Page 80 of Bargains with Benefits
37
Vincent
Every evening with Luna was bliss. The inn filled a little more each day, and Long Night was tomorrow. I knew it didn’t matter anymore, that Darius wouldn’t sell the inn if it wasn’t at capacity, but I was so proud of her. She was so close. I had no doubt the last trickle of guests coming in for the festivities would fill the two remaining rooms.
I couldn’t remember ever feeling…lighter.
“Vincent, are you listening to me?” Skye interrupted my thoughts, although maybe it was my fault for daydreaming during lunch.
“Sorry.”
She waved me off. “I’m glad you’re all moony over Luna, but I do need you to focus long enough to answer this question about the accounts.”
I returned to the paper by day. Patricia had not told me how she’d handled my parents. Still, she must have done something, because she had not been removed from herposition even though the paper had printed a story naming the Andiverons as the old fae family trying to keep the city divided.
The Osten Point, the leader of the wind fae, had not been pleased. My parents were packing while I was having lunch with Skye. The Osten Point had given them a mission: to live in a remote area on the continent’s eastern edge and report should anyone try to enter the caverns there. No one entered those caves. They were rumored to be filled with deadly traps the Compass Points could barely get through. All of Sandrin saw the appointment for what it was—banishment.
The fae didn’t usually resort to imprisonment when social ostracization did the trick. This punishment hit my parents where it hurt: their pride. The city and the whole continent knew what they had done, that they’d been caught, and that they were being sent away to a pointless task because of it.
I ran my finger down the list she had questions about. Skye was taking over the duties of managing the family estate and the Andiveron businesses. “Right. This one is for the farm on the other side of the bay. You should probably go check on it at some point. This one doesn’t look familiar, but it’s small. You have time to figure that out.” I scratched my head. My time away from the house had been longer than I’d realized if I had forgotten payments and business lines.
“That’s alright. I’ll ask Jeffrey about that one.” She swiped her hair over her shoulder. Her brow pinched with the question I knew she’d wanted to ask since we sat down to lunch. “Are you sure you don’t want this?”
I sighed. “Skye. I was only afraid you didn’t want it. I thought you might be more interested in clothing design now, but I’m more than happy for you to run the house if it’s what you want. Don’t do it out of some misguided guilt, though.”
“I want it. Kristin’s shop was fun. I liked the work, but not as much as I’d hoped.”
“I still can’t believe our parents let you work there.” I laughed. “Though I’m glad they did.”
“I also don’t want you to think I’m throwing away the opportunity you gave me,” Skye said. “You never acknowledge it, but I know what it cost you to get me the position with Kristin.”
I tapped my finger on the list, seeing that we’d finished. “It all worked out. Truth be told, at the time, I wanted to make sure someone got something out of the situation. I’m glad it was you. And if you still like design, I’m sure you can start a new investment once you get your feet under you with all of this.”
She beamed at that.
Part of me worried about what else she might unearth in our parents’ records. I hoped she wouldn’t bear the burden of anything she found alone. I knew she was more than capable of running everything. She was the elder; it always should have been her. Father had insisted on it being me when my power presented, though. While she hadn’t had as much training as I had, she picked it up quickly and conquered every challenge she set her mind to. I was sure this would be no different.
We paid for the meal and left the restaurant. “I’ll want to have meals regularly with you and Luna, if you’d like.”
“We’re happy to come to the house now that you’re running it.” I grabbed her arm, turning her to me. “I never meant to leave you there, so isolated.”
“You didn’t. I chose to stay. You always seem to forget that part.”
I smirked as she headed back to the house while I returned to the paper. I hoped she changed everything about how Andiveron House was run—except Jeffrey.
My mood was like a ray of sunshine even though the sky darkened early. Arnold was writing a feature piece about my parents’ punishment for next week’s issue. I brought him a sandwich with extra jam when I returned to the paper to celebrate.
“Vincent, will you be at the tavern tonight?” Daisy asked me as I dropped into my seat next to hers.
“Not tonight. We have to get ready for the Long Night celebration at the inn,” I replied.
“Oh, right. We’ll be coming out to Cliff House for the star show viewing tomorrow night with the others.”
“Tell Earl we bought the supplies to make Sweet Solstice Sips. Seraphina and Evelyn will run a makeshift bar on the beach.”
I couldn’t quite believe this was my reality. No matter how different from my others, the column celebrating Cliff House had been a resounding success. I’d received countless reader mailings saying they lived locally but wanted to come to the inn to watch the solstice sky and make their wishes. So, Luna had decided to host a Long Night celebration. Folk from the city came out to the cliffs for peace and darkness. The woods on her property made it hard to see the star show, but the beach had the perfect view.
We’d decided to turn it into a proper celebration.
