“In a way,” Pierce said levelly.
Celeste stared at him. “I thought you were a seismologist who was here checking out the earth tremors!”
It took her a moment to remember that actually, shehadn’tthought that – that had been Gordon. She hadn’t actually asked, and she realized now Pierce had been quite vague about what his actual job was.
To his credit, hedidhave the decency to look a little sheepish. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to mislead you. Well… not quite, anyway.” He shook his head, sighing. “Look. Let’s not talk about this like it’s an argument. That’ll get us nowhere. I’ll tell you everything – right here, right now. I’ll be honest. Like I always should have been.”
Celeste nodded numbly. “Do you think you’d like to be honest over a cup of coffee? And… uh…”
Frowning, she reached into her pocket, belatedly remembering about the gingerbread man she’d bought with the idea she might give it to Pierce when she saw him next. But that had been a whole jump into a hedge and pegasus ride ago. Who knew what state it was in now?
Ugh.
Sure enough – it was completely crushed. It was obvious even before she unwrapped it.
“Sorry about that,” she said, as she put shattered pieces of gingerbread covered in green and red frosting down on her tiny coffee table. “I got it for you, but I forgot all about it in my pocket. I guess it’ll still taste the same?”
To her relief, a small smile flickered across Pierce’s face. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
“Well,” Celeste said, as she bustled over to the kitchenette that was attached to the living area. “I’ll put the coffee on. You get started with this honesty thing.”
And so, he did.
Celeste listened, forcing herself not to interrupt with questions as he started to tell her about his life and what he’d been doing over the past twenty years. She’d heard of the Shifter Patrol Corps, of course, if only because Gordon had told her that they dealt with shifter criminals – if she ever came across any in the course of her magical duty, she would have to refer the crime to them. But it wasn’t as if she was overrun with werewolf drug dealers or evil unicorns here at her lighthouse, so that had never been a problem.
“I… I see,” Celeste said, looking down at her now empty coffee mug. “But you’ve always known since the first time we met that I was… I was…”
“My mate.” Pierce’s voice was low and steady. “Yes. That’s how it works. From the moment our hands first touched, I’ve known.”
Celeste felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of her lungs. “But that was… when did that even…”
“You don’t remember?” Pierce asked. “I do. It was when we both reached for the same scarf at that shop – I don’t remember the name of it now, but I remember the way it felt when our hands brushed. I wanted to buy it for my mother for Christmas – it was that beautiful silk scarf, with the purple and blue pattern on it.”
Celeste blinked at him, amazed. “I… Idoremember that,” she admitted after a moment. “And… then you ended up buying it for me.”
A small smile twitched at the corner of Pierce’s lips. “I knew I could find something else for my mother, and she already had about a hundred silk scarves. But you looked so enchanted by it – how could I not have given it to you?”
“It was really too expensive for me to have bought for myself anyway,” Celeste told him. “I just loved it and I thought I’d try it on and dream about it.”
She knew she still had the scarf, too – it was boxed up in the storage space below the stairs. When she’d been packing up to come here, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to get rid of it, but nor had she been able to bear seeing it every day either, and being reminded of Pierce.
“I remember you were a little suspicious of me when I gave it to you as well,” Pierce said, laughing softly. “What did you say again?”
The warm memory flooded back to her, and she laughed, a little embarrassed. “I told you I wasn’tthatmuch of a pushover and I wasn’t going to accept it if there were strings attached,” she said a little sheepishly. “I guess I was a little more outspoken back then.”
It was true – shehadbecome more of a pushover these days. Otherwise she might never have let herself be caught up in Mrs. Shelby’s ceramics auction plans.
“No, I didn’t blame you,” Pierce laughed. “I guess it was a little forward of me. But I already knew then – you were the one. I would have given it to you even if you never wanted to see me again after that.”
“And I guess Ididturn out to be kind of a pushover after all.” Celeste joined in with his laughter. “Since I pretty much asked you out right away after that. Even though I’d been told by my mother that ladies didn’t ask gentlemen out.”
“It was just a coffee, though.” Pierce’s gray eyes were warm as he looked at her, and Celeste felt a shiver run up her spine, memories briefly overcoming her.
“Coffee that turned into dinner,” she said softly. “And then a walk by the river. And then you walking me to the train station. And asking if you could see me again the next day.”
“Which you said yes to right away.”
“Which I said yes to right away.” Celeste laughed. “Well, I mean, youdidbuy me the scarf of my dreams, and it’s not like it was cheap!”
