Page 75 of Bargains with Benefits
When I got outside, I stood on the sidewalk, watching people pass around me. Vincent would hate that I was standing frozen directly in everyone’s way, but I couldn’t be bothered to move. Indecision held me in place. I couldn’t exactly interrupt whatever he was doing at his parents’ house.
Part of me knew he was confronting them about the story. It was the only thing that made sense. My father said he didn’t know Vincent but knew his parents and how he was raised. Darius believed, at a minimum, Vincent’s parents were responsible for the story. Maybe even responsible for the bribes that he was attempting to counter.
Vincent, too, must have realized.
I dipped my chin as if answering my own internal question. He could handle this. It was his work and his promotion on the line.
What if he didn’t get the promotion because he wouldn’t print the article about my family? My stomach sank. Theywouldn’t force him to write a piece he could prove false, would they?
They would if his parents were bribing the paper like they might be bribing the governor. I sighed even as something tightened in my chest. This wasn’t my fight; it was Vincent’s. I’d be there the moment he asked for help. No matter Darius’s suspicions, I trusted Vincent. He could handle it until he said otherwise.
Someone bumped my shoulder in the busy street. It was my fault for standing in the middle of foot traffic. The tap set my sights on Central Circle Park and a familiar warm glow therein. With that, I knew what I had to do. If Vincent was facing his parents, if he was standing up for what he believed in, then so could I.
I’d told Vincent this morning that I didn’t need him to write the piece. That was true, but he’d been so determined to do it. I wanted to let him. Truth be told, with what I’d learned about Mom’s actions and how much she’d kept a part of me hidden, I was second-guessing our plan to portray myself as fae. Initially, I hadn’t minded that we were leading readers to that conclusion. My fae heritage was a part of me, and I accepted it as much as I accepted my humanity.
But that wasn’t the whole truth.
Mom’s actions had shown me that ignoring a part of myself was dangerous. And as much as the article was about saving the inn, it would also only tell half the truth. Yes, I was fae. I was old fae, even, but I was also human.
I didn’t want people to like me or stay at the inn because they thought I was fae. I wanted the inn to be a place where everyone was welcome, a place where our individuality was celebrated, each of us essential in making up the whole of the community. If I wanted to build this business based on who I was and what I believed, I had to start with my roots. There was one place in Sandrin where I had been accepted since I’dshown up in town with no family, no money, and no idea what I would do.
The familiar bridge leading to Parkview Tavern was in my sights, and I was finally brave enough to do something about it.
A crisp breezefollowed me through the front door. I glanced over my shoulder, half hoping that Vincent was behind me and that his wind was already wrapping me in its familiar embrace. There was no sign of him, though. This was only the winter wind blowing. It reminded me that, while it was chilly and sometimes lonely in the city of Sandrin, I was with friends as soon as I stepped into Parkview Tavern and its warmth.
“Hey, Luna,” Evelyn said as she dashed by with a drink tray in hand. “Seraphina is behind the bar.”
I spied my friend in her usual place, mixing drinks. There were dozens of people between us. The tavern was packed, even more so than the last few times I’d been here. I couldn’t believe more and more people continued to pour into Sandrin. We were only two weeks from Long Night. I was glad I’d left Eloise at the front desk.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the proof of Mom’s actions was evident in the guests’ arrival this morning. Now that the blood magic was cleansed, I hoped more guests would naturally find their way to Cliff House, but that wouldn’t be my only strategy.
As I pushed through the crowd, Seraphina caught my eye and smiled. “I could use some help if you’ve got a minute.”
I nodded and slipped behind the counter like I belonged nowhere else. One of the hardest parts of accepting Cliff House Inn as my own was realizing I couldn’t work here as often. If my wildest dreams came true and the inn became truly successful, I probably couldn’t work here at all.
Seraphina bumped my hip as I tied an apron around my waist. “You’ll always have this place, even if you don’t work here.”
“How did you?—”
“Your face always says more than you do—which is impressive because you talk a lot.” She smirked, and I snapped the dish towel in her direction. “I need two Solstice Sips. You can handle that, right?” she teased as we fell into a familiar rhythm.
I reached for the honey spirit bottle, one I could say had started this whole mess considering the drink’s success was part of what had brought me to Vincent. Worry for him churned in my chest, but I knew I was doing what he would want. He’d find me when he was ready.
“What’s up?” Seraphina asked as we both worked.
“I unlocked the room. Mom enacted blood magic to keep me from Darius.” I tilted my head as Seraphina’s mouth hung open in astonishment. “Oh, and I got my first customers today.” I poured the ingredients into a shaker. “And I slept with Vincent.” A smile curled my lips.
She stared at me. I put a finger under her chin and lifted her mouth to close it. She laughed. “We will have to chat about…” She waved her hands vaguely. “All of that at another time. At least you’re in good spirits, and, of course, congratulations on the customers, Luna.”
Evelyn approached at the last sentence. “Customers? We knew you could do it! Did you unlock the door? I need two more Sips while you’re at it.”
I nodded and increased the recipe I was already mixing.
“What triggered your magic?” she asked, though her cheeks flushed immediately at the question. “Sorry, maybe that’s personal.”
My hand cut through the air in a dismissive wave. “Not for you. You were the first to realize there was even magic at play. It’s moonlight.”
“Of course it is,” Seraphina said. “We should have known.”
