Page 35 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“What’s up?” Saphira asked.
“I applied for an internship at the Animal Hospital for experience before starting school in the fall, and I just heard back that they accepted me,” Lavinia said, but instead of being excited, she sounded worried. “Do you think you’d be able to spare me?”
“Oh my gosh, yes, of course! Congratulations! That’s wonderful, Lav,” Saphira said, pulling Lavinia in for a hug. “Do not worry about the cafe at all, seriously. I’ll figure it out. You should absolutely do the internship. I’m so happy for you!”
Lavinia released a sigh of relief, finally smiling. Now she looked excited. “Okay, phew. I didn’t want to leave you hanging, but it is such a great opportunity, hence why I was stressed.”
“You had absolutely no reason to be stressed, girlie.”
“It’s only three times a week,” Lavinia added. “So I’ll still be here for the other four days.”
“Are you sure you won’t get too tired?” Saphira asked, now concerned herself.
“You sound like Theo,” Lavinia replied. “He’s always telling me I’m working too much.”
Saphira smiled fondly. “I’m sure he’s just worried about you, like me.”
“It’s fine! I mean, I will be tired but I have to save up. Vet school isn’t cheap! But once Iama vet, I can be rich and rest.”
“Don’t forget about me then! I want to vacation on your private island.”
“Of course. I’m going to have two. One for me, and one for my acquaintances.”
“I’m hurt! I’m just an acquaintance?”
Lavinia laughed. “Okay, now go before all your lip gloss wears off.” Lavinia shooed her away. “I’ll cover for you in here.”
Saphira blew Lavinia a kiss, then headed outside. She said hello to Aiden, who was working on clearing out the mess while Sparky entertained himself on the side. When Sparky saw Saphira, he bounced to her, back to his cheery self. He played with her for a few minutes until she had to head back to the cafe.
It wasn’t until after closing, when she came out to the garden again, that Sparky began acting up. She brought a treat with her this time, which he happily ate, but again, he seemed to be waiting for Aiden to leave now that it was evening and Saphira was here.
“Forget it, bud,” Aiden said. “I’m sticking around.”
Sparky growled, but Saphira gave him a sufficient number of kisses to appease him.
“Is Sparky going to help me?” she asked. “Can you pick up these branches?” Saphira demonstrated for him, picking up stray branches and putting them into a pile so the area could be cleared.
Sparky set to the task, stumbling through the order a few times before understanding what he needed to do. When he successfully brought a branch to the pile, Saphira petted his head.
“Good baby,” she said. Sparky cooed, pleased, as Aiden watched the encounter.
“You’re doing really great with him,” Aiden said, coming to stand across from her. His cheeks were pink from the sun, the ends of his hair curled with sweat.
She beamed up at him. The space between them shrank; they were pulled together like magnets, neither conscious of the movement.
He smelled like moss and mint. She couldn’t get enough, the fragrance making her head spin.
She stared into his endless eyes—like the darkest hour of night—searching for stars. His lips tilted upward as he noticed her noticing him, but he was equally entranced. As his gaze fell to her lips, his eyelids fluttered.
She listened to the sound of his shuddering breath—or was that hers?—as they grew closer to one another. He brought his eyes back up from her mouth to meet her gaze.
“You have …” he said, voice hoarse as he raised his hand.
His thumb brushed against her cheek, and she felt a jolt of pleasure at the contact. Desire beat through her, tension thick in the air between them. Heat simmered low in her belly.
Heart hammering, Saphira wondered if there was actually something there, or if he just needed an excuse to touch her. Either way, she wasn’t complaining.
His hand lingered. She felt like she was glowing, like she would lift off the ground and become a star herself.
