Page 33 of Bargains with Benefits
Iwas feeling too comfortable. This meal with Luna was too easy to fall into. I could almost imagine we were on a first date, following our cute meeting in the moat outside Parkview Tavern.
Almost.
She spoke of her job at the tavern, of her friends and their favorite regulars. The owner, Seraphina, had all but required her to try to save the inn, even if it put her in a tough spot with their customers. I couldn’t think of anyone who would put my needs above their own in such a way. Skye, I guess, but I wasn’t sure my sister counted.
I learned Luna baked regularly. She had an addiction to bread and dough that had to be fed every day. It didn’t make sense to me, but her passion for it made me wish I had something to add to the conversation. I told her my favorite way to start the day was a walk in the park. Her head tilted slightly when I said as much, but she didn’t press on the fact that thepark wasn’t exactly close enough to Andiveron House for an easy morning stroll.
It was too easy to be myself with her.
I shared how, for the weeks approaching Long Night, I loved going back to the park in the evenings to watch the stars, waiting for the last full moon of the year. She liked that, her smile lighting up her face. I’d known she would. She said she watched the sky regularly from the inn’s private beach.
She was trying to distance us this evening, first by having us meet at the tavern and then with our discussion of the bargain. I knew her decision was wise, but I found myself wishing to ignore it. I’d been content when we seemingly broke past the guard posts she’d put in place.
I could tell she was about to ask me something I wouldn’t like. We’d covered as many surface-level topics as possible, and it was companionable, but I could admit I also wanted to know more about her.
“What do you do for Long Night? Does your family or another wind fae family host a party?”
There it was. We were back, circling topics I’d rather not.
“My parents host a party.” It was hardly a secret. The secret was that I hadn’t attended in years. Everyone still thought I did, but it was easy enough with the crowd of old fae there to assume they missed me. “I think there is one prominent family for each court in the city that hosts something. Those at Compass Lake might be breaking down barriers between the courts, but I believe they are still very much intact here.”
She nodded. It couldn’t surprise her, given how her father still treated her. I tracked her tongue as it licked her lips. A nervous habit, I thought. She wanted to ask me something else.
I set down my fork and gestured for her to go ahead. “Ask.” I took a sip of my drink and wondered what it would be.
Her lip quirked up into a smirk. “Why aren’t you…more like that?”
I choked on the wine, covering my mouth quickly to hide the unseemly noise before other guests noticed. Too late—a few heads had turned at my outburst. “What a nice question, Luna. So, you’re saying I’m not a pretentious ass too stuck in my ways to notice the world around me is changing? That maybe people shouldn’t be valued based solely on their magic and court affiliations?”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t recant. “Yes, that’s my question.”
I laughed again, though, as I did, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I had the distinct feeling we were being watched. Her candor was intoxicating, and I decided I didn’t care who witnessed as I gulped it down. I’d regret that later, but for now, I responded. “I think I had good examples?—”
The rest of my sentence was cut off as the last people I expected stood beside the table.
“Vincent, we didn’t realize you were here,” my mother said.
In all their finery, my parents looked down their noses at us. It was not all that unusual, given how they approached most situations, but I certainly hadn’t expected to find them here when I was out with Luna.
Mother’s gaze raked over Luna’s outfit, her nose scrunching in distaste. I didn’t know why. Luna’s dress fit perfectly with all old fae standards. I wished Luna had worn something she felt more comfortable in, but I knew this whole clothing debacle was my fault. Luna noticed Mother’s appraisal too, and I hated it as she glanced at her plate.
How could they be here? This was such bad luck. I tried to meet Luna’s gaze, to tell her…something, but she was clearly embarrassed by Mother’s stare. I was horrified but also wanted to give way to the giggle building in my throat. I’d been about to say I’d had the perfect examples of whatnotto be in my parents, a topic I was sure I hadn’t broached with anyone, ever. And now, here they were. Now, we had to face them.
I had no idea what to tell them about Luna.
“Vincent,” my father said. He and I looked very similar; I’d been told so for as long as I could remember. His dark brown hair was thick around his face. I knew he spent a great deal of time taming his wild waves. I’d given up on that when I moved out of Andiveron House. Luna reaching across the table to brush some from my face tonight was proof enough that I’d made the right decision. Father’s dark brown eyes were the same as my own. Even our clothing styles seemed to match. We both wore white shirts under long, dark brown jackets. The main difference was my jacket had more gold embellishments. I liked that differentiator. It reminded me of Luna’s wonderfully obnoxious outfits. At the thought of her, my gaze returned to her worried face.
“Hi, Mother, Father, this is Luna.” I hesitated over her surname. The softening of the worry lines on her brow told me she appreciated the gesture.
They barely glanced in her direction as the server returned to gather our empty plates. “Yes,” Father said, dismissing her. “We looked for you at the paper this morning and you weren’t around. I wanted to check on your upcoming feature.”
I put forth my practiced smile and replied, “We’ll need to talk about it some other time, Father. As you can see…” I gestured again to Luna. “I’m occupied at the moment.”
“I’m sure she understands,” Father continued, not even bothering to address the comment to Luna. “You’re an important male with responsibilities. That is simply the way of things. She may not understand the requirements of an old fae family, but I’m sure she respects them.”
I stood, pushing my chair back a little louder than I intended. “Father.” My whole body flushed. Had it been only moments ago that Luna considered me nothing like this kind of old fae? After this display, I was reasonably confident her attitude about me would change. I wouldn’t even be upset if shedecided not to continue with our bargain. “That’s incredibly rude. Luna’s time is just as valuable as mine, and I won’t allow you to disrespect it.”
I pulled out some coin and left it on the table. We were foregoing dessert, which was usually my favorite treat here, but it couldn’t be helped. I offered my hand to Luna; she stood with me, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
