Page 20 of One Night with Her Mountain Orc

“August? Yeah, she’s amazing. She—"

“No, the other one, dummy.”

“You can’t call me a dummy. You’re my boss. And yeah, May is okay. Recovering. Moved into the apartment next door. Away from asshat number one.”

Brann nods sagely. “You’ll be on call the day after the spring flower festival, so watch your alcohol intake. Now, you need to finish these training exercises so I can turn in my report.”

I snort, roll my eyes. “I’m always ready for the job.”

“And Bjorn? I have faith in you.”

Turning to walk out of his office, I wave a hand at him. I can’t let him see how those words impact me. My life has been spent as the screw-up of the family. No one has ever had faith in me except faith that I would screw up.

Today though? I have a fulfilling job with meaning that I love. And more importantly, I have a woman who loves me. A woman I would walk through fire for.

Chapter 14

August

“Alright, I’m here,”Koru spreads his arms wide inside the cozy bakery. From the outside, it might seem as if he were opening his massive arms for a hug from Bjorn and me. But now knowing him...knowing them, I know that would be a lie. Ravena’s crow caws in a welcome. Bjorn rolls his eyes at the bird which makes me snort a little.

“Glad you could made it,” Bjorn says, sarcasm dripping off every word. I stomp on his foot under the table. He breathes out hard and turns to smile at me. It’s a mischievous smile, one that makes the butterflies that now live in my stomach swoop for joy.

Ravena brings Koru his coffee without it being ordered. I guess this is one of those small town life perks: everyone knows what you’re going to order.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Koru. Welcome to the world outside the brewery!” Ravena’s eyes twinkle as she studies Koru’s face as he takes a sip. I’ve never met anyone so intent on making the perfect drink for every single patron.

“Thanks. This is good. What is it?”

“I’m so glad you like it! I picked it especially for you. Single-origin Kenyan coffee mixed with my proprietary blend of spices. Gives it a nice kick.” She winks at us all.

“Is mine the same?” Bjorn asks, holding out his cup as if Ravena is going to tell his fortune from his half-drunk milky coffee. His puppy dog eyes are adorable, like he can’t stand missing out on something his brother might get.

“Don’t be silly! You had my special hot cocoa, didn’t you?” She looks pointedly between us. We nod. “That was a once in a lifetime cup, if you know what I mean.” And with that, she skips off to help Betty, the librarian, with her order.

“Do you know what she means? Because I don’t” I whisper to Bjorn. He just shakes his head and takes another sip.

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