“What do you want now?” I snapped, spinning around.
Mark stood just inside the doorway, a paper bag clutched in one hand, eyes wide.
“Uh,” he said carefully. “Is this a bad time?”
For a split second, I thought it was Theo again.
Then I caught Mark’s scent. The tension I hadn’t even realized I was holding onto eased immediately. My wolf settled, the agitation fading like it had never been there to begin with.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I thought you were someone else.”
Mark glanced back over his shoulder, peering through the shop window like he was checking the street. My pulse ticked up.
Please don’t let him still be out there.
“Is that food?” I asked, a little too fast, nodding toward the paper bag in his hand.
Mark turned back to me, attention shifting, and lifted it slightly.
“Yeah. Did you get Cathy’s message?” He smiled. “I figured we should celebrate.”
“I did,” I said. “Still kind of can’t believe we got the New Year’s Eve slot.”
I hesitated, then added, “Though, I mean, it’s not like a ton of people auditioned. Pretty sure everyone who did got in.”
Mark arched a brow. “Still. Only five acts for the main event. And we’re one of them.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I guess that’s something.”
This time, the smile that spread across my face was real.
I leaned against the counter and watched as he set the bag down, pulling out coffee cups and a small box of pastries.
The shop felt warmer with him in it. Lighter. Like the air had shifted back into place.
“Get ready for some bad news, though,” I said, reaching for a coffee.
Mark paused. “Hmm?”
“You might need to break out that silver suit.”
He blinked. “So we’re really wearing something festive?” A laugh escaped him. “I didn’t think we were actually serious about that.”
“Cathy seemed to think we were.”
Mark hummed, but his gaze drifted back to the window again, just for a second.
I cleared my throat. “Hey—uh. We should grab dinner later.” The words came out faster than I meant them to. “My treat. As a thank-you for teaming up with me for the festival.”
Mark turned fully back to me then. His expression softened, like he’d been caught off guard in a good way.
“You know you’re doing me a favor too, right?” he said. “Getting me back into playing. Letting me be part of all this.”
“Still,” I said quietly. “This mattered to me.”
There was a brief pause. Mark broke it first. “Alright. But seriously though, do I really have to wear the silver suit? I wasn’t joking when I said it had sequins. Big shiny ones.”
“I really hope not,” I said, grimacing at the thought of wearing it myself. Then added, after a beat, “But maybe bring it out. Just to air it.”
