and Arden know, and it occurs to me I haven’t done a very good job keeping this secret recently. But then what does it matter? It’s not going to be secret for long.
She blinks three times and then grabs me and pulls me against her chest in a relentless hug. A deep breath slowly escapes her lips. “I’m happy for you, Sophia. Truly…AndI hope you know what you’re doing.”
A tiny spark of elation ignites inside me. She knows. My best friend knows. And she’s accepted it. Accepted us. I hug her back. “You know, I think I finally do.”
ChapterThirteen
By Saturday afternoon, Seven still hasn’t responded to my texts, and I’m beginning to worry. Worse, Eva hasn’t heard from him either. I talk to her after my last session of the day, and she reassures me that it’s probably nothing to worry about.
“Our cell carrier occasionally has problems with roaming outside Devashire’s borders. We’re supposed to have coverage, but sometimes the calls don’t go through. I’ll have my assistant call his hotel and make sure everything’s okay.”
“Thanks, Eva.”
I haven’t slept well since he left. Part of it is that I desperately need to talk to him about what I found at River’s. A bigger part has everything to do with our past. For over a decade, I thought Seven abandoned me at the Yule ball, intentionally not showing up and humiliating me. Although I now know that isn’t true, my body remembers that grief. The memory resides somewhere in my cells, lurking in the deepest portion of my subconscious. And although I know Seven hasn’t abandoned me this time, my unconscious mind keeps telling me he has. Tension in my shoulder muscles leaves my neck and back sore, and I catch myself gritting my teeth.
Checking my phone for the thousandth time, I barely look up as I walk through the door of my family’s house and almost run smack into Grandma.
“Finally!” Her bony fingers wrap around my shoulders and squeeze. As fabulous as ever in a tea-length ice-blue ball gown, she’s wearing her silver hair twisted up the back of her head today. She looks at me over navy-blue specs. “I thought you’d never get home! Have you heard?”
“I didn’t know you were coming over tonight. How are things in Sunnyville?” Grandma lives in a beautiful home in a retirement community outside the park. Still, since I returned to Dragonfly Hollow, she’s been here more than she hasn’t. I’m pretty sure that if my parents invited her, she’d move in in a heartbeat.
“Boring and irrelevant.” She shakes me by the shoulders in a surprisingly strong grip for a fairy of her advanced years. “This is big, Sophia.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is this about the murder?”
“Pishposh!” She waves a hand as if something smells. “That happened ages ago, Sophia. Live in the now! No, this is about—”
“Thank the gods you’re here!” My mother runs into the room and grabs my hand. “I need your help in the dining room.”
“Okay.” I’m utterly confused. We normally eat in the breakfast nook.
Once we reach the dining room, I’m even more confused. The table is decked out. My family doesn’t have a lot of money, but my great-grandmother on my father’s side, gods rest her soul, left us some silver and fine bone china. Normally we keep the place settings packed away in storage, but Mom has pulled them all out and polished everything to a high shine. Gold chargers are topped with navy-blue-patterned plates with a gold edge. The shiny silver candelabra are draped with multicolored crystals that reflect the swag of flowers and greenery arranged on the table runner. She’s done an expert job. It looks like a scene off the cover of a Pottery Barn catalog. “What’s going on?
“I’ve been trying to tell you,” Grandma says. “Arden’s new boyfriend is coming to dinner, and he’s aleprechaun!” Grandma’s fingers fly to her mouth, and she inhales sharply.
I laugh. “I know she’s dating a leprechaun, Grandma, I just didn’t know he was coming for dinner tonight.”
Her eyes grow to the size of saucers. “You knew about this?”
“I saw the ribbon on her wrist this morning and she told me.”
