Page 57 of Trick Knot Treat

“They?”

“What? Oh, Jace.”

“No, you said they.”

I am so glad he can’t see my face burning right now. “Well, my one-sided crushes on people are getting a bit tiresome.”

“Hmm.”

“You are not who we thought you were.”

“Did anyone stop to try to find out?” Zaire asks in a flat voice, like the answer is a fact he’s both used to and expecting.

I open my mouth and then close it because I can’t think of a single person besides Khione who has tried to speak to him. I am not so biased like the Sol family, I know Asher took an instant dislike to him and was rude.

“I’m sorry,” I say, regretting my selfishness.

“It’s okay. I know I look scary. My brothers, the ones at the station, used to call me Stone. They said I was so cold and hard I could put out fires with my personality. Key has made me soft.”

My mind boggles at the thought that he’s soft. He’s absolutely not.

“What happened to you?”

He hesitates. “Can we have that conversation when we know each other better?”

I blink, shocked at his soft and polite request. “Of course. Can I show you my project? I’m not ready to go back in yet, but I’d appreciate the company.”

He follows me into the shed, and I show him the ocean-themed stained glass that will be inset into the front door that I’m making.

“I get restless. So, I get this laser focus on a task for weeks or months. I master it to a level that I’m comfortable with, and then I lose interest. Currently, it’s stained glass.”

“It’s beautiful,” he says and reaches out, running his fingers over it.

I think he means it. I don’t know why that means so much to me. Perhaps because since Jace starting keeping his distance, I haven’t had anyone to show. Holly has been getting frustrated with my projects. Especially since the idea of moving out and away from Sunshine Cove became her obsession.

I elbow him playfully. “I’m going to be dragging you out here to help me now.”

“I’d like that,” Zaire says, dragging his fingers over the glass. “Can you teach me how to do this?”

WHAT?

“Um, sure. I mean, that’d be so much fun.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Felix shouts.

It’s such a strange and Lorelei thing to do that I burst out laughing. Maybe there’s a lot of things about each other that we don’t know.

“Come on, this will be here tomorrow. Do you enjoy carving wood?” I ask as we make our way back to the house.

“I don’t know.”

“Want to try it?”

Zaire thinks for a long moment, then nods. “Yes, yes, I do.”

I beam and jog up the steps, shoving the door open and holding it for him.

“Spectre!” I call before he can.