Maybe I should call Leo and tell him I’ve changed my mind,Estelle said to her dragon as she sipped her coffee, her second cup of the day, and it wasn’t even eight o’clock.
No,her dragon said firmly.This is a good thing. And if you call it off, it won’t just be Leo who’s disappointed.
Estelle half turned to look at Adara, who was seated at the table, eating her breakfast while telling Fizz about all the wonderful things they would see at the market.
“And Fizz wants to choose something pretty for the fairies,” Adara continued, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Maybe a stone. Or a ribbon. Or something shiny.”
Estelle’s heart squeezed. Adara’s enthusiasm made her own anxiety feel small and mean by comparison.
You’re doing this for her,her dragon reminded her gently.So she doesn’t grow up afraid of being seen.
But what if being seen is exactly what puts her in danger?Estelle countered, her fingers tightening around her mug.
Her dragon sighed.Who is going to see us? Anyway, we can’t hide forever. And Leo will be there the whole time.
Leo. Her shifter senses locked onto him. He was coming along the mountain road in his truck. She glanced at the clock, 8:15. Right on time.
“Okay, Leo will be here in a minute,” Estelle told Adara. “Let’s make sure we’re ready.”
“Leo’s here! Hear that, Fizz? It’s time to go to the market!” Adara scrambled down from her chair and went to fetch her shoes.
Estelle set her mug down with unsteady hands and smoothed her sweater, checking her reflection quickly in the small mirror by the entryway. She’d chosen her plainest outfit, a simple gray sweater, jeans, and boots. Nothing memorable. Nothing that would draw the eye.
Is this what we’ve become?her dragon asked sadly.Someone who dresses to be forgotten?
Estelle ignored the question as she heard Leo’s warm greeting to Adara as he stepped inside the house. Taking a breath, she rounded the corner.
“Morning,” Leo said, his smile reaching his eyes as he took her in. “Ready for market day?”
No,Estelle thought, but she kept it to herself. It was too late to change her mind, and she didn’t want to dampen the mood.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said instead, forcing a smile.
Leo studied her face. “We can leave anytime. No questions asked. Just say the word. Kirk will take over my stall if you need me to bring you home.”
“Thank you,” she said, grateful that he had a contingency plan in place. “But I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“I’m ready!” Adara announced, proudly displaying Fizz tucked into the small backpack Estelle had helped her pack earlier.
Leo crouched down to her level. “That’s excellent. I’m going to need a special assistant today, and Fizz looks perfectly prepared.”
Adara beamed, and Estelle felt her resolve strengthen. This was why she was doing this, for that smile, for the chance to give Adara something normal.
The drive to the market was mercifully short. As they approached, Estelle could see other vendors beginning to set uptheir stalls. The early morning light cast long shadows across the town square, and the mountains rose beyond, solid and reassuring.
Not too many people yet,her dragon observed with relief.
“We’re some of the first here,” Leo explained as he parked. “Gives us time to get set up before it gets busy.”
He unloaded wooden crates of produce from his truck, gleaming tomatoes, bunches of herbs, leafy greens, and early summer squash. The colors were vivid against the weathered wood of his stall.
“What can I do?” Estelle asked, needing her hands occupied.
“Would you mind arranging these?” Leo handed her a crate of tomatoes. “However you think looks best. There’s no wrong way.”
The simple task helped steady her nerves. Estelle began placing the tomatoes in neat rows, their weight solid and reassuring in her hands.
Meanwhile, Leo had given Adara the important job of arranging herb bundles, which she took to with solemn concentration, Fizz supervising from her perch on the counter.
