Before I can answer, Lorenzo speaks again. "How's the wedding planning going?"
The change of subject is obvious. I should let him have it. Instead, I laugh, a humorless sound. "Terribly."
Something in his expression softens. "That bad?"
"Yesterday there was a twenty-minute argument about flowers."
His eyebrows lift. "Twenty minutes?"
"Twenty-three to be exact"
"Jesus Christ."
Despite everything, I smile. "That was my reaction."
For the first time since he sat down, the tension eases. Only slightly, but it’s enough. Enough that it almost feels like the bookstore again.
Daithí returns a few minutes later, sliding back into the booth opposite me.
"Nobody dead?" I ask.
"Not today."
"Good."
He snorts and Lorenzo gets to his feet. I immediately feel disappointed. It's probably for the best, we've spent the last few weeks avoiding each other. Whatever this was, it was temporary. Lorenzo glances at me, and then he pauses. "Did you finish them?"
I blink. "Finish what?"
His expression is flat. "The eight books."
My heart does a stupid little flip, he remembered. Of all the things he could have remembered, he remembered the books. I try not to smile, but I fail. "Six."
One of his eyebrows lifts. "Only six?"
I gasp. "Only six?"
Daithí looks between us. "What the fuck are you two talking about?"
Neither of us answers him. Lorenzo's attention stays on me. "You've got two left."
"I've been busy."
"With flowers?"
I narrow my eyes. "Don't start."
The corner of his mouth twitches. "I'll expect a full report when you're finished."
I stare at him. "A report?"
"You were very passionate about dragons."
Daithí looks genuinely confused now. "Dragons?"
I point at Lorenzo. "See? This is why nobody likes you."
To my surprise, a quiet laugh escapes him. Gone almost as quickly as it appears, but it was there. For a second, I catch a glimpse of the man from the bookstore. The one I've been missing, but then he steps back, and the moment disappears. "I'll see you at the wedding."
