I packed up the rest of my things and went around the front. When I got there, I froze. It wasn’t Ellery, but Arthur. He was in a suit with his hair pushed away from his face. I could see gray hairs forming at his temples, but it only made him look more refined.
I considered just sneaking out, avoiding him all together. I had no idea what he wanted to say, but it probably wouldn’t be good. Just as I’d decided to leave, he looked my way and started walking over.
“Juniper,” he said. “Could I speak with you?”
I swallowed. “Is this about your brother?”
“No,” he said easily. “That is none of my business.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
“Let me get you a coffee.” We went to the counter and I ordered my white chocolate mocha and Arthur surprisingly ordered the same.
Once we got our drinks, he led me to one of the tables in the far corner. It was about three, so the shop was mostly dead,and we were far enough away to not be overheard by Jay at the counter.
We sat quietly for a few moments, just sipping our drinks. “How’s Tiffany?” I asked.
“She’s good,” he said warmly. “The morning sickness is still getting to her, but good otherwise.”
“Oh,” I pulled out the small vial I’d taken from my mom. I slid it in my purse, and was now glad I hadn’t taken it out. “Tell her to drink this. I told her I would give her something to help.”
He took it, examining it for a moment. “Is this… magic?” he whispered it like he was swearing.
“Yes,” I said. “It won’t affect the baby at all.”
“I had no worries about that.” He slipped the vial in his pocket. “And I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. But that’s actually why I’m here.”
Here it was. I held my breath. Was he telling me he was going to the press? Did he want to blackmail me for my powers? I had to prepare for the worst.
“I wanted to thank you.”
It took my brain a moment to catch up. “What?”
“You saved Tiffany. That statue had to be a couple hundred pounds. Even with me blocking her, if it had landed…” he sounded choked up. “I don’t know what could have happened. But you saved her, and our child, and I could never thank you enough.”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. “Of course. I couldn’t let anything happen to either of you.”
He smiled lightly. “I also wanted to make you an offer of sorts. Veronica told me about her conversation with Ellery.”
The thought of that made my stomach churn. I didn’t know what they actually spoke about, but I know what I saw. Was he going to tell me he wanted to give me some kind of consolation?
“I want to invest in your app.”
I was again stunned silent. “What?”
“Ellery had asked her to invest in your app. From what she said, it sounds like a great idea, and one that won’t easily be replicated, with the way I believe your “AI” works.” He used air quotes to imply he knew magic was involved somehow. “I can’t believe he didn’t say anything to me in the first place. It seems like a great investment, and I know she’ll be making an offer soon, so I wanted to get to you first.”
I was speechless. “You want to invest in our app?”
He nodded. “If you have proof of concept. It seems worthwhile. I know Veronica will put up a good fight if she really wants it, but I think you’ll find mine more than satisfactory. If not, I’m willing to negotiate.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. Hear her offer first, but this is mine.” He pulled out a folder from his jacket. I opened it, unable to help it.
My jaw was on the floor when I saw the offer number. It blew what Ellery was going to give me out of the water.
I closed it and swallowed deeply. Arthur’s face was neutral as it always was, but it seemed like we’d come to some kind of understanding.
