“It’s the korrigan magic,” she explained. “I don’t mind the cold and damp. Though the snow is a bit much. I’ll feel fine once this fire is going.”
It was beginning to catch now. The logs the dwarf had left were good and dry; they burned fast and clean.
“Hey,” said Julian. He clearly wanted her to look at him.
Slowly, Charlotte turned, keeping her eyes up at the ceiling.
Out of her peripheral vision, she could see he’d kept his trousers on, although he’d removed his boots and socks. She relaxed a little, but then tensed again when she saw the way the firelight lit the muscles on his chest, casting shadows beneath them that must have been making them look more impressive than they really were.
Because they really did look impressive.
“What are you doing up here anyway? Come to take my business?” He smiled, and it was equal parts adorable and infuriating.
“I came looking for you. Gwenla found the note you left, and we realized you were in trouble.”
“I thought that might have been the case. Well, you saved my life.” He hobbled closer to her, keeping the weight off his right foot. “Thank you.”
“We’re not saved yet,” she said, trying to ignore the blush climbing into her cheeks. “We still have to get off this mountain.”
“Tomorrow,” said Julian. “I’m sure it’ll be over by then. If we wait until the afternoon, it may be melted.”
“Are you mad? I can’t stay here tonight. I have the wedding cakes to bake tomorrow.”
“Are you mad? Have you seen it out there? The only way we’re getting back down there right now is on our arses. You don’t have a sled hidden under that hat, do you?”
Julian snatched the hat off Charlotte’s head, releasing her silver hair.
“Hey!” she cried, reaching for it back.
But Julian had overestimated his ability to maneuver with one foot. He lost his balance trying to keep the hat away, careening towards the open fire. Charlotte caught him and pulled him to her, but the shock of grabbing his bare chest knocked her off her balance, sending them both to the floor by the hearth.
“Oof! Get off of me, you big oaf!” she said, trying to push her way out from underneath him.
“Are you sure you want that?” he asked. He untangled his bad leg from beneath her but otherwise stayed put.
Charlotte’s head spun. She looked into his dark eyes. They were so dark and deep, she felt like she could drown in them.
“I don’t—”
She stopped herself. She didn’t know what she wanted to say. There was a part of her that didn’t want to say anything at all. That wanted to pull him to her and give into the feelings that had been lurking in the back of her mind since the moment she saw him again.
But she couldn’t. She pulled herself upright, and this time, he let her. “I’m still angry with you,” she said.
“I know,” said Julian. He sat across from her on the floor and crossed his legs as best as he could.
It brought her back to childhood again, back to the parlor of Weldan House, sitting together playing Five Stones on the floor, yelling and laughing until someone told them to be quiet.
“More than angry, I’m disappointed,” said Charlotte, forcing herself to remember that this wasn’t the same Julian. “I knowwhat I did must have hurt you. I didn’t expect you to forgive me right away or to forget what had happened. But I didn’t expect you to hurt me back. I hoped that with time, we could be the friends that we were once again. Or maybe something more, if I’m being honest.” If she was going to put it all out there, it might as well be all of it. “I don’t think what we’re asking for is unreasonable. I don’t want you to fail. Maybe in a few years once all the things Prince Idris is building are done, Herot’s Hollow will be big enough that we can have a dozen bakeries and plenty of business for all of them. But that’s not where we are, and it’s hurting us both to compete. Going it alone is hard, and I’m sorry that things have been so hard for you that you feel it’s your only choice. But it isn’t. You can be part of our community. We all need community sometimes. It’s not always easy, and sometimes the compromises make you wonder if it’s worth it. But then one day, you wake up and you find that you need help. Like I needed help from the korrigans. Like Mrs. Knox’s sister needed help when she left.”
Julian, who had been listening intently without interrupting, perked up at the mention of Mrs. Knox. “Mrs. Knox left?”
“She’s coming back,” said Charlotte defensively. “The bakery is staying open.”
“But you’re going to have to make the wedding cakes on your own. You need my help.”
Charlotte scoffed. “No, I don’t. I can manage—”
“You do. Admit it.”
