Page 74 of Dream Weaver

“To…uh…” His eyes twinkled, but he held back whatever he’d meant to say.

To hell with the red list,my gut said.To big guys with big hearts and a soft touch.

To us,Cooper’s eyes said.

Outside, cicadas chirped, and the stars shone bright.

“To living big,” I whispered at last.

He touched his glass to mine, making it ring. The sound hung in the night, as clear and pure as the desert air. Our eyes met, and seconds ticked by. Then Cooper reached for his fork.

“Well, dig in, I guess.”

Amen, the never-sated corner of my mind said, and I did.

Dinner was delicious, and Cooper was gracious enough not to comment that I gulped my food down like a starved wolf. But, hey. He shoveled his down pretty quickly too.

I pictured a big family around a big dining table, and for once, I wasn’t jealous. Just glad Cooper had gotten that.

Then I thought of his brother, and my heart ached.

My eyes darted to my workbench and the almost-finished ax. My fingers twitched, and I burned to run over and release that burst of magic — or determination, or whatever it was — into the ax.

Instead, I took a deep breath, trying to capture the feeling. I couldn’t count on luck to forge “lucky” axes. I had to learn to control and apply my own magic reliably, as my stepfathers had once advised. At the time, I’d refused to listen. But when I thought about what good magic could achieve when applied carefully…

I dragged my mind back to the present. The Cactus & Curry guy was right. Life was short, and I had to live big. That meant enjoying every moment of fine dining under the stars.

And enjoy, I did. More than I’d enjoyed anything in a long, long time. I savored every bite of sweet mango sauce over chicken and rice. I laughed at the stories Cooper shared long after we leaned away from our empty plates.

The candle closest to Cooper flickered, highlighting his lips. The next time it flickered, it illuminated his eyes. They glowed brighter than ever, a sure sign of his shifter side.

A side I yearned to meet, because that was part of him too.

“Oh! Look!” Cooper pointed to the stars.

A shooting star flashed across the sky, and we jumped to our feet.

“There — another one!” I said, standing just outside the shop doors. “Quick. Make a wish.”

I thought for a moment, then decided not to make one. Enough wishes had come true for me, and asking for more might be asking too much.

I glanced at Cooper, wondering what his wish was.

Oops. He was looking at me, his eyes glowing ultra bright.

And, oh. We’d ended up standing pretty close. Nice and close, actually.

“Such a clear night,” I murmured, just to have something to say.

He nodded absently. “Beautiful.”

The big wall clock behind him ticked, telling me it was getting late. But for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have anyone to rush home to. On the contrary, I had good company right here. Someone I was tempted to stay with.

Very, very tempted.

So tempted, I slid a little closer. And closer…

The candles ought to have been burning low by then, but they flared high and bright, waving like so many flags.

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