“It’s Ali: he’s an astronaut riding a spaceship.” She’d lost another tooth last week, and she still had a noticeable lisp on her “s”s.
“I thought astronauts were supposed to take off inside the rocket.”
“He prefers to ride it this way,” she explained.
“Of course he does. It’s beautiful.” And obscene.
It looked like a giant cock.
“Do you think Ali will like it?” Her eyes were wide, hopeful, made even bluer by her thick lenses. I gave her glasses a nudge back up her nose.
“Umm—” The ding of the door gave me a short reprieve. I turned to see Callum Macabe ducking inside He paused just inside the threshold, stamping his wet boots and brushing rain droplets from his hair as he took in the empty tables. He winced. “How’s Jess taking it?”
I drifted back behind the counter. “I sent her home or else she’d be in police custody right now, facing battery and assault charges.”
“Better than I expected, then.”
I offered a tired smile. “What can I get you? Please say everything in the shop.”
He looked tempted but shook his head. “Even my waistline can’t handle that many cookies.” He ordered two coffees and two sandwiches, set the cash on the counter, then went over to Teddy’s table.
“Creating a masterpiece?” he asked, hands on his hips.
“Yep.” She slipped her headphones around her neck, then went back to colouring. “I’m exhausted. I had to get out of bed when I didn’t even want to, and then I’ve been drawing all day. Look at my fingers.” She held them up, displaying the coloured ink splotches like battle wounds.
“Sounds rough,” he deadpanned. “Is the giant slab of cake helping?”
“Only a little. Drawing is hard work, y’know.”
“No argument from me.” He leaned closer. “Is that—”
“Spaceship,” I cut in.
“A pink one,” Teddy confirmed. “And that’s Ali riding it.”
“Ah, my mistake.” Callum’s eyes flicked to me as we both swallowed our laughs.
I dropped his stare as Teddy explained, “I made it this small because it’s easier to ride.”
I bit my lip and Callum coughed, appearing delighted before he said, “Must be universal, Juniper said the exact same thing last night.”
I lost my hold on it, and a cackle tore free, right as a dark head popped around the door. “Why are my ears burning?” Juniper. Her stunning features set into a knowing look. I hadn’t even noticed the bell ring.
Callum grinned, obviously having seen her coming. “Sounds like a medical condition in need of thorough examination, harpy. I hope it’s not catching?”
“I missed you too.” She tipped her head up for a kiss, a small smile playing on her lips. Small in circumference but big in magnitude, because when he pulled away, Callum’s eyes sparked, like his entire world lived along that curve.
As they separated, she looked from Teddy to me. “Hey guys. I love your cardigan, Isla.”
“Oh, thank you.” I felt my cheeks heat as I glanced down at the patchwork of colours, flustered.
Juniper was exactly who I wanted to be when I grew up. A straight shooter, stunning but with a sharp edge. She carried herself with a confidence I wouldn’t achieve even if I lived for a thousand years. It wasn’t difficult to see why two Macabe brothers had become enamoured with her. Why Alistair had been jealous enough to punch his brother in the face last year when he’d discovered they were together.
Now we were supposed to make the people of Kinleith believe Alistair was datingme? No one was ever going to buy it.
Teddy chose that moment to pipe up. “She made it herself.”
All eyes turned my way. “Really? That’s so cool,” Juniper said.
