“Shut up and finish your tea. I need help putting the window display together.”
Moira laughed and winked.
With her, I always knew where I stood. She was the best friend a girl could have.
Even if she was the kind of friend who suggested doing butt stuff.
Chapter
Four
The next morning proved overcast and cooler than normal. I had several things I needed to do to get the shop ready to open, but today was a perfect day to curl up beside the fire and read. Doing that sounded way better than going into the store.
Maybe I could go in and work half the day, then spend the rest of the day rotting on the couch. I shrugged on my heavy cashmere cardigan and took my coffee to the backyard. Squirrels chased each other through the trees, shaking spring blossoms from the limbs, sending them floating down into a shower of fragrant color.
There was no yard here at the cottage, only Rowan’s expansive land as far as the eye could see. My claim would remain for as long as it took for the spell to diminish, something Moira and I were working on. When Tess and Moira burst into the Lord’s meeting, Moira never got the chance to tell me the origins of the spell, something she found out when she made a brief return to Joy Springs.
Everyone was too distracted with the screaming banshee to worry about where the spell came from, but when we returned to Emberwood, Moira told us she was almost positive the spellcame from Joy Springs. Someone there had started the entire thing, more than likely working with one of the many gods and goddesses who enjoyed trying to screw up my life.
We were relatively positive Caelan had nothing to do with it since both he and his land had become infected, but we weren’t ruling anything out.
The sound of soft footsteps revealed Rowan coming around the corner, holding his own coffee. His eyes crinkled at the edges.
“You’re up early.” He took the seat beside me, the scent of pine and wild things following him. Rowan dressed more casually here than when he was with the Lords, preferring jeans and pullover sweaters or athletic wear when he was indoors. His shaggy brown hair was in worse disarray than usual, but his hazel eyes sparkled. This morning, his green pullover was—I reached over and drew the material into my fingers, rubbing them together—a blend of cashmere and silk. Nice.
Rowan chuckled. “Does it please Your Highness?”
“Very much so.” I eyed him. “Do they make them for women? I’ve tried to find the cashmere silk blends and strike out a lot. Thrifting isn’t what it used to be.”
Rowan shook his head, amusement tipping his lips up. “Even with my new wardrobe of all natural fibers, you still make me feel like an environmental wretch sometimes.”
“Every little bit matters. I like the thrill of the hunt. If I really want something and can’t find something comparable at the thrift store, I’ll purchase new. But things like cashmere and wool are usually plentiful in the secondhand market.” I eyed his pullover. “I might make an exception for that, though.”
“I’ll text you the name of the shop later.”
“Thanks.” We sipped our coffee in silence for a little while. I liked sitting with him like this. He had a steadiness that was uniquely Rowan. The Lord lived in the moment, especially inthe morning. There was nothing out there so stressful that he couldn’t sit down and have a cup of coffee. Most mornings, he drank that coffee with me.
“Are you heading into the shop this morning?”
I stretched my legs in front of me and wiggled my sock-clad toes. “I need to, but it’s such a wonderful, overcast day that lazing in front of the fire sounds amazing, too.”
Rowan grinned. “Bears like to laze, you know.”
“I know one bear who’s far too attached to that spot in front of his fireplace.”
“No regrets,” Rowan said. “It’s warm and cozy.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You could join me there sometime, if you wanted.”
“Hmm. Have you ever tried the spot in the cottage?”
Rowan tilted his head and thought about it. “Can’t say I have, but there’s no cozy rug in there to lie on.”
I snorted. “Says who? You haven’t been inside in a while.”
His eyebrows lifted. “If there’s a cozy rug one grizzly bear can avail himself of, he would be happy to give another fireplace a try.”
“Good. How about we meet for lunch here at one?”
“Done. I’ll have Hope move some meetings around.”
