Luckily, the little menace helped distract her thoughts from constantly straying to Luke, though the sight of the baby dragon also reminded her of the situation in the office, how she had ended up in Luke’s arms. The memory made heat flush through her, and she scowled—but how could she be angry with such an adorable creature? Especially when he gave such good cuddles.
With a sigh, Emmeline dismounted from Torch on Main Street. It had begun snowing, little flurries of snowflakes dancing in the air and sticking to her skin. Motu opened his mouth, trying to catch them, and she steered the baby dragon into the cafe, seeking shelter.
The place was packed. As she stood in line, her thoughts went to Luke again. She didn’t know what was worse, hisprobing questions or the feel of his fingers pressing into her hips as she’d sat on his lap.
She didnotneed to think about that.
But she couldn’t get his question about the baby dragon out of her head, either: “And you’re not busy?”
Of course she was! Who was he to question such a thing?
Emmeline rubbed her temples. She needed caffeine. Luckily, it was almost her turn to order, and she looked around for Saphira, who she was supposed to be meeting along with Aiden, probably, since the man was never farther than a three-foot radius from his wife, if that.
Emmeline didn’t spot her friend through the crowd. The establishment was busier than ever with the expansion and extended hours, which was good for business—both Saphira’s and Emmeline’s, as Emmeline sourced the cafe’s coffee.
The expansion had been executed wonderfully by Theo, and there was lots more space, which was ideal for these winter months when the outside garden wasn’t in use.
Motu hopped along as she went forward in line, until it was Emmeline’s turn to order.
“One large karak chai,” she said. “And a cake rusk please.”
She pointed to the hard biscuit in the display case. It sat in a jar along with a sign that read ‘The Baby Dragon Bakery by Theo Noon’. Beside that was the bakery’s emblem: a cupcake with wings. She spotted other fusion desserts like gajar halwa cheesecake cups and chocolate milk barfi squares. There were also basic bakery items, such as croissants, donuts, mini cakes, and scones.
Motu pawed at her leg, and she glanced down at hisbig purple eyes. “And some burned naan chips,” Emmeline added to the order.
The barista handed those to her first, and she set the bowl down in front of Motu. The baby dragon munched happily as the barista gave her a piece of cake rusk on a plate. Emmeline stood to the side to wait for her chai as Motu happily ate his chips, bouncing in place, his hyper-levels slowly increasing.
“Behave,” she said, careful not to be too stern or she’d elicit a tantrum. Luckily, Motu settled. Emmeline considered that the other baby dragons around him were probably having an effect.
In the early days of the cafe, all the baby dragons had been a bit chaotic, but now they knew how to behave, and the cafe ran harmoniously. Some baby dragons slept in little nooks, while others played together, mindful of the customers and definitely careful not to spit fire anywhere.
“Here you go,” the barista said, handing her a large mug of chai.
“Mm, thank you.” Emmeline stood by the wall, Motu at her feet as she took a sip and looked around. There were a few really young baby dragons; at under six months, they were delicate and vulnerable and as such were dressed in little knit sweaters. Some even had mittens on their tiny paws! She even spotted a baby dragon with a cable-knit trapper hat, complete with a puffy pom-pom on top.
Too cute!
Emmeline looked down at Motu, wanting to wrangle him into such an adorable outfit. He followed her gaze, and, understanding, took a pause from munching to hiss at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Alright,” she conceded. “But you have to admit they’re adorable.”
Before she could attempt to convince Motu further, Saphira came floating down the stairs. Emmeline lifted a hand and Saphira came over, her braid swinging.
“You’re early!” Saphira said.
“I needed this,” Emmeline replied, holding up her mug.
“Hello, darling.” Saphira petted Motu, and he leaned into her touch. “He’s your brother’s, isn’t he?”
Emmeline nodded. “I’m stuck babysitting because Haris failed one of his classes.”
“You and your baji duties never finish,” Saphira said, letting out a breath. Emmeline took another sip of chai. “How’s Millie? And the baby?”
Pulling out her phone, Emmeline showed Saphira pictures, telling her about the trip as Saphira listened intently with a fond smile. Emmeline took a bite of the cake rusk, pausing her storytelling to compliment the bakery item.
“Mm, this is good,” Emmeline said. “Crispy but not too hard, and not too sweet, either.”
“Oh, good!” Saphira said, relieved. “Theo’s been playing with his recipe for that very reason!” She glanced over Emmeline’s shoulder. “And speaking of—”
