Page 38 of Minnie

Since Snow is visiting Zoe for the day and I don’t have to drop her off at home, we head straight for Amber’s. I keep an eye out for fiery pink magic connecting me to my maybe-mate, but the moment I pull the wagon inside Jewels Cafe, I realize I have much bigger things to worry about.

Amber’s face is beet red, her blonde hair’s pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she’s sobbing into a handful of tissues. Julian, Wes and Chase all have bags under their eyes, and look equally distraught.

A heavy feeling settles in my gut, but a wave of calm courses through me. “What’s wrong?” I ask casually. “Is it the babies?” And then, as if I don’t already sound like I don’t give a damn, I add, “Hi, Julian. I love your shirt.”

Just kill me now.

Amber starts to cry harder. “The babies,” she says between sobs, “are fine.”

“Minnie, why is ’Bear doing that?” Natty asks, eyes wide.

I lean down and ruffle Natty’s hair. “Sometimes, grown-ups cry when they’re sad.”

Natty seems to think that over. “Does she have ouchy?”

Amber lets out another sob. “It’s just pregnancy”—sob—”hormones”—sob.

Wes pulls Amber into his arms and rests his chin on top of her head. “Not a Vampire broke up,” he adds, even though I already know.

And, with all my other problems, somehow forgot all about. Some friend I am.

“Minnie,” Natty raises his voice.

Wes raises his voice too, to be heard over Natty. “Amber’s been like this since she found out.”

“Ouchy,” Natty yells. “Does ’Bear have ouchy?”

“No, she’s fine,” I tell him. On the outside, anyway. Which makes me hate Damien Starr even more.

Not only did Damien hurt me, but now he’s hurt one of the nicest people in Silver Springs. And probably all because he thinks he’s better than everyone else—again—and decided to start a solo career. As if it wasn’t enough for him to abandon me the moment he realized I was just holding him back. Now he’s doing it to his band, and his superfans, like Amber.

I wish I knew where to find the jerk so I could tell him exactly what I think of him.

“It doesn’t help that none of us got any sleep,” Chase adds. “Latte kept howling all night.”

“It’s my fault,” Amber sobs.

“Of course not,” Chase says. “He probably just needs a few days to get used to his new home.”

Wes nods. “And he’s sleeping now. That’s a good sign.”

Amber lets out another sob, and Chase plants a kiss on top of her head. “I bet he’ll be fine by tonight.”

Julian nods in agreement. He exchanges a look with the other two men, and then gestures with his chin toward the stairs.

Wes raises an eyebrow.

Chase frowns.

I wonder if he’s trying to say they should go get Latte—or if he’s got news about Tiptoe—when Julian groans and turns to me. “Minnie, do you think you could watch the cafe while we take Amber upstairs?”

Oh. I bat my eyelashes at him. “For you, Julian, anything.”

He shoots a pointed look at the other guys, as if to tell them,’this is why I wanted you to say something, not me.’ Not that I blame him.

Wes scoops up a still sobbing Amber. “I think this calls for ice cream, and lots of it.”

She nods against his shoulder and Natty claps. “Ice cream!”