Ink & Snow (Clair de la Lune #1)

9. Chapter Nine

I left the hiking store feeling toasty. My feet were warm, my legs were warm, and no chill could reach me in my new coat. The triplets had forced me to put on the black hat with the white snowflakes on it that I’d bought at their insistence, but to be honest, the thing was warm, and it felt nice wearing it.

It was already getting to be darkish outside, but the park was lit up, sparkled, and the snowflakes that fell glimmered like tiny crystals in the lights that had been set up all over.

I knew I should be getting back to my table, but Cherry needed to be fed. And likely as not, she’d want cuddles, that tiny needy devil cat.

I circled around the park and unlocked my store, flipping on the lights for the quick trip upstairs. Well, quick if Cherry let me make it so.

I’d just gotten her fed and back in her moving box where she promptly went into a food coma when I heard the noise from downstairs.

“Soyer!” someone shouted in a gravelly voice, followed by vigorous coughing. “Soyer, you there?”

Feet hit the stairs, and I stood to face the door, wondering whether maybe Abusive Nick had a buddy.

The door flew open, and there, pink pom pom askew and panting like he’d run a marathon, was Amory. He saw me, coughed. His pallor was even more oatmeal than he normally was.

“You look like shit,” I told him.

“Rosa said—are you okay? They said fucking Nick hit you before Dwayne could tase him and drag him off. They said he called you the f-word and you just ran. Garnet sold all your wreaths, and he’s been taking notes of who all sends you their well wishes. Jenny was in tears. Are you okay ?” he asked again before breaking out in a coughing fit. His voice sounded like he was an eighty-year-old chain smoker.

I sighed, walked toward him, and went for the zipper of his jacket. It slid down easily.

“Go sit on the couch. I’ll make you some tea. Did no one tell you that you are sick and should be resting?”

“But I came to see you. Well, to wish you luck with selling the wreaths. And then people told me what happened and—” He gasped.

I had to peel his jacket off, the ugly hat as well, had to drag him bodily to the couch and pull him down with me.

“Firstly, he didn’t hit me. I didn’t give him the chance. Secondly, I was cold and finally took everyone’s advice to go see the triplets. That’s where I was.”

“Oh,” Amory said, some of the tension going out of him. “Oh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. It’s the kind of weather I warn people with piercings about, you know.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “No, I most certainly don’t. Is chamomile and sage okay? I think I actually have some honey as well.”

“You don’t have to make me tea. I came to check on you.”

Fuck, but he was adorable. My no longer half-frozen dick gave an appreciative twitch.

“And you did, Amory, and found me fine. But as I said, you look like shit. So relax and let me take care of you, hmm?”

He looked at me with glassy eyes. “Okay. I like honey.”

I nodded and headed to the kitchen.

When I came back, a nice big mug of honeyed tea in my hand, Amory had taken off his shoes and stretched out on my couch.

“Sorry, I can—”

“Stay where you are. I don’t know why the fuck you left your house and came out into that fucking snowstorm out there, but I’m not letting you move for the foreseeable future.”

He smiled up at me, his lips dry and threatening to chap. “You’re so bossy.”

“You have no fucking idea.” I handed him the tea. “You want to spend the night?”

“I, uh, I mean, like…for sex you mean?”

I crossed my arms. “No. For my own peace of mind. Because again, you look like—”

“Yeah, I got it. You’ll give me issues if you keep saying that.”

“Get better. I’ll tell you how hot you look once you’re better.”

He licked his dry lips. “Do you promise?”

“Sure.” I gave the tea a pointed look, and feverish though he was, he got the message and sipped some.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

He coughed, looked off to the fireplace I’d readied to heat the room later. “Is this real? I’ve been thinking and… Is this real?”

I crouched on the edge of the couch, but he moved his legs to give me more room. “Is what real?”

He moved his bandaged hand back and forth between us. “This.”

“I’d say if you’re not sure about that, you have more than a simple cold.”

“No,” Amory said. “That’s not what I mean. I think I like you, and you are just so…so nice. Do you have a husband somewhere? Or a wife?”

Leave it to the high-maintenance one-night-stand-that-never-was to dig at just the right scab. I considered bullshitting him—being creative with the truth, as I’d always called it with clients. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that any more than I could have kicked Cherry out of my bed.

I said, “I’m not married and never was. I have an ex though. I’d say we were in a pretty serious relationship, but he’s an asshole. It took me a while to realize that—anyway. There’s nothing there anymore.”

“Ah,” Amory said, face falling. “You’re getting over him. With me.”

Fuckfuckfuck . “No, and stop.” He was trying to get up, but I gently put a hand on his chest. “Let me finish. When I first saw you, yes. The idea of a night of fun was floated. By me. I mentioned that.” I took a deep breath. “But then you asked me to go on a Christmas date with you, and I said yes. If I’d just wanted to get you to sleep with me, I wouldn’t have done that. I’m not that much of an asshole.”

“But you’re all, you know. Fancy. And you look like you have your life together. You don’t live with your mother, stepfather, and sister. I started thinking I’d have to finally cave and go to the Silken Chains if I ever wanted to, uh, get laid, as it were. With more than a hand.”

He flushed wildly. Well, I had not expected that. “To think a man as well traveled as you are saved himself for me.” That gave me his attention, and an adorable look full of insecurity I ached to wipe away. “How about this: It’s about four weeks until our Christmas date. Will you allow me to prove myself until then? Let me convince you my intentions toward you have changed since the first time we met.”

He smiled. “There you go again. You totally sound fancy.”

“Fancy enough to convince you to get some more rest, finish that tea, and watch the kitten while I head out and collect my table and hopefully all the cash Garnet has collected for me?”

Amory took his time answering. I watched his jaw work as he thought it over.

“Okay. I’ll wait here,” he finally said.

Back outside, I had a chance to really appreciate my new clothes in silence for all of two minutes. Then they descended. The townies, all of them, clapped me on the shoulder to welcome me and express how vile it was for Nick to have attacked me, both verbally and physically.

People introduced themselves, but I quickly lost track. Ella was standing by the Moonlight coffee cart, a massive cream-topped peppermint latte in her hand. She offered me a fist bump, which I accepted with only minor reluctance.

“I sold your entire mistletoe stash,” a beaming Garnet informed me, taking out his phone. “And I took orders from people as well. Lynn wants one with a couple of red bows, and Mary asks if you do fully decorated ones. She left her phone number. Rosa—”

“Can you send me an email with all that info?” I asked.

Garnet looked from the screen at me. “Sure.”

I gave him my new business email, and he sent off his notes.

“That worked out?” Simeon asked, looking over while making a drink. A line had formed for his warm beverages and delectable sweets.

“Yes. And I apologize. He’s your employee.”

Simeon topped the drink he was making with cream and crushed candy canes. “Don’t mention it. Consider it the Moonlight’s appreciation for an ass well-kicked. But, Garnet, if you two’re done, I do need you back here.”

“All righty. Back to foam and ice.” Garnet sashayed off to greet the next customer in the Moonlight’s line.

“Oh, hey.” Simeon beckoned me over so we could talk a little out of the way of prying ears.

“Yes?”

“First of all, he didn’t hit you, I saw that, but are you really okay?” The concern I saw in his blue eyes was genuine.

“I am. It’s not the worst I ever had to deal with.”

He snorted. “I guessed. Did you mean what you said, about wanting to press charges?”

I thought back to Laura, her little body hiding behind the snowman, to the snot-nosed kid standing up for their friend. To Jenny who had lived through fuck knew what hell.

“Yes.”

Simeon gave me a piercing look. “That’s all, a simple yes?”

“It was a yes or no question.”

“Ha. Not many would see it that way. If you need a lawyer, I know someone.”

At this, I couldn’t keep a very gleeful grin from creeping over my face. “No need. I have a shark. She’ll love this.”

“Okay. Tell her I recorded the encounter. And I’d happily appear as a witness.”

Huh. “Really?”

“Fuck, yes. She moved here to be safe, and he came after her, can you believe that?”

“Absolutely. That type can’t lose their hostages. How else would they feel superior?”

After nearly thirty seconds, Simeon said, “Soyer Bennet, welcome to Clair de la Lune. We take care of our own here.”

I snorted laughter. “Shit. I really did join a cult, didn’t I?”

“Kind of. Which reminds me, Elias will come by sometime next week to beg you to do some decorating at Silken Chains . He dispersed some drama when he couldn’t buy a wreath from you personally. It’s possible he coerced people to buy you out so he could use that as an excuse.”

“Fucking elaborate.”

Simeon ran a hand over his beard. “Oh, you have no idea.”

On my way back, more people wanted to introduce themselves or simply tell me how brave they thought I was. I was forced to stop on several occasions, and in doing so, I got to look around and appreciate the scene.

Truly, the park had been turned into a pretty golden holiday gem, lights and music blending to make magic. It would have been a wonderful place, a wonderful night to walk with Amory again, to offer him the pocket of my new coat to warm his hand.

But he was not here. I extracted myself from the people as quickly as I could, crossed the street, and closed the flower shop’s door behind me. I flipped the lock too, not wanting to be disturbed.

I’d left bouquets out, intending to maybe take some of the hardier ones out to sell, but the day was done for me. I moved everything back to the cold room before heading upstairs.

There, sleeping peacefully, I found Amory, Cherry curled into a tiny ball next to his head.

I knew then. I wanted him, and I’d stop at nothing to get him. No, not get him. I was done with forcing outcomes, with designing them, with squishing anything and everything that might prevent them. Amory would give himself to me because he wanted to. And if he didn’t, the failure would be mine, and I’d accept it.

I walked to the couch and kneeled there.

“I’ll court you, Amory. And if I get to be very lucky, you’ll let me and accept me in the end.”

He didn’t stir. Thank fuck, because if he’d overheard that, the awkwardness might have given me hives.

I watched him with the kitten for a couple of minutes, then I went to my bedroom and got the comforter to put over them both. It wasn’t how I’d imagined him spending the night would go, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

You have reached the end of Clair de la Lune Book One.