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Ben slid an arm around Sabine’s waist, smacking a kiss on her forehead. “So, I’m going up the mountainnext time the snow thaws, huh? I’ll re-pack that backpack.”

Oliver sighed. “Sometimes I really hate?—”

“GUYS,” Luna yelled.

The roof cracked open. Snow piled into the lobby, right on top of the carpet Oliver had cleaned a month before.

“Snow,” Oliver finished flatly.

Eighteen

Oliver bumped into three birdhouses on the way to Jackon’s front porch.

“They’reeverywhere,” he hissed when Luna turned around to glare at him. “Not everybody is as small as you!”

He expected her to preen. Maybe strike a pose like she was so fond of doing, as if waiting for someone to take her picture. Instead, she just looked at him, gaze lingering on his broad shoulders.

“No, they are not,” she said impishly and turned to knock on Jackson’s front door.

Oliver tucked his elbows in and shimmied past another cluster of birdhouses. There were several dozens of them littering the yard, each of them hanging from a display with a dewy price tag attached, the plastic misty from last night’s snow. It only came up to Oliver’s ankles, which told him a lot about what he considerednormal. Once upon atime, snow up to his ankles would’ve been a surprise.

He made it to the front porch, shaking snow off his boots, just in time for the door to creak open.

“Oh,” said Jackson, already wearing overalls despite the early hour. His wings twitched where they were folded behind his back. “Hello.”

“Hi!” Luna fluffed her blonde hair up, which she insisted was ruined by the hood she’d been wearing in the car on the way over. The drive hadn’t been long enough for the heater to warm up properly.

“Sorry to interrupt your Saturday morning,” she continued. “Beth gave us your address. I hope that’s okay. Oliver has something to say to you!”

She turned to him, smiling widely. She had been annoyed by the roof caving in again, like everybody else. But she’d been delighted to prove herself right in saying that he should’ve let a professional handle it, even if she tamed her reaction down yesterday.Since you were having an emotional time and all,she’d said on the way over.

Jackson looked at him, waiting. He looked expectant, and Oliver sighed as he realized they all knew what was coming.

“The roof caved in again,” he admitted.

“Oh, wow,” said Jackon mildly. “During the storm? Wow. Who could’ve seen that coming?”

“Truly nobody,” Luna said brightly.

Oliver squeezed the bridge of his nose. At least Jackson was doing his best to hide it. Luna was bouncing smugly in herboots.

“Look, you don’t have to rub my nose in it,” Oliver said. “Just… tell me how much it’ll cost to get you to fix it.”

Jackson’s eyebrows rose up his scaly forehead. “Fix it? Not just consult?”

Oliver waited, hoping he would keep going and he wouldn’t have to humble himself further. But the silence stretched. Luna dug an elbow into his side.

Oliver glared at her megawatt smile. It dimmed slightly like she was reminding herself that he had gone through something very emotional yesterday. Oliver told himself he wasn’t touched and turned back to Jackson.

“Seems like a waste of time for me to fix it again if it’ll just collapse during the next storm,” he admitted.

Luna’s smile turned into something even smaller. Almost proud. Oliver couldn’t look at it for long before he had to turn away.

Jackson fiddled with the straps of his overalls. “Sounds about right. I can come now if you want. I just need to grab some supplies first.”

“That would begreat,” Luna chirped. Then she winced, nodding for Oliver to take over.

“That would be great,” Oliver repeated at a normal level of peppiness for this time in the morning. “Are you sure? The snow’s stopped, so the tarp will hold if you have other things to do this morning.”