Page 2

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Elle

M y eyes darted between his hand, the wallet, and Niemrin, who covered his eyes. Then they went back to the wallet.

“Is this a prank?” The words popped out without consulting my brain. It had been a long hour, and this kind of shit only happened on social media.

“Nope. No prank. Take whatever tip you think you deserve.”

My attention darted between the wallet, leather with a few green bills poking out, and Az’zael, who fixed me with his slit-pupiled gaze.

I’d had the occasional customer ask me how much of a tip they should leave me. I told them twenty-five percent. If they were really persistent and claimed they wanted to leave me even more, I’d tell them a hundred percent. Was this the dragon version of that?

Granted, that was usually from a regular. And they never had me take cash directly out of their wallet.

“You heard him, right?” I jerked my head at Niemrin.

“I did.” Niemrin stared at me. Az’zael bared his teeth at the other dragon. Not a smile.

“You aren’t going to stop him?” I asked .

Az’zael’s eyes narrowed on Niemrin, who shook his head. “He wouldn’t want me to.” The tightness around Az’zael’s mouth softened a fraction.

I kept my eyes on Niemrin. “And if later he says I stole from him, you’d back me up? Say he gave me permission?” I tilted my head toward Az’zael. As if Niemrin would really back me up against a fellow dragon.

Although, what did he need Niemrin for? He could roast me where I stood. Sweat prickled my forehead.

“He won’t,” Niemrin said.

I glanced back at Az’zael.

“I won’t.” He leaned forward, eyes wide. “I’m just giving you a tip.”

I brushed the buttery-soft leather of his wallet, testing his reaction and recalling their bizarre gift exchange. This could all be some unfathomable dragon nonsense.

Az’zael’s eyes stayed fixed on me, his red claws digging into the table. The tendons in his forearms flexed under his scales and sent flutters through my belly. It was almost like he wanted me to clean him out.

I chewed my bottom lip as my gaze returned to the wallet. Az’zael wouldn’t have offered if there was anything in there he wasn’t willing to lose, right? And he was loaded, so it wasn’t like he’d miss it, but even if I hustled for the next few days, I’d still be a few hundred short on rent. And…Mama. She wouldn’t admit it, but things had been tight for her recently.

Fuck it. I grabbed the wallet and pulled out every single bill, while Az’zael’s golden eyes bored into my hands, urging me on. Then I shoved the cash in my apron. “Thank you,” I said, as if this were the type of interaction I had every day. I walked off before I could come to my senses .

I heard a low “holy shit” from behind me and hoped I hadn’t made the worst mistake of my life. He’d offered, right? And dragons didn’t horribly murder people.

Anymore.

Jen and I held our breaths as the two dragons exited the restaurant.

“Mother fucker , that was stressful. I hope they don’t make this their new hangout spot.” Jen theatrically shook out her whole body the second the door closed behind them. “Don’t get me wrong, the extra business is nice, but Deja’s been flipping her shit about how that new dragon-sized chair she wants is on back-order, and she practically had an aneurysm when she heard both were here today. At least you didn’t drop anything. Didn’t even cry in the back.”

I blinked at her tirade. “Were you expecting me to?”

She shrugged. “I would have. Did you see the way Az—Az’z—the red one kept looking at you? I didn’t know if he wanted to fuck you or eat you.” She gave me a lascivious wink. “I know what I’m betting on, though.”

“We should really learn how to pronounce their names if they’re going to come here regularly,” I said. Then the rest of her words slammed into my brain. “ Fuck me? No. Oh no.” Just because I was fascinated with all that muscle packed under glittering red scales didn’t mean he returned the interest.

Even if he did return the interest, I sure as shit wouldn’t do anything about it. Az’zael could crush me in his claws without even noticing.

“What kind of tip did he leave you?” Jen asked, as if that number would grant infinite insight into the dragon’s feelings.

I groaned. “Please don’t make me answer that question right now. ”

Jen’s gaze darted around the mostly empty restaurant. Then she grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “Okay, now you gotta tell me. We’re both going on break.”

When we reached a quiet corner out back of the restaurant, I pulled the wad of cash from my apron. Jen’s brown eyes went huge as I quickly counted the bills.

One hundred dollars. Nearly twice his bill. When I’d grabbed that wallet, I figured I’d get the price of the meal, tops.

“Holy shit,” Jen murmured.

“Yeah.” I stared at the cash for a moment longer before stuffing it back into my apron. “Did he tip Cal or Maya like this?” I’d have heard by now if he left such a generous tip, but I had to ask.

I’d know about any weird “take it from my wallet,” too. Cal was a proficient gossip. I didn’t dare tell Jen about the take it from my wallet part. I wasn’t interested in being the topic of gossip for the next half dozen shifts.

“Nope.” Her lips split into a wide, self-satisfied grin. “He’s into you.”

“Sure.” I snorted as I pulled out my phone and sent my mom ten bucks, with Groceries in the memo line.

A small hit of relief surged through me. At least I could do this small good thing for my mom today.

“I’m serious! Dragons date humans sometimes! And he was watching you the entire time you were on the floor.” Jen’s brow furrowed. “Now that I think about it, he watched you when he was in here before, too.”

My phone buzzed with a text from my mom..

Dwayne handles groceries

I know. Just in case you want a little something extra

“I’ve seen the type of humans dragons date. They sure as shit aren’t servers.” Human/dragon couples weren’t common, since most dragons lived in the middle of nowhere—forests, remote mountaintops, that kind of thing—but a few high-profile interspecies couples had been splashed all over social media in the last couple of years. The human halves were all educated and polished. Not college dropouts constantly behind on bills.

“Cal says he’s seen one or two looking for humans on those sugar daddy/sugar baby sites,” Jen said. Cal had been loudly claiming that he was going to find a sugar daddy and blow this joint since I’d started at Norma’s Kitchen a year ago, but since he still showed up for work every shift, I doubted he’d been successful.

“You’re the only one here not terrified of them, so maybe…” Jen waggled her eyebrows, and we both dissolved into giggles.

“Sugar babies clean up nice. That’s literally their job,” I said when I caught my breath. In a particularly overconfident combination of ambition and economic desperation, I had made an account on one site the year before. The second I’d seen my competition, I’d logged right back out.

I could do my makeup and hair, throw together a set of clothes, and hold a decent conversation, but some of those women had master’s degrees. Their pictures showed them dressed in silk, and their hair and makeup looked like it had been professionally done. Profile after profile demanded four figures for a dinner date .

I was just some random server. No one would pay twenty-five hundred dollars for dinner with me.

“So maybe a hundred bucks is just the dragon version of ‘I think you’re cute, have a nice day.’”

Jen rolled her eyes. “What else could it be?”

“You’re probably right.” Or maybe he wasn’t interested in me at all, and it was some weird dragon custom. Give the poor server a few scraps, pretend he’s done his “good deed” or whatever before he moves on to his next project. “Even if he thinks I’m cute, that doesn’t mean anything.”

But I couldn’t forget the way his eyes had followed me the entire time he was here, or the way he’d paid more attention to me than to his friend.

Jen snorted. “Right, you’ve decided to be single forever.”

I shrugged, like the topic didn’t create jagged little shards in my chest of dreams shattered over and over again. “Relationships just aren’t for me.”

My phone vibrated with another text.

Thanks baby. Now we can get the name brand coffee Dwayne likes

I suppressed a sigh. I couldn’t control what Mama did with the money I sent her, but I wished she’d keep some of it for herself. Get the coffee she liked for a change.

Watching the way Mama bent over backward for Dwayne—or whatever boyfriend she had when I was growing up—it was no wonder I didn’t know how to have a healthy relationship.

Jen rolled her eyes. “Girl, come on. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Glancing around to make sure we were still alone, I said, “You ever date one of those guys who, like, can’t remember your birthday? And you tell yourself it’s fine because at least this one has a job and he warmed you up some soup one time when you were sick?”

“Did we date the same dude?”

“Yeah, well, that’s most of my exes.” Something between a sigh and a laugh escaped my mouth. “I had one who gave me a video game he wanted for my birthday, and then didn’t understand why I was mad.”

Jen snorted. “I hope you dumped him.”

“Sure. Three months later, when he insulted my mom. Called her white trash, right in front of me.”

Jen winced.

My ex had made a snarky comment the first time we visited Mama. He didn’t like that Mama only had off-brand food in the cabinets. I should have dumped him then and there.

Instead, I’d kept seeing him, kept bringing him around my family. The third or fourth time we visited, Dwayne was working on his car in the apartment parking lot—it wouldn’t start, and he damn sure wouldn’t pay a tow truck to take it to the shop if he could fix it where it was. My ex had called Dwayne a grease monkey, and my mom white trash under his breath.

If only he were my most embarrassing ex. Instead, the ghost of Adrian still haunted my bank account.

“I can’t pick men. All the ones I like never seem to put any effort into the relationship, and I’m tired of it. Seems like it’s best to leave them alone altogether.”

Jen nodded. “Yeah, take some time to work on yourself. That’s smart.”

Some time, sure. Several decades ought to do it.

“In the meantime, enjoy those nice tips from that red dragon. I’m seating him in your section next time he comes in.”

“What?” I squeaked. “Shouldn’t it be someone else’s turn?” Someone who wouldn’t be too fascinated with him for her own good?

“Well, he’s obviously happy with the service. And you didn’t fuck up and embarrass us, so…” Jen dragged me back inside.

I let her. Resistance was futile. “So being good at my job means more work. Great. At least he tips well.”

Jen laughed good-naturedly. “Yeah, god knows we all need the extra cash. I don’t know about you, but my landlord jacked up my rent by four hundred dollars when my roommates and I renewed our lease. And since it’s kind of the dragons’ fault that everyone thinks they can charge out the ass for apartments these days…”

I grimaced. Speculation had run wild since Az’zael and Niemrin had claimed Kilinis. “Mine wants an extra two-fifty. For a one-bedroom . I’ve been living on my own for a few months, and it’s been nice.” It was the first time I’d ever lived alone. Every roommate I’d ever had sucked shit.

Cal, evidently overhearing us, chimed in, “Oh my god, right? My last one peaced out halfway through the lease, no warning, no nothing. Just told me he was moving in with his boyfriend, and the second I asked if he was finding a subletter, he blocked me on everything.”

“Ugh, what an asshole.” I perked up. “I don’t suppose you’re still looking for a roommate?” Cal and I had always gotten along. Rooming with him could be fun.

Cal shook his head. “I just found someone. But if it doesn’t work out, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” I said. Looked like I’d have to do some more searching. At least I wouldn’t make the mistake of moving in with a boyfriend again. Adrian had taught me that much. Fucker lost his job and expected me to pick up the tab, and because I was stupid enough to love him, I had. Months down the drain, sprucing up his resume, sending him job postings, and he never applied to a single goddamn thing.

Asshole left me with a mountain of debt and little else. In fact, kicking him out had saved me a little every month, since I didn’t have to pay for his food or the crazy high electric bill because he liked to keep the thermostat at seventy-five in the winter.

But it didn’t save me a lot, of course. Most months, my paycheck and tips covered everything. Some months, they didn’t.

At the end of my shift, I hustled to the nearest ATM. If I didn’t deposit the cash, I was afraid it would vanish into smoke. Then I sat in the parking lot and opened my bank app, triple-checking that the cash had hit my account.

It had. Every red cent.

I drove for a rideshare app in my free time, and if I kept that consistent, I could pay all my bills without having to put anything new on the credit card.

With relief singing through my veins, I opened my driving app and set myself to available.

Near midnight, I called it a night and drove home through the pounding rain. Once inside my apartment, I stood in the doorway and shook my umbrella onto the concrete just outside the door. One of the few things I liked about my shithole apartment complex was that all the apartments opened into breezeways. I could be outside in a second, no industrial gray hallways with unfriendly fluorescent lights.

Was this the rest of my life? Grinding and grinding and barely making ends meet? I thought about my cousins out in Elliston. Mama had left that little spot of nothing as soon as she’d hit eighteen, to make something of herself in Kilinis, and while I hadn’t grown up in the grinding poverty of my cousins, was I really so much better off in this rundown apartment I could barely hold on to?

Sure, I had avoided getting knocked up at sixteen or a DUI by twenty, but I also didn’t have the close relationships with my cousins that they had with each other. Couldn’t call one up and crash on their couch for a night, or pull together impromptu parties when someone had a big win. Just an afternoon visit a few times a year where we all made awkward small talk.

Sometimes I wondered if I’d squandered all the opportunities Mama had made for me by moving away from everything she knew. At the rate I was going, I wouldn’t even be able to pass those same opportunities to my own children. Probably wouldn’t even have any, since I’d sworn off men.

I curled up on the couch, avoiding the broken spring, and pulled out my phone. Something about scrolling through glossy image after glossy image of vacations I’d never take and people I’d never be was oddly soothing.