“You’re back,” Uriel said.
His voice was not breathy at all. It was the chill in the air. They were expecting snow that evening.
“Yeah, we took the red-eye. And now I know why it’s called the red-eye because I am going to fall over any second now. It’s your lucky day, though. I happen to be making some excellent espresso, and since I see a familiar box in your hands…breakfast?”
Uriel nodded.
Joe smiled again, and Uriel’s magic flooded through him. In the blink of an eye, the Snowda Shoppe decor transformed from the delightful, old-fashioned scenes he’d helped Joe create to….
“What the sugar cookie?” Joe’s bellowed question shook the windows of the shop.
It absolutely was not Uriel’s lucky day. On the other hand, the Snowda Shoppe’s decor definitely had the luck of the Irish on its side. The sheer number of shamrocks alone would put any St. Patrick’s Day parade to shame.
Joe closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly shut. “You’re just tired,” he muttered. “Lack of sleep.”
Uriel pushed hard with his magic, and the Snowda Shoppe returned to its previous glory. Joe opened his eyes, then turned to Uriel. “Did I just…never mind. I need coffee.”
After taking a seat at one of the counter stools, Uriel opened the box of pastries while Joe prepared their coffee. Joe kept looking around the room, then shaking his head.
“You got back at just the right time,” Uriel said. “We can make a trip out to the tree farm today before the snow hits. I’m going to assume Eldon doesn’t plan on you working today since you got back so late.”
“No, we have today covered. I wanted to come in and check on things before I went home to crash. It’s been a weird few days, you know?”
“I know.”
Joe pushed one of the mugs across the counter to him. “And the business trip was bogus, in case you hadn’t already figured that out. Eldon thought Javier might leave if I was gone. I could have told him it was a waste of time.”
“Why’s that?”
Joe paused for a moment, then grabbed a cheese danish from the box. Uriel never ate them, but they happened to be Joe’s favorite. “He thinks we’re meant to be together, even though I ended things over a year ago.”
“Should we be worried for your safety? You mentioned a restraining order.”
Joe sighed. “There might have been a slight stalking issue. I don’t think he’d hurt me, to be honest. Our relationship wasn’t like that. We wanted different things, and for a while, I tried to be some sort of Stepford version of myself because I thought the life he offered was what I should want.”
Uriel took a sip of coffee, closing his eyes for a moment to savor the flavor and to get his magic under control. He’d never had control issues in his life. The sudden return of their magic was the only explanation.
Except York had found his mate.
And Uriel’s magic hadn’t misfired until Joe kissed him.
They were just friends, though.
“Nothing to say to my deep, dark confession?” Joe asked.
“Shh. I’m savoring my coffee. You abandoned me for days and expect conversation?”
Joe cackled. “Understood.”
Uriel licked his lips and put the mug down. “You chose sticky fingers over him,” Uriel said. “That says all I need to know.”
“You’re such an Ecclefechan!”
Uriel laughed harder than he ever had before in his life. Joe looked obnoxiously triumphant, but considering it made him even more delectable, Uriel didn’t mind. “You looked it up,” Uriel teased.
“I did. And let me tell you how hard it was to figure out how to spell what you’d said. But now I know you didn’t make up Ecclefechan. It is a real town in Scotland and also an actual type of pastry that sounds absolutely delicious. Who knew? I was going to ask Nyall to make some of the tarts for me, but then I decided as payback, I’d make you help me make them instead.”
“Payback, huh? I’m pretty sure I told you I’d make some for you.”
