Hazel, the human, looked delighted. “It makes sense now that I think about it, though. You’ve been in a bunch of rom-coms, right?”
“Sure have!” He grinned. “Rom-coms have sadly fallen to the wayside lately. We’re trying to bring them back.”
“Well, if anyone can do it, it’s you,” Hazel gushed. She tugged on Daisy’s furry arm. “I can’t believe the boss agreed to this! Luna, you should’ve mentioned it was Arthur Pineclaw. I bet she would’ve agreedwayfaster.”
“Ha ha ha,” Daisy said, too loud. “Totally. Hey, Luna, can I talk to you for a second?”
Luna blinked, startled by her tone. “Sure! What’s up?”
“Alone,” Daisy said.
“Sure,” Luna said again after a beat. She turned to Arthur, blond ponytail bouncing. “I’ll just be one moment. Toodles!”
“Toodles,” Arthur replied. He watched them head out of the café, Luna rubbing her arms despite her thick jacket, Daisy giving him an awkward nod as she followed her out. They immediately bent their heads together, Daisy speaking quietly and urgently.
Weird, he thought. Maybe Daisy had a problem with him. Whatever it was, he was sure he could charm her into liking him before the shoot was over. They had two weeks. There weren’t a lot of people who could withstand Arthur’s charm for two weeks without at leastgrudginglyliking him. Still, it was a surprise. He hadn’t run into many people who openly disliked him for a long time. Not since he’d become a movie star, anyway.
Hazel slunk up to him with a shy, excited look that he wasmuchmore familiar with.
He beamed, twisting his whiskers rakishly. “Would you like an autograph?”
“Yes!” She dug in her apron and produced a pen and a wrinkled notebook. He scribbled his name with a flourish, adding a heart and Hazel’s name underneath. She seemed like the kind of girl who’d appreciate a personal touch.
Hazel giggled, slipping the signed notebook and pen back into her apron. “Thank you! This is so cool. I loveJust Kitten Around. And that mermaid one—what was that called?”
“In Too Deep,” Arthur said.
Hazel clapped. “Yes!In Too Deepmade me cry!”
“Always great to meet a fan,” Arthur said, watching Daisy and Luna out of the corner of his eye. Luna’s smile was stiff with concealed panic, which wasn’t making him feel any more at ease. He might have his work cut out for him with that minotaur.
He flexed his wings and turned back to Hazel. “So! Who’s your boss? I bet I know them.”
“I bet you do,” Hazel said, blushing under the full force of his award-winning smile. “You two probably went to high school together, now that I think about it. You’re about the same age.”
“Oh?” Arthur asked, interest piqued. “Don’t keep me in suspense. Who is it?”
“Her name is—” Hazel stopped, head cocking. “Oh, that’s her now! Don’t tell her I got an autograph. She told me not to bother you.”
A low, angry mutter was coming from the back.
I know that pissed-off mutter, Arthur thought with growing disbelief. Even with everything screaming inside him that it couldn’t be her—why would she buy acafé?—he knew. He’d recognize her voice anywhere.
The back doors flew open. A woman charged through, clutching a bag of coffee beans.
“Fancy pants think they own the place,” she muttered, absentmindedly stopping a coffee bean from toppling out the open end of the bag. “Putting shit inourfridges—”
She looked up, coming to a sudden halt.
Hazel waved. “Hey, boss! Look who’s here! Blast from the past, right?”
The woman didn’t respond. She was staring at him, her arms slack around the bag of coffee beans.
Arthur swallowed with a suddenly dry throat. Her hair was shorter—once it hung under her shoulders, and now it was a pixie cut, frazzled and wispy over her forehead. She was wearing a Christmas sweater so tacky that Arthur ached to tweak the snowman’s beady nose like he would’ve done all those years ago.
“Emma,” he said, as charming as he could muster. “Great to see you again.”
Emma Curt gaped at him. Despite everything, Arthur’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest. Once, he’d believed this woman would be the rest of his life. Now she was staring at him like she was offended he was breathing her air. Annoyed and gorgeous, just the way he’d left her.
