Page 27 of Trick Knot Treat

And he and Clint just need someone to break through the wall of whatever is holding them back.

Mission. Accepted.

Dad is going to be so mad at me. The thought just makes me giggle.

“So, I need you to promise me that you won’t hurt him, Jace. He’s not like Asher or Sebastian. Felix is not even like Sofia, he’s much more sensitive and…he’s just deeper. He feels it more. You’re a good egg, Jace. I know I can trust you to take care of him.”

Jace stares at her for so long I think he’s going to turn her down, but then he smiles. “Of course.”

“Excellent.”

I listen to them talk with one ear while I run my gaze down the list of pictures she wants on the rocks. Hearts, presents, tinsel, baubles, lifebuoys. Dolphins. Seagulls. Danger. Gale. I frown.

“Lifebuoys?” I purse my lips. “Aren’t these all the animals that live here?”

“Well, yes, but it’s cute, and I have this idea.” She shuts her mouth with a snap and looks at Jace. “Out. You can’t hear any secrets.”

“I’m a police officer, I can keep secrets.”

She narrows her eyes. “I want you not to tell Clint.”

Jace’s cheeks turn pink. He grabs the back of his neck. “Oh, well, um…”

“Exactly. Leave. Now.”

Jace laughs and steps back, but as soon as Lorelei turns away from him, he winks at me. I giggle as he crosses his eyes and then turns and rushes out, avoiding the glare of Omega Sol herself.

“Rotten child.”

She turns back to the stones. “I want to bring them all back, all the pairings, for a special day.”

“Okay,” I say.

“That’s why we need more. Plus…” She stares at me and presses her lips together before she leans forward and whispers. “I’ve got a plan to make this bigger and better than ever before.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. It’s going to be amazing. You should consider staying.”

I cringe at the image of the catastrophe that would unfurl if I did so. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Shame. Okay, let’s discuss. Are there any designs on here that won’t work?”

I look at the list. “Tinsel won’t translate well. And I’m not sure what you mean by lifebuoy.”

She shuffles closer, her scent easing my stress.

I walk out of there two hours later with a stomach full of secret recipe hot chocolate, which they should bottle and sell on street corners like the crack it is, and biscuits made by Elijah that melted in your mouth like clouds.

Instead of heading home, I head down the street, looking at all the olive green of the gum leaves and the green grass that will soon turn yellow. It only takes a few minutes to get to Main Street. I walk past the pub, and the Sandy Heart café, and the chip shop. Where other people who live here wave, I don’t. I tug my cap down over my eyes, hiding my face, and keep walking until I get to the beach, where I trip down the stairs. Sully is perched on the rails, holding court with a magpie.

As soon as I hit the sand, I toe off my converse and snatch them up, sinking into the warm sand as I walk towards the water.

I’m unlikely to find stones down this end of the beach, but I might find a couple.

“Heads up!”

I duck without thought, twisting, as a football goes flying past my head. It just missed me. Several kids shout apologies while they race after the ball, but a large figure stops beside me, leaving me entirely in shadow.