“Good for you, then,” he said, flashing me a dimpled smile that exposed his perfect set of white teeth.
“How about yours?
“Mine?”
“Your day, is it busy?”
“Oh, yes. A bit. Well, I’m the only stableman working the evening shift, so yeah, pretty busy.”
“Oh, I see.”
“You know, if you’d ever want to come by…it would be nice to have some good company around here. I’m always here till late. I could show you the rest of the horses.”
“Perhaps I might,” I replied, hiding the beginning of a flushed smile.
“I’m already looking forward to it.”
The four of us made our way back to Semuel’s stables.
I didn’t leave her side, constantly rubbing her flank. My grin couldn’t grow any wider.
“Looks like everyone’s in love with Browny,” Faern said, pointing out the fact that the three of us kept glancing her way with lovestruck eyes.
“Oh, we love Browny, all right,” I assured him. “Although, I’m not really fond of her name.”
“Yeah, I don’t like it either,” Faern agreed.
“I mean, yes, she’s brown, but she’s also the sweetest. I’d say she’s more of a Cinnamon kind of girl.”
Semuel chuckled. “Cinnamon, yeah, I like that one.”
Faern let out a small laugh. “So, votes on Cinnamon?”
The three of us raised our hands.
“Welcome to our little family, Cinnamon,” Semuel said as we made our way into his stable.
Family.
“Hey, Semuel,” Faern called. The impish tone itself was a warning that he was about to tease someone.
“Yeah,” Semuel replied, raising a brow.
“Did you notice the way Ismail was looking at Delia?” Faern drawled, making himself sound childish.
“Oof. How could I not? He practically drooled all over her,” Semuel continued, ending it with a chuckle.
“He did not!” I protested.
“Oh, and the way he came out running to take the buckets from her hands,” Faern pointed out.
“Oh, Delia, let me help you with those,” Semuel teased, mimicking Ismail’s deep voice.
“Oh, stop it! He’s just a kind person; he would’ve helped anyone,” I countered, trying to keep an impassive face.
What would they say if they found out that he invited me over and later said that he was looking forward to it?
“He could have, yes, but he only helped you,” Faern said.
