Page 26 of Shift of Morals
I squashed the warm and fuzzy feeling down. Maybe he hadn’t changed it because his new fiancée liked it.
“I’m going to punch you right in the pizza pocket if you don’t wipe those thoughts right out of your head. Caelan has the hots for you, and he likes your weird pollute-the-place-with-flowers love language.”
“As we pull up at his house to ask him about his wedding.” I eyed the front of the house, my heartbeat picking up.
“Yeah, well. Even the best love stories don’t start out perfect.” Moira put the vehicle in park and slid out, handing her keys to the valet. My door opened, a handsome young man offering a hand to help me out. I obliged him and held on to my skirt for decency’s sake as I got out.
Simone waited for us on the steps, a clipboard in her hand and a serious look on her face. “Hello.” Her eyes skimmed over both of us. “Glad to see you accepted the Lord’s gifts.”
“I do not turn down fabulous clothing,” Moira said.
“I didn’t have anything else to wear.” Not a lie, but I too had a weakness for pretty dresses.
Simone’s lips twitched at my comment. “Come on in. We’ll head straight to the dining room.”
The wards buzzed against my skin, more powerful than they were the last time. A smile tugged my lips upward. The Shifter Lord still couldn’t keep me out, but maybe he and his security had learned a little since I’d broken in with little effort.
I steeled myself, schooling my expression into cool indifference. Caelan’s fiancée would be here tonight, and I was here in a professional capacity. Being the florist on record would put Little Shop of Florals on the map. The shop was already popular around the state, but pulling this wedding off could open up more doors than I ever dreamed possible.
I had to keep my shit together, no matter what Caelan did to antagonize me.
The doors opened, our heels clicking on the stone floor. Simone led us through the entryway and down the long hall. My skin prickled.
We were being watched.
Moira sidled up beside me. “You creeped out?”
Simone’s shoulders stiffened. “Be on your best behavior tonight, ladies,” she hissed. “This meeting is important.”
“We know,” Moira and I said at the same time.
No one came to greet us, and there were no people in the hallways. “How many people are here tonight?” I asked.
“Only the necessary ones,” Simone remarked, the cryptic answer making me roll my eyes.
“Then was this dress necessary?” The silky fabric buzzed against my skin, its magic alert. Aware.
Moira snorted. “I’d wear this dress to take out the garbage.”
“Everything a Shifter Lord does or does not do draws scrutiny.” Simone stopped before the large double doors. “Thereare eyes everywhere, and this wedding is the event of the century. If you showed up wearing blue jeans, your faces would be splashed across the front page of the Joy Springs newspaper in the morning, and by the afternoon, your business would be ruined.”
“That’s extreme,” Moira murmured.
Simone looked over her shoulder. “That is what it means to be a Lord.”
I grimaced. “Sorry.”
Simone sighed, both hands raised to push open the doors. “It is difficult for someone who is not exposed to this life to understand what it means to be under such intense scrutiny twenty-four hours per day.”
“Privacy is the most underrated asset we have,” I said. “We never realize how valuable it is until it’s gone.”
Simone’s eyes glittered with approval before she turned away. “Exactly. So try to wear those dresses with a smile.” She grunted and pushed the doors open, revealing a massive dining room bustling with activity.
But before we could walk in, the feminine sound of a throat clearing sounded in the hall. I was staring right at Simone’s shoulders when they tensed just slightly. Someone who wasn’t right next to her might have missed it.
“Hello,” a purring voice said. “You must be our little florist.”
Moira stiffened. From the woman’s tone, I knew this must be Caelan’s fiancée.
