Page 36

“No harm done,” said the fairy cheerily. Her eyebrows hit her hairline as she noticed Oliver. “Oliver! Is this the wife?”

“Not my wife,” Oliver said hastily, trying to remember the fairy’s name. She went along to knitting club sometimes with his aunts, she had a kid, she attended the local book club—what was her name?

“We didn’t even know each other’s names when we got ‘bonded,’” Luna added. “I have a fiancé, so…”

“Oh!” The fairy beamed, purple wings flexing stiffly behind her. “Well!That’s wonderfully modern.”

“My fiancé knows everything that’s happening,” Luna continued, eyes and smile far too wide. “He’sveryhappy.”

The fairy nodded, looking far too amused. “Glad to hear it, dear.”

She winked and headed into the next aisle.

Oliver sighed, pushing the cart back into a straight line. “Why do you have to say it like that?”

“I don’t want everyone thinking I’m a cheater!”

“Well, you’re making it sound like your fiancé has athingfor sleeping with werewolves,” Oliver hissed, hoping that anyone with hearing as good as his was busy chatting with someone or sifting through some loud wind chimes.

Luna groaned, shoving the cart forward. “Fine! I’ll say it differently next time! There’s going to be a next time, right? Everybody here is so nosy.”

“Right?” Oliver said, his annoyance with Luna overpowered by the annoyance from all his months in town. “What happened to everyone minding their own business? I feel like every time I turn a corner, somebody is asking me how I’m doing.”

Luna nodded vigorously, forcing the heavy cart around the corner. “If you all just ignored each other likenormalpeople—oh!”

She cut off with a yelp as a familiar hedgehog woman appeared in front of the cart. Oliver grabbed the cart just before it could slam into her.

“Oh, gosh.” Beth curled into herself, her spikes puffing out like apufferfish.

Luna let out a noise so high-pitched that Oliver winced. “Beeeeth! Hiiii! We were just going to drop by your cute little shop to buy your adorable chocolates!”

“I’m not there,” Beth said, uncurling. “I— Obviously, because I’m here. My employee works there a couple of days a week.”

Luna leaned over the cart and tweaked one of Beth’s shoulder prickles. “Lovethat for you. Have you ever thought about getting on socials? Doing some promo?”

Oliver shot her a look. Luna ignored him, twirling a strand of hair around her finger in a way that was definitely meant to annoy him. Here she was, getting annoyed at people for getting in her business, and now she was butting into Beth’s.

“Um,” Beth said. “I—I don’t know. I feel a little weird about shoving it in people’s faces.”

“Gotta let people know it exists,” Luna argued. “Look, I took a photo of one of your wolf chocolates yesterday. Isn’t it cute?”

She got out her phone. Oliver leaned over and saw a picture of Luna posing with the wolf chocolate, winking at the camera.

“I also took a photo of your store,” Luna continued. “Look, I’ll post about you on Insta.Just bought the cutest monster-themed chocolates from the most adorable store in Alaska…Copy-paste your deets… Do you do online orders?”

Beth brightened. “Yes! We ship anywhere in the USA and Canada.”

“Perfect,” Luna singsonged. “And… posted.”

The loading sign stayed on the screen.

“When my data allows it,” Luna continued, teeth gritted. She shot another smile at Beth. “Anyway, it was so great to see you! Bye-bye!”

Oliver waited until Beth walked off, almost colliding with a “50% OFF” sign on the way because she refused to stop waving until Luna did.

Luna looked back at her phone with a triumphant noise. “Posted! Finally. This placeneedsabetter connection. The mountains aren’tsurroundingyou, so what gives?”

Oliver used the distraction to take the cart off her, pushing it easily the rest of the way around the corner.