“I could perhaps suggest a little more decorum, however,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
Eugenia simply grinned back good-naturedly, while Tom looked a little more sheepish.
Nathaniel liked Tom.He had been a voice of reason and support when they lost their parents.But to find him kissing Eugenia was...admittedly a bit unsettling.Even if it didn’t surprise him that Eugenia was looking for love again—she certainly deserved it.
“You better take good care of my Aunt Genie,” Nathaniel warned Tom.
“You know I would never hurt her,” Tom said, squaring up and meeting Nathaniel’s eyes with pure honesty.“You know as well as I do how lonely it can be when you lose someone.And I think your Aunt Genie and I are very compatible, and I’m honored to get to spend my time with her.She makes me happy, and I hope you can understand that.I hope we didn’t upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me,” Nathaniel reassured him.“Although I would suggest you not be kissing in the library if you don’t want everyone in town to hear about it before the night is out—and those who aren’t in town,” he added after a beat.
Beatrice was sure to find out what was happening in her library, and while he had no doubt she’d have no trouble with it whatsoever, it wouldn’t surprise him if she hurried down to interrogate Eugenia about it.
“Perhaps,” Eugenia conceded, “but it seemed a pity to let him leave without a goodbye kiss.So—do you want to see the shelves he made for me?”she asked, her eyes brightening.
“I would love that, Aunt Genie,” Nathaniel said.
Thea was going to love hearing about all of this when he got back to the café.“I can’t wait to see them.”
Nathaniel spent far longer than he’d intended oohing and aahing over the library’s new shelves and listening to Aunt Genie extol the virtues of her new beau.He almost wished he hadn’t found them—listening to her go on and on might have driven him to insanity if he wasn’t careful.
It would seem that Aunt Genie was well and truly smitten.
He was thrilled for her, of course—she deserved nothing less—but there was only so long he could listen before he had to escape.She was far too enthusiastic about all of Tom’s good qualities, and he had no wish to hear more of them.
By the time she got around to describing how he made her feel all fluttery, enough was enough.Nathaniel made his escape and was nearly back to the café when he realized he hadn’t actually asked Eugenia about magic.
He sighed.He didn’t want to go back now.He’d go tomorrow.Hopefully she’d be less enthusiastic about Tom’s qualities then.
He couldn’t wait to tell Roan about it.The thought surprised him.When was the last time he’d been eager to tell his brother anything?
As he passed by the tavern, he realized he could just follow his instincts and stop in to visit.He didn’t need a reason—or an excuse—anymore.If they were going to mend things, he could help by reaching out.
Roan didn’t need to be the only one.
He stopped in the tavern, surprised to find it mostly empty at the end of the workday.
“Nathaniel!”Abigail said, sounding truly delighted to see him.
Yes, Nathaniel could see why she was good for the tavern.
“Roan’s in the back, in the garden with Beastie,” she said.“Do you want me to get him?”
“I’ll go.Thank you, though,” he said.“No need to stop what you’re doing.”
“Thank you,” she said, and continued wiping down the counters in preparation for what was sure to be a busy night.
Nathaniel stepped into the garden and found his brother throwing a stick for Beastie, who fetched it and dropped it at Roan’s feet with an eager expression, tail wagging, ready for the next throw.
“You won’t guess what I just saw,” Nathaniel said by way of greeting, carefully studying his brother’s body language.Roan stiffened for a moment, and Nathaniel nearly grimaced.Perhaps this had been a bad idea—but then his brother softened and turned with a genuine smile.
“What did you see?”he asked.
“Aunt Genie kissing Tom,” Nathaniel said, and was rewarded with a look of shock and then pure glee.
“No,” his brother breathed, his face splitting into a huge grin.“You’re sure?”
“Saw it with my own eyes,” Nathaniel said as Beastie dropped the stick at his feet.He sighed and threw it as far as he could within the confines of the fenced-in garden.
