Sera frowned. It was better this way. The responsible, prudent path. She may continue to dream, but reality was just not in the cards. With a huff, Sera also left the drawing room behind.
She didn’t care one way or the other.
Chapter Eight
Thefollowingmorning,Seradragged herself out of bed at seven and dressed for work. Seth continued to snore, contentedly wrapped in his plants like she had once cuddled a doll made of old clothes.
Seth was younger than her by over a decade. He had been Cole’s shiny new replacement for her. A Summer Fae with no family and a gullible heart. Perfect target.
Sera was determined to make better decisions because of her love for him. But first, duty called.
A cart waited in the hall outside her door, loaded with a tray of warmed pastries and steaming coffee. One mention that she preferred coffee over the standard tea a few days ago and Mrs. Tarley, the head of house, must have ordered some for her. Sera was still not quite used to the idea of servants bustling about and seeing to her needs. It seemed… wrong somehow. Though, she supposed it was a job with pay same as any other. And, from what she had seen and heard, Kieran was hardly a demandingboss. The idea of Mrs. Tarley making sure that Sera had coffee filled her with a cozy warmth.
She smiled as she took the cup, added the sugar and cream to her liking, and breathed in the rich aroma.
Kieran waited for her in the main hall. His posture was perfect and not a seam askew. Sera nursed the cup close to her chest, not sure where to put her eyes.
He sniffed the air as she approached, eyes drawn to her hands. “Is that coffee?”
She nodded.
He said nothing further, only furrowed his brow and stalked ahead of her. Sera rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t have been surprised if a separate carriage awaited so he wouldn’t be forced into such close proximity to her. Which suited her just fine. She didn’t want to be close to him, either.
There was no second carriage, but he did sit as far from her as the space allowed and said nothing the entire ride. Once they reached the office, he left her at her desk without a word.
This was exactly what Sera wanted. After everything, the emotions, the drama, the way too real reactions of her heart, having him keep her at a distance was the ideal situation.
Then why did she hate it so much?
She was miserable. Bored. Lonely. More than usual. A part of her missed trying to figure him out while he continued to surprise her. It took all of five minutes to sort through Kieran’s waiting messages, a small pile growing that she was hesitant to deliver in the current tumultuous atmosphere. On the top was a missive from her brother—written in Rachel's handwriting, if Sera had to guess—and she intended to give it to Kieran when he bothered to come out.
Which left her with exactly… nothing else to do.
—
Sera sighed as she placed a pen on the growing tower of perfectly balanced office supplies. The tower had grown higher than her head, with objects set in precise placement so that their weight created the exact counterbalance to gravity. She carefully lifted another pencil, threading it carefully and then easing back while she made sure nothing was disrupted.Success!
She grinned, pumping a fist in the air as her chair spun until she was facing… Kieran North.
When did he emerge from his isolation?
Kieran’s stoic stare clouded her good-humor and she slumped back into her chair.
“What is it? You didn’t come out here to stare at me, did you?” She gave him a sarcastic wink.
He stepped forward and carefully put a stack of papers on the far corner of her desk—maneuvering around her tower. “These are important plans for a restructuring of the city’s park amenities. I’m in need of outside help to nail down necessary changes. Make inquiries to find someone with a background in some sort of structural application who can assess the proposal.”
Sera glanced at the papers neatly stacked on her disordered desk.Restructuring, huh?
He started to return to his office, when she held up the note from Gideon between two fingers.
Body stiff, he considered her hand, as if deciding if it was worth the risk of potential skin contact if he took it from her.
Sera huffed. “It’s not poisoned. Just take it. There are others, but I thought this would be the highest priority since it’s the quickest way to be rid of me.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction, almost imperceptibly, except that she had stared into his eyes enough to notice the change. He plucked the note from her hand, deftly avoiding contact. He also didn’t rise to her bait. Which was… disappointing. She missed getting under his skin.
“Your brother wants to meet at his apartment after we finish here.”
