Page 14

14

Luna

A few days later, Vincent sent me a note on the wind saying he’d pick me up at my cottage, and that we could walk together to the restaurant.

Part of me thought that sounded lovely.

Another part, the part that still hadn’t even begun to fulfill my side of our bargain, thought it sounded too much like a date.

I replied, saying I’d be at Parkview Tavern and we could meet there if he wanted.

Evelyn would have an update on the room research.

I wanted to resolve that before I requested an invite to Pierce House.

If there was magic driving people away from Cliff House, it wasn’t worth the article or the family drama.

I pulled out a navy dress Skye had selected.

It was plain.

Not every item she’d found had something unique and tailored to my taste.

This was truly old fae, but it was the best choice for tonight since we would dine at the most fae establishment in the city.

I chose matching slippers instead of my favorite boots and set off.

Theoretically, I knew why Vincent and I were having this meal.

The restaurant was one of the few places Vincent had recommended.

The other columns we’d discussed, the boots and the Solstice Sip, featured a product as the recommendation.

For the inn, it would be a location and experience similar to that of Timeless Classics.

It made sense to check it out even if our every interaction left me confused.

It had felt so natural to have him at the inn.

His wind had enjoyed it, too.

It had been apparent he appreciated the view.

I’d gotten carried away on our tour, forgetting he was only there because of a bargain.

I needed to remind myself that he thought Darius was involved in bribing the governor to prevent the magic school’s construction.

While that revelation was incredibly disappointing, it wasn’t as if Darius had ever given me a reason to expect more.

I think I still had.

No matter how much I fought it, he was my father.

How could he be so against someone like me being educated in magic?

I didn’t want to think about it as I opened the door and entered Parkview Tavern.

The city had only continued to fill, even if none of those visitors had made it to Cliff House Inn.

I was glad Seraphina and the tavern were benefiting.

Making my way to the bar, I passed table after table of patrons.

Warm food, lively discussions, and full drink glasses filled every table.

I searched for Evelyn and found her at the bar, picking up orders.

“Hey,” she said as I approached.

“I meant to come by today but lost track of time in the library.” That seemed all too easy for Evelyn to do.

I waved my hand as if to wipe away her worry.

“No problem. Stopping by here helped me out tonight.”

Seraphina leaned over the bar.

“Why is that?” Her gaze turned mischievous as she took in my appearance.

“You look all dressed up. ”

I coughed, sure my cheeks were also heating.

“I’m meeting Vincent.”

“Surely, you didn’t wear that outfit to eat here?”

Evelyn smiled at Seraphina’s teasing.

“He’s taking me to Timeless Classics,” I said quietly.

“Well, now,” Seraphina straightened.

“That’s something.”

I rushed to explain.

“It’s the only other experience he’s recommended instead of product. He thought it would be good to do some research.”

“I’m sure he did.” Seraphina laughed before giving me a searching look.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

She’d been worried about me since initially hearing me mention Darius to him.

So what if I didn’t talk about Darius often?

He had been very relevant to why I’d been so angry with Vincent the night we met.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

I nodded, then glanced at Evelyn.

“I wanted to know if you found anything on the door. I’m sure Vincent will ask me about Darius soon…”

“And you don’t want to bother with that if we haven’t solved this magically locked door bit,” Evelyn finished for me.

“Right.”

She bit her lip.

“I have an idea. I can’t do it tomorrow—I’m needed at the library. Day after?”

“Thank you, Evelyn. That sounds perfect.”

Seraphina’s gaze drifted over my shoulder to the door.

I felt his wind slip around my shoulders before I saw him.

Vincent had arrived.

Seraphina held my gaze again before he got close enough to hear.

“Be careful, Luna.”

I pressed my lips into a thin smile, hoping I would be but fearing my heart had plans of its own.

Seraphina’s lingering worry fresh in my mind made me even more on edge as we walked to the restaurant.

The darkened streets didn’t help my nerves, this close to solstice meant the sun had already set.

“Everything alright?” Vincent asked, pulling open the door to Timeless Classics.

“All good,” I said, a little self-conscious, feeling eyes on me as we entered.

Could they tell I wasn’t comfortable in this dress?

Did they know it wasn’t me ?

A part of me felt they must be able to, no matter how well it matched the expected appearance of those dining here.

“I think it’s these slippers. The flimsy fabric is much less comfortable for walking than my boots.”

His smile didn’t meet his eyes, like maybe he knew that wasn’t the real problem—but he didn’t press.

Candles lit the entry, and every table in the small restaurant somehow appeared private.

Any hope I’d had that the early meal wouldn’t signal a quiet romantic evening was lost when I saw the room.

This place screamed romance with every detail.

The proprietor had grown walls of plants to set between the tables, which meant the room was a maze, but the servers seemed to know precisely where they were going.

Candles hung from chandeliers on the ceiling and were set on every table.

The warm glow created a mood I was having a hard time ignoring.

I glanced at Vincent, but his stony exterior gave nothing away.

This was probably a standard evening meal for him.

He probably wasn’t thinking of romance at all.

We were greeted quickly and with perfect manners, the host telling us our table would be ready momentarily.

It was no surprise they knew Vincent here.

Not only had he put the restaurant on the map, but this had been one of his first recommendations to take off with the fae.

It was now almost exclusively reserved by fae families, which was interesting considering they comprised less than half of the city’s population.

We’d talked about that sense of belonging that his articles created.

Whether he intended it or not, something about his writing, or the quiet places to hide in plain sight had appealed deeply to the fae of Sandrin.

Seraphina had tried to get reservations a few months ago to celebrate the new Norden Point and our place in fae society, since half-fae were now openly accepted in fae courts.

The bookings had been filled for the rest of the year.

“Mr. Andiveron. This way.” The host no more than glanced at me.

Clearly, he knew who to cater to.

“We have your table ready.” He led us through the maze of greenery with practiced ease.

“Your server will be by shortly. Do you require anything else?”

Vincent shook his head and pulled out my chair.

Surprised, I sat, and my fingers fidgeted under the table.

This was too much.

I didn’t need to be here to know this would never be Cliff House.

If we had to make such a formal and exclusive experience for Cliff House to survive, it wouldn’t.

“Luna.” Vincent glanced at me, setting aside the written menu they’d left on the table.

Something about his voice pulled me back from the edge of panic.

“You’re quiet tonight.”

I nodded.

There was no denying that.

He probably found it strange, given my ability to ramble.

I took a deep breath.

This was part of what I’d signed up for.

He wanted us to go through his successes together to decide what to do about Cliff House.

If this was his process, I wouldn’t complain about it.

I simply needed to ground myself, and thinking about the exclusive fae nature of this establishment wasn’t helping.

My fingers stretched like they were reaching for some dough to knead.

I had nothing.

Like when I met with Darius, I had to wield what was available.

I needed to remind myself why I was here.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on the inn,” I said.

“We should talk about your side of the deal.”

He straightened in his chair.

I hadn’t realized how relaxed he’d seemed until I broached the subject of our bargain.

Doubt coated my tongue, weighing down any following words, but I couldn’t regret bringing this up.

This room was too intimate.

After the other day together, I’d realized he was nothing like he initially seemed.

He looked too good.

My palms were sweating.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a date like this.

This isn’t a date.

“What do you want to discuss?” he asked.

I focused on the conversation.

This would put the necessary distance back between us.

“Tell me why you think Darius is guilty.”

“I am not sure he is.” He cleared his throat.

“That’s why we must investigate.”

“But someone thinks he is. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here.” I lifted my hand to gesture to the room around us.

Vincent frowned at the comment.

“My boss has a tip that shows a rather large transfer of money from his accounts to the governor’s. Some rough notes indicate a school was in the discussion.” He paused, fixing me with a glare I wasn’t sure I’d earned.

“I also overheard him talking with her in the records office stairwell last week. He was pressuring her for information about the school’s development. Asking why nothing had been announced yet.”

I leaned away, letting my back hit the rest of the chair.

“When exactly did you hear that?” Last week, we’d made the deal, and he’d said nothing about having overheard his own evidence, only that he had a tip.

You didn’t ask, the quiet voice in my head called out.

He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“The same day I came to the inn.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You made it sound like you didn’t believe the tip, but you had your own proof?”

He slumped forward in his chair, resting his head in his hand, his elbow on the table.

The posture looked so utterly out of place in this fancy establishment.

My anger receded—a little.

“I still don’t think it’s proof,” he said with some exasperation.

“He asked why nothing about the school had been announced. He indicated they had an agreement. Nothing he said directly ties him to trying to prevent the school from being built.”

I folded my arms over my chest.

“It doesn’t look good.”

Vincent lifted his head, rolling his shoulders back to slip into his usual confidence like he’d suddenly realized he’d let too much show.

I couldn’t help but wonder how much he kept bottled up beneath his exterior of propriety.

“I know your father is a sensitive subject,” he hedged.

“Please, don’t stop now,” I said more sarcastically than intended.

“I was the one who brought the topic up.”

“Do you think he’d do something like this? Is he so against...” His sentence trailed off, and he held my gaze, something like sadness lined his face.

Is he so against you?

That was what Vincent had been about to say.

I shook off the hurt.

At the end of the day, I didn’t know much about Darius.

I probably needed to admit that to Vincent.

“As I’ve said, my relationship with Darius is near non-existent. I’m still working on how precisely I’ll fulfill my end of our bargain, so I’m not sure I know him well enough to judge.” I sighed.

“I know he came to the village where I was raised, when I was old enough to test for magic. He didn’t return when he found I had none.”

Vincent’s hand stretched and flexed into a fist on the tabletop.

I wondered if he was upset, or if he was wishing he had a quill to take notes.

Maybe this was an eyewitness interview for his future piece.

He leaned forward as if he’d say something private, but we were already as secluded as we could be.

I didn’t think I could handle whatever would be next to slip from his lips.

I thanked the gods for perfect timing as the server approached our table.

“Wonderful to see you, Mr. Andiveron,” she said, before smiling courteously at me.

“The chef has requested to give you his newest creations. If you’re not opposed.” The server’s gaze remained on Vincent, clearly communicating that it was his decision.

My heart flipped when his gaze met mine.

“Luna?” he asked.

“Do you want to select our own meals? Or take the chef’s recommendations?”

I was already running on fumes.

We hadn’t been here long, and I was emotionally and mentally drained.

Deciding what to order at this restaurant that already made me feel uncomfortable was one decision too many.

“I’m happy to take the recommendations.”

Vincent nodded to the waitress as if my answer was ours—together.

Bringing us right back into dating territory.

“Vincent,” I said, “don’t you think…”

He canted his head, preparing for my question, and a strand of his thick, dark brown hair fell over his eye.

I don’t know what happened.

I couldn’t explain my actions, especially when I was about to ask him about this whole evening and our last day together feeling very much date-like instead of bargain-like.

Still, my fingers had other ideas.

They crossed the table and pushed the unruly strand back into place.

His wind wrapped around my finger, and he leaned into the touch, tilting his head ever so slightly into my palm.

I was in so much trouble.

Snatching my hand back when I finally regained control of my limbs, I stuttered an apology.

“I’m so sorry. That hair consistently misbehaves.”

His smile was shy, like he wasn’t sure what to think of the encounter, even as his wind blustered with something I could only call pride.

“I didn’t mind,” he said quietly.

“I apologize if it has offended your sensibilities, having to be seen with me in such a state.”

His tone had turned wry.

I was sure he was teasing me—another switch I didn’t know what to make of.

“It’s quite alright,” I said, using my primmest voice.

It didn’t suit me, but I appreciated how Vincent’s lip tilted as I attempted it anyway.

“I shall take care of it in the future so it doesn’t embarrass us both.”

Any walls I’d tried to build had been smashed to bits with one brush of my fingers.

He wasn’t helping me maintain distance, either.

No, he was inviting me in, his brown eyes dancing with mirth.

“Make sure you do,” he said, and we fell into a conspiratorial quiet as our first course was delivered.

I was in so, so much trouble.