Tess floated over. “I made her some cookies if you don’t mind taking them with you.”
Moira eyed the plate of what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies. “Just for her? None for us?”
Tess smirked. “There’s a full plate in the kitchen.”
“May the gods bless you,” Moira said, taking the plate from Tess’s pale hands.
As she scooted away, I called out. “Bring me two back!”
“Depends on how many Tess brought,” Moira sang as she disappeared around the corner.
“I brought a lot,” Tess said, then frowned. “But Moira can eat her body weight in snacks.”
A surprised laugh broke from me. Despite what happened with Ash and then Titania, Tess had come through it okay. She still had moments where she became paralyzed with intrusive thoughts, but after everything, Tess had come out better for it. She was a little more self-deprecating with her humor and a little more adventurous than she had been, telling me she only had one life and needed to make the most of it.
Wise advice from our young banshee, and something all of us should take to heart.
“Thanks for thinking of us.”
Tess shrugged. “I don’t have a boyfriend anymore, so I can make cookies and do whatever I want.”
I laughed again. “True.”
Tess settled onto the stool behind the register and pulled the order book over.
I eyed her. She’d always be pale. Her heritage as a banshee required it. But there was a happy flush in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eye where there’d been none before. As much as it pained me to know Tess was doing far better than Ash, her glow up made me ecstatic. “You know,” I ventured, “when you find that perfect person, you can still make cookies and do whatever you want.”
Tess waved a casual hand. “I know, but then I have to make sure I have extra time for them, and I have to split my time between what they want to do and what I want to do.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to make decisions like that right now. If I want to see an afternoon movie, I can just buy a ticket and go. If I want to make chocolate chip cookies, I don’t have to worry about scheduling the time between a date or an event.”
I blinked. “Fair enough,” I murmured. “Being single can be a ton of fun.”
She smiled. “So far it’s wonderful!”
I was glad Ash was in the back because ouch.
The shop bell rang. Power swept into the room, a tingle of awareness making the hair on the back of my arms stand up. A man entered. Tall, lean but built with muscle, sharp jawline, but a shaggy mess of blond hair at odds with his mostly clean-cut appearance. He wore a pair of gray slacks and an emerald-green pullover sweater. Handsome and well-dressed, I automatically assumed he was here to buy something for his girlfriend or wife.
I rose from the worktable, taking a clean towel with me to wipe off the remnants of plant material from the display I was working on. “Welcome to Little Shop of Florals. Shopping for a significant other today?”
The man’s gaze landed on me. I almost sucked in a breath at the intensity of his bright blue gaze but managed to control myself. “Are you Evie Quinn?” A crisp English accent in a deep voice would have melted me a few years ago, but I was made of sterner stuff now.
I tilted my head. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss here. Who are you?”
A devastating smile. “I’m Barrett Masters. We should have met years ago, but you managed to elude my notice for far too long.”
My eyebrows went up. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
A sheen of crimson rolled over his irises. I took a step back and pulled power in anticipation of a strike. Another Chimera. Perfect timing. Not much of anything interesting had happened in a few months, so naturally, it was time for the sky to fall.
He held up a placating hand. “Peace, Miss Quinn. Contrary to what you’ve seen from our kind, not all of us are bloodthirsty monsters. I’m here to make you an offer.”
“And if I don’t want to entertain any offers?”
Barrett’s smile reached his eyes. “Your reputation is well-earned, I see.”
“Reputation?” I frowned.
“Word of your exploits has reached across the globe. Though I can’t say I fault you for your responses to anything in the past, if what I’m hearing has happened to you is true.”
