Page 7 of Charming the Dragon
Nathan pulled out one suitcase and then the other. Hayley rushed over to grab her handbag and computer satchel. “I can come back for the rest later.”
“Oh, it’s going to take another trip. But don’t worry, I’ll get them. My mum would never forgive me if I didn’t offer to help.”
She studied him. The dragonman was close to her in age, if not a little older. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Do you still live with your parents?”
He paused, turned, and she noticed his flashing pupils.
Before she could make another faux pas—such as ask what his inner beast was saying—he grunted and replied, “No. But you’re staying with them, so I was volunteered to help.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He shut the door. “Now, follow me.”
Even though Nathan had a bag slung across his body and a giant suitcase in each hand, he walked as if he carried nothing but feathers.
Hayley struggled to keep up with his long strides. “So, is there anything I can do to get your parents to like me?”
“Don’t be a demanding houseguest, and you’ll be fine.”
She pushed her glasses up her nose. “That’s not really much to go on, you know.”
“Maybe. But it’s enough.”
He fell silent, and Hayley tried to keep quiet. She really did.
But there was so much she didn’t know about Stonefire, and Hayley didn’t like being kept in the dark. “I’ve done as much reading as I can about dragon family life. However, even with Jane Hartley’s video series, there’s still so much I don’t know. For example, I wanted to bring a present, but I didn’t know what would be good. Dragons don’t drink a lot of alcohol—for good reason, because you don’t want a drunk, out-of-control dragon flying around—so I didn’t buy wine. I do have some nice chocolates. Well, some. I ate a lot of them on the way here out of nervousness. And then I thought maybe some flowers. But I packed so much and didn’t have the room. Maybe I can make them dinner. Or, er, dessert. I’m rubbish with meals but great with baking. Yes, maybe I’ll do that.”
Silence fell again, and Hayley eyed the dragonman.
However, before she started rambling again, he said, “Biscuits or cakes would be good. Mention you can bake, and you’ll get a lot of requests.”
She sighed in relief. “Oh, good. Then I’ll bake whenever I can. I know my task here will be time-consuming, but still, everyone needs a break once in a while, right?”
He shrugged but didn’t say anything else. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. The last thing she needed was to annoy the son of the people she was staying with.
Except after another few minutes of stealing glances, she figured asking about their work together should be safe. After all, if it took this much effort to get Nathan to say a few words, their conversation could take a while.
“Bram mentioned you’d be helping me. When will we start looking for the records?”
“That depends on how much time you need to get settled.”
“Not much. I’m not one of those people who needs to unpack everything first. I probably won’t unpack most of it, if I’m honest.”
He looked at her askance. “You don’t say?”
She narrowed her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “If tidiness and orderliness were important to you, then you would’ve used a napkin or changed your clothes.”
Hayley self-consciously brushed the stain on her shirt. “I was running late.”
“Because of your packing?”
“No. Because I was visiting my sister to make sure she’s recovering as she should be.”
Nathan stopped walking and turned toward her. “And is she?”
The concern in his eyes made her blink. “Um, yes. She’s stronger and the doctors think she’ll regain normal kidney function, thanks to the dragon’s blood.”
