She tried to focus on the positive as she went through her yearly rituals. There was the New Year’s Eve party for the entire Sterling clan at her uncle Edmund’s. Saphira was glowing, and Aiden was stuffing her with food every chance he got, not at all being discreet about the whole pregnancy thing. She was sure their aunts had figured it out.
It was all lovely. She missed Millie and the kids and Samreen but, the next day, on New Year’s Day, they flew down to see them all, which was fun and gave her time to debrief her sister, who literally made popcorn as Emmeline explained everything that had happened with Luke.
After spending the day, she had flown back at night, and now, on the second of January, it was back to work, which she found she was excited for. She was excited to see Luke again. She had gotten used to seeing him every day for the last four weeks, and now two days apart and she had... missed him?
Was that what this feeling was?
The thought made her antsy, but she tried not to think about it for too long. Instead, after having breakfast, she ran errands then went directly to Tales & Tails. The bookshop was still closed for an extra day for the holiday, even though it was Saturday, but Minh had said she and Luke could pop in if they wanted to.
The bookshop was quiet and hushed when Emmeline entered. It was strange to see the shop so empty, though Motu evidently enjoyed the fact. Now, it was just Emmeline.
Once they entered the empty shop, he flew through the air, taking the opportunity to jump from atop one bookshelf to another.
“Motu,” Emmeline warned. “No masti, okay? Behave.”
He gave her an innocent look, then jumped again. Emmeline blew her bangs out of her face. As long as he didn’t knock a bookshelf over, it was fine.
Closing the door behind her, Emmeline went to the tables, setting down the bags she had brought in. Since the shop was closed, she could take up as much space as she wanted.
Most of her proposal for the coffee shop was done, she just needed to finalize some details, then dress up the presentation. Today, her goal was to make a final decision regarding the coffee shop’s color scheme. She had already worked out the general vibe, which would be bookish and black-and-white, but she wanted to add a splash of color, as well.
The bookshop did such a wonderful job of feeling bright and vivid with all the different sections—the pink and yellow romances, the blue and green fantasies, the vibrant children’s section, the leatherbound classics. She didn’t want the coffee shop section to feel dull or boring.
She had managed to narrow down the accent color to four options, and today, she wanted to see how the color would look in the bookshop itself. She had gotten approval from Minh to paint swatches on the wall; he’d had Ola move one of the bookshelves to the side to clear a portion of the wall that they could cover back up with the bookshelf again after.
As Motu continued jumping from bookshelf to bookshelf, enjoying the empty shop, Emmeline pulled an empty displaytable to the section of the wall she would be doing the samples on. It was central, across from the stairs, and she wanted the coffee shop to go there.
After placing newspapers along the floor and table, she put her supplies on top: paint tins, along with small trays and paint rollers. There were four different colors she wanted to check: a sage green, a custard yellow, a periwinkle blue, and a blushing pink.
She began with the sage green, painting a foot long patch over the white. While that dried, she painted a similar column beside it in the custard yellow.
As she worked, she saw Motu out of the corner of her eye, who was now sliding down the stair railing backwards. His wings were poised to go into flight as he shot off the end, but since he was backwards, the momentum was too much, and he ended up flying into a display table.
“Motu,” she warned, as books fell to the floor. One opened over his head like a hat, and she set down her paint roller to pick up the fallen books. The baby dragon gave her an adorable smile as she put the books back in place.
“Be good,” she said, this time stern. She gave him a sharp glance, and he sat calmly on the floor. She released a breath. “Good boy.”
Setting down her paint roller, she went to her purse and grabbed a package of naan chips. Sniffing the air, Motu perked immediately. As she emptied the snack onto her hand, Motu made a pleased sound, bouncing over to eat them from her palm until they finished. She scratched his chin, and he happily flapped his wings.
She went back to the table with her paints. Just then,the front door dinged, bringing in a current of cold air. Emmeline’s stomach flipped as she glanced over to find Luke entering.
Shutting the door behind him, he cleaned his shoes on the front mat before looking up at her. A smile lit his face, and she felt her pulse quicken.
“Hi,” he said, taking off his coat and walking over to her. He unwound a scarf from his neck, revealing the long line of his throat. His usual necklaces hung on his chest where his black shirt was unbuttoned.
The shop was warm, but it felt hotter now. He looked particularly handsome today, his dark hair falling in perfect swoops that made her want to sink her fingers in.
He arched a brow, and she realized she was staring.
“Hi,” she replied, voice a squeak.Oh god. Why was she acting weird? Like a girl with a crush? Ridiculous.
His lips twitched, and he leaned down to pet Motu, who licked Luke’s hand. As he went to set his things down in the office, Emmeline caught her breath. She turned back to the wall, cheeks warm as she dipped the roller into the blue paint.
“What are you doing?” he asked, coming to stand behind her a few moments later. His proximity sent sparks shooting down her spine. She could feel the heat of his chest, just inches behind her shoulder. If she leaned back...
“Checking paint samples,” she replied, not turning around. This was not the moment to let intrusive thoughts win.
“Mmm,” he hummed, and she could almost feel his chest vibrating behind her. She bit her lower lip. Then, she felt Luke’s hand on her elbow, steadying her arm.
