Page 11 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
He displayed things so gorgeously: the colors, the shapes, the varying heights, and purposeful empty space.
“It’s nothing,” he said, sheepish now.
“No, it’s not nothing!” she said. There was a symphony to his work which relayed the careful calculation and thought behind the arrangements, a true artistry. It made walking through town a treat, as lovely as walking through the streets in the middle of winter with snowfall descending. Except this wasn’t a natural phenomenon; this was him. “You make the whole town beautiful. It’s amazing.”
While he couldn’t quite meet her eyes, she could see he was pleased by her gushing.
“Since it’s spring, I’m going to be really busy,” Aiden said a moment later. “The winter was slow, anyway. I didn’t have much to do, so watching Sparky wasn’t an issue. But I’m alreadybooked for private clients and public ones, like the town. I can’t exactly bring Sparky around.”
“Why not?” she asked, looking to the peaceful little angel.
“Because he’s a demon,” Aiden said flatly. “He’ll ruin everything. Hence why he needs to be trained.”
“Why don’t you ask your family to take him in or something?” she asked. He hesitated.
“Danny left him to me,” Aiden said, voice quiet. Losing his brother two years ago must have been unimaginably difficult; Saphira could see what a loss it was to Aiden still. “I can’t bring myself to give Sparky up, even if he is a menace.”
Saphira felt there was something else, some other reason Aiden wasn’t saying, but she didn’t want to pry.
“Is there anyone you trust who can look after Sparky during the day?” she asked. “Don’t you have a sister?”
“Genevieve,” Aiden said, nodding. “She’s too young—she’s nineteen, in college, and can’t handle the responsibility.”
Saphira had seen her around; Genevieve was friends with Saphira’s coworker/assistant/work-bestie, Lavinia.
Aiden sighed, frustrated, and Saphira got the sense that he was looking for any way to get rid of Sparky, which confused her. It didn’t make sense, because clearly he didn’t want to fully get rid of the baby dragon by giving him to the Sterling family to take care of—people who could take care of Sparky quite well—but, at the same time, Aiden didn’t seem enthused about spending time with Sparky himself. He seemed to be pushing the little draggo onto Saphira.
She shouldn’t think about it too much, she decided. She needed the money and wanted to spend time with the baby.
“I’ll figure something out for during the day,” Aiden said,finishing off his drink. “You can train Sparky during the evening, when you’re free from the cafe? I can drop him off here, if that’s alright.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” she said.
Aiden stood, and just then, they heard a bit of a commotion as Sparky woke up. He looked around, taking in his surroundings until his eyes landed on Saphira. The baby dragon perked up, excited.
“Sparky, no!” Aiden scolded, as Sparky jumped onto a chair, then the table. Unhappy at being reprimanded, Sparky hissed at Aiden, then puffed a little ring of smoke in his direction, which Aiden waved away.
“You know, with baby dragon training, the rider needs to be trained, as well,” Saphira said, coming out from behind the bar. She gave Sparky a little snack, which he ate happily. “It’s important for the rider–dragon bond, something you two need to work on.”
Aiden didn’t seem enthused by the prospect, which she found strange. Why wouldn’t he want to bond with his dragon?
“Don’t worry about that,” Aiden said, standing in front of her. “And thanks, for everything.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” she said. It was a mutually beneficial agreement, after all.
He blinked, and she was distracted by the flutter of his dark lashes. She wanted to touch the curve of them, feel the feather-light touch against the pad of her finger.
She looked up at him, gazing into his dark eyes, wondering what thoughts were running around in that handsome head of his as he watched her. His gaze was scorching, and heat traveled up her spine, spreading across her chest.
He was quiet, standing perfectly still, until his throat moved as he swallowed. He smelled like coffee; his lips were still wet. She had the strangest impulse to go onto her tiptoes and have a taste.
The thought sent her heart racing. She was frozen in place, in a trance—
“Um, hello?” A voice called, interrupting the moment. Saphira turned to see a girl at the side door.
Aiden stepped back as if scalded.
“Bye,” he blurted out, grabbing a hissing Sparky and leaving in a hurry. Saphira felt dizzy.
