I shake my head, feeling my cheeks warm. "Just me." Please don't make me go into the full story.
"Sometimes, being an only child sounds divine," Brynna says wistfully. "There are four of us girls, plus Torgan, so the poor guy never had a chance."
"A chance at what?" Torgan shoots back, and both sisters just roll their eyes. I can't help my smile.
"Sounds like family gatherings were eventful, at least."
"You have no idea," Brynna says. "But that's orc life for you."
"Well, this event promises to have a beautiful bride," I say, and Ysolde beams proudly. This is one of my favorite things about my job — making the brides feel special. "I'll have this ready next week." I tap the sketch. "Can you come in next week at the same time for a fitting? It will take a couple of fittings to get it just right, but I think the end result will be stunning."
"As many as you need," Ysolde says, as we all get to our feet. "The wedding will be on the summer solstice, so as long as it's ready then."
I nod. "It will be."
"And I should bring Saskia here for her wedding dress," Brynna says. "She'd love it."
"Another in the family getting married?" I ask, surprised.
Ysolde indicates herself and Brynna. "Actually, three of us are." My throat tightens for a panicked moment before she nods to Brynna. "She's getting married as well."
So not Torgan. Why am I relieved? You idiot, Lissy.
"I'll come here next for my wedding. Hopefully without this brute." Brynna jabs her thumb behind her to indicate Torgan. "He's a mood killer."
"Only because your moods create trouble," Torgan says sulkily, and while the sisters laugh, I can tell that he's correct, at least some of the time. "What?"
"Nothing." Ysolde slides her arm into his. "Thank you for chaperoning us to Starling Vale, big brother. Hopefully, Ma can do it next time so you can go back to skinning a deer or whatever it is you savages do."
"I'm only savage when the occasion calls for it," Torgan says smoothly, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment, and it feels like he's trying to explain himself to me in that moment.
Why, I don't know, and I don't want to look too much into it.
"All right." Brynna links up with Torgan's other arm. "Come. Let's go before Pa starts to worry too much about his line of credit in the human realm."
The orcs depart, heading out into the afternoon sun with the chaos of Main Street beyond them. Starling Vale, for all its variety of inhabitants, seems to showcase the orc family as they stand head and shoulders above many of the villagers. stand in the doorway and watch them disappear into the crowd.
When I go back inside, the shop feels too quiet, so I start cleaning.
It's nighttime before there's another knock on the door, just before I close up my shop. I'm almost done cleaning and arranging, and I've just started preparing my workspace to begin Ysolde's dress from scratch in the morning. I've been so alone up to this point, I could almost convince myself that the orcs were a dream, if not for the sketch on my worktable and the deposit of two gold pieces for the dress.
I open the door, and a human male stands there, giving me a wide grin. It immediately feels wrong, like it's an imitation of how people genuinely smile. His dark hair is slicked back, and while he would be considered good-looking by any standard, I'm so tired, and my pain medicine from earlier is starting to wear off.
So charm is certainly the last thing affecting me right now. Especially fake charm.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Lisette Sunfell?" the man asks, his voice warm and chocolatey. Like he's practiced being this charming.
"I am." There is no way in hell I'm giving him my preferred name. "How can I help you?"
"This is a lovely shop you have here, Lisette." The man steps back and regards the storefront, completely ignoring my question.
"Thank you," I say slowly. "And it's Ms. Sunfell." That distance feels like something I need to establish and remind him of.
"Do you own this property, Miss Sunfell?"
I frown. Asshole. "It's Ms. Sunfell. And no. Why?"
