Page 49 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
It made her feel lonely, sometimes, how solidly they were each other’s person. It underscored how she did not have that.
Then, the front door chimed, drawing her attention, and her heart rate picked up. Aiden lifted a hand, waving, giving her an easy smile, and even now, it felt like a personal victory. She loved his smile, how it morphed his entire face, the harsh features softening.
Her spirits immediately lifted upon seeing him. He had this effect on her whenever she saw him. No matter how long the day had been, or how tiring, she always got a little burst of energy every time he waved at her through the front door.
Aiden usually headed straight to the back with Sparky when he arrived, and then she would meet him out there once she finished up inside, but today he came inside to the counter. Saphira felt Theo and Lavinia watching and promptly ignored them, even as her skin prickled.
“Hi.” She leaned over the counter to wave at Sparky, who was by Aiden’s legs.
“Hey,” Aiden replied, eyes warm. “So I was thinking we could do something a bit different today.”
“Oh?” She was intrigued.
“Yeah.” He looked excited. Behind him, outside the cafe, Saphira saw he had parked his car out front.
“Where are we going?” she asked. Usually, everything in town was within walking distance and did not require a car.
“Surprise,” he replied. Excitement fizzed through her.
“Okie, just give me, like, half an hour to finish up here,” she said. The cafe was closing in a few minutes, but she would
need to close up.
“I can help,” Aiden offered, just as Sparky trotted away, heading for the front door, wanting to go out.
“It’s okay,” Saphira said with a laugh. “You can wait outside with Spark before he has a tantrum.”
That was something the baby dragon did not do as often these days, but that he still engaged in when the moment called for it. The little draggo was doing very well during his training sessions, not having many temper flares and stayinggenerally well-behaved. Saphira was proud of how well he was progressing, and proud too of how Aiden was progressing with him.
“Alright, I’ll see you soon,” Aiden said. Saphira waved, and he chased after Sparky, letting him out.
As they played out front, Saphira watched, a gooey feeling in her chest. Aiden was smiling, sunlight warming his skin as he held up a stick, making Sparky jump higher and higher. Sparky was enjoying himself—the baby dragon liked Aiden a lot more now, and was much more comfortable with him than he had been before. Aiden and Sparky were properly bonding.
At first, Saphira had been worried that she would feel jealous when this started happening, but she wasn’t, not one bit. She was simply happy that they were getting close.
Probably because she loved him, and wanted him to be happy.
“Go on,” Lavinia said, nudging Saphira from behind.
“What?” Saphira asked, seeing that Lavinia had come over. “Theo and I can close up.”
“No, it’s okay, I’ll stay for closing,” Saphira said, shaking her head. Theo was finishing up his iced chai latte at the bar, but he nodded in agreement with what his best friend said.
“Seriously, go,” Lavinia said. “Like you mentioned earlier, I’ve got a pep in my step.” She winked.
“Are you sure?” Saphira felt bad. “I thought you guys were going to the town movie night.”
Theo waved a hand, getting up. “We’ve got some time. Besides, you look like you could use a break.”
Saphira wanted to protest further on principle, but shereally was eager to accept the offer, so she did. “Thanks, angels. I appreciate it.” Saphira gave Lavinia a hug and blew Theo a kiss. “Drinks on the house!”
“I thought our drinks were already on the house?” Theo whispered. Lavinia laughed, hitting his arm.
Saphira grabbed her purse and headed out. The weather was beautiful today, the sky in soft stripes of blue and white.
“Done already?” Aiden asked, as Sparky bounced over to Saphira. She laughed, picking Sparky up and giving him a hug.
“Yup. So what’s the big surprise?”
