“Thank you,” I repeated, suddenly nervous about the two of them meeting. I knew what Nancy would tell Ladon, but it was Ladon’s reaction that I worried about. I wanted him in Cloudhaven with me so badly, and I hoped this would be the tipping point that convinced him.
“See something you like?” I asked Kirin, as he colored the kid’s menu that had been left with a cup of crayons.
“Chicken nuggets,” he yelled with a strained voice.
“Of course.” Ladon glanced up from his menu on the other side of his son. “It’s a good thing that’s on the menu. Did you want apple slices or carrots and cucumbers with it?”
When he wrinkled his nose, I knew I had to help. “Hey, I love carrots. They help me see at night. A very important skill for firefighters if you still want to be one.”
He glanced up at me, squinting as he stared into my eyes. “You can really see in the dark?”
I nodded. “It’s the carrots.” Or maybe just genetics, but I thought I would pass on the fallacy my parents always told me.
With a huff, he went back to coloring. “Okay, I’ll get carrots. But just carrots.”
“Blazy, you’re here!”
I glanced up and saw Nancy in her gray dress with a white apron, holding her notepad and pen.
“Hi, Nancy, yes—”
“And you must be Ladon and Kirin,” she said before I could introduce them. “Blaze has told me so much about you both. I’m Nancy.”
Kirin looked up from his coloring for a moment and waved while Ladon leaned back in his seat with a blank expression.
“Um, nice to meet you. I didn’t realize Blaze talked about us that much.”
Nancy smiled with a wave of her hand. “Of course he does. He recognizes when Fate has worked in his favor. And he listens to his dragon.”
I kept my mouth shut as Nancy shared her wisdom. I didn’t always listen to my dragon, but I’m not sure I would have met Ladon when I did if I hadn’t first been burned by Dennis.
“He mentioned you work at a day care.”
Ladon nodded. “For now.”
Nancy lowered her pad and pen. “Well, my wife is on the schoolboard for the township, and I know they are hiring for multiple positions. The new high school is opening in the fall, and they’re keeping the current school as an elementary school. Some of the staff are moving to the new one, but there are going to be a lot of spaces to fill. You should send in your résumé.”
Chewing his bottom lip, Ladon nodded. “Okay, I will.”
Nancy handed him a business card. “Here’s her email. I’ll tell her to expect something from you.”
Taking the card, Ladon twitched his lips in a smile. “Thank you.”
“Now, are y’all ready to order?” Nancy got her pen and paper ready again.
“Chicken nuggets!” Kirin set his fists on the table with a crayon in each hand. “And carrots. Just carrots, no cucumbers.”
Nancy chuckled. “I’m sure we can arrange that.”
After Ladon and I ordered, and Nancy had left for the kitchen, he turned to me. “You arranged all this. The house. Meeting her. It all feels too perfect. Like a dream that I’m going to wake up from and realize it wasn’t real.”
“It’s all real.” I reached in front of Kirin to hold Ladon’s hand. “I want you here with me. Both of you. I wantyouto be my mate.”
He gulped as a tear slid down his cheek. “I have no reason to say no, but I’m so scared. I’ve dreamed of the life you’re offering for so long, but this all seems too good to be true.”
“What do you think, Kirin? Would you like to live here with me? You and your dad?”
“Yes!” The boy twisted in his seat and stared out the window behind our booth. “I always wanted a backyard. And the school here isn’t as big and scary as the other one.”
