Page 15 of Till Orc Do Us Part
Liara’s gaze softens. “You’re not weak for wanting. You’re strong for staying focused.”
I swallow. “Doesn’t feel that way.”
She leans in, voice low. “Listen to me. The boardwalk will stand because of people like you. Not in spite of you. Don’t let some six-foot-eight orc in a suit shake that.”
I blink. “You got his height memorized?”
She winks. “Of course. I’m not blind.”
I laugh, breathless. “Gods, you’re impossible.”
She grins. “And you love me for it.”
I sip my coffee again, tension easing just a fraction. The warmth helps. So does her steady presence.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“Always.” Liara reaches across the table, squeezing my hand. “Now. One more thing.”
“What?”
She smirks. “If you do end up sleeping with him, I expectdetails.”
I groan, shoving her hand away. “Liara!”
She laughs, bright and unrepentant. “What? I’m invested.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you, my dear Rowan, are inso much trouble.”
She’s right.
And that scares me most of all.
The next day, the whispers start.
I hear them first at Vera’s bakery while picking up a loaf of honey oat—Mrs. Calhoun and Mr. Patel chatting over their morning coffees.
“Did you see him in the bookstore?” Mrs. Calhoun asks, voice pitched just loud enough to carry. “Bought poetry, they say.”
Mr. Patel snorts. “Or he’s spying.”
“Or flirting,” Vera chimes in, winking at me behind the counter. “That suit was tailoredverywell.”
I grip the loaf tighter, jaw clenched.
Later, at the post office, more of the same.
“Maybe he’s got a soft spot for single moms,” Nate, the part-time mail clerk, says with a grin.
I glare at him. “Maybe he’s scouting for weak spots.”
The grin fades. “Or that.”
By the time I make it back to the Gilded Page, my phone is buzzing with texts.
Liara:Told you. Town’s in heat.
