Page 123 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
“No,” Wulfric echoed, his tone a touch too polished, too rehearsed.
Nia’s gaze moved between them. Lochlan had been off today, but standing here with her father, she didn’t blame him. Wulfric made everyone uneasy. The sound of approaching footsteps made her jump slightly as the butler appeared, his expression as calm and collected as ever.
“Miss Pyronia,” he said with a polite nod before glancing toward Lochlan and Wulfric. “Dinner is ready.”
He turned and led them through the house. Nia followed reluctantly, trying to keep her thoughts from knotting up with every step.
“How was the meeting?” Lochlan whispered.
“Fine.”
Lochlan hesitated. “Was it really, or?—”
“You’d know if you’d gone.”
Regret tugged at her, quiet and immediate, as soon as the words left her. But she didn’t take them back. It felt good to be near him again, but that didn’t change how frustrated she felt.
They stepped outside and it was just as she remembered: heating spells kept the crisp evening air at bay, while the soft glow of enchanted lanterns cast a warm, golden light over the table. Despite the cozy setting, unease gnawed at her.
Lochlan had already taken a seat. The intensity in his eyes made her pause. There was something raw there—longing, or pain, maybe—but she brushed it aside, choosing a seat across from him. As she settled into her chair, the restless feeling in her chest grew, leaving her feeling oddly out of place.
Wulfric lingered near the grill, murmuring something to the chef before taking his seat at the head of the table. His gaze swept across the scene, pausing briefly on the space between her and Lochlan.
“You came separately,” he said, his tone casual but curious. “Why?”
“I had a meeting on the other side of Stella Rune,” Nia replied.
Wulfric’s gaze shifted to Lochlan, his expression unreadable. “And you’re upset Lochlan didn’t attend with you?”
Nia exhaled but didn’t answer. It hurt more than she felt was reasonable or wanted to admit.
Wulfric’s gaze moved from Lochlan to Nia, pinning her in place. “And what was this meeting for?”
“None of your business,” Nia snapped.
Wulfric’s jaw tightened, but he let it go, leaning back in his chair. “This is our last family dinner,” he said, his voice carefully measured. “Which public event will you be attending as a happy couple? Hopefully, it will have fewer… vines than the last.”
Of course, he had to bring up the chaos of the full moon celebration.
Lochlan shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “We haven’t decided,” he said carefully.
“Floating lights ceremony,” Nia said at the same time.
The moment the words left her mouth, she flinched. She’d planned to bring up the idea today, somewhere between her meeting and this dinner, but hadn’t had the chance. The new moon of October was always special in Stella Rune. When the sky was at its darkest, the townspeople celebrated by releasing lanterns along the canal and out into the ocean, their soft glow carried by the tides.
Two years ago, Ivy had spearheaded a campaign to switch to an eco-friendlier alternative, replacing the traditional lanterns with ones made from seaweed paper and candles crafted from beeswax. It had been the only time Nia had seen Ivy genuinely furious, her usual affability turned to righteous rage as she’d fought the town council to make the change. Now, the ceremony held even more meaning.
Nia had wanted to share that with Lochlan. She just hadn’t planned to float the idea under her father’s calculating gaze.
Dinner was quiet and awkward, every attempt at small talk withering before it could take root.
Nia thought about how little time they had left to prove themselves to her father. How this dinner, with its silence and tension, was the perfect way to reinforce the idea that she and Lochlan didn’t work. But she hated it. Hated how much the uneasy tension between them bothered her, how much it hurt to see the look on Lochlan’s face when she’d brushed him off.
When Wulfric finally dismissed them, his frustration with the lack of conversation apparent, Nia didn’t hesitate. She threw herself onto her motorcycle and tore down the dark roads, thoughts and doubts chasing her all the way home. She beat Lochlan back and slipped inside the house, quickly greeting Jade before bolting upstairs.
Passing the locked door of his office sent a fresh wave of irritation through her, but she ignored it and headed straight for the bathroom. She turned the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray, hoping it might scorch away the tension of the evening.
But all she could think about was Lochlan and the quiet tension at dinner, the way he’d closed himself off. She didn’t know what he was working on, or why he’d been so cagey about that package. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was something. She couldn’t tell, and the not-knowing ate at her. Still, she didn’t think pressing him tonight would help either of them.
