Page 4

QETESH

I shifted my present under my arm as I made my way up the steps to my best friend's house. Though technically, I think the house belonged to her fiancée, not that Ella hadn't made it her own.

The door swung open before I could even reach the top, revealing Nadia in a dazzling pink and green headscarf and a glass of something sparkling in her hand. Knowing her, it was probably elderflower pressé or something like that. I wouldn't mind a glass myself.

"Hey, Tesha," she said brightly, pulling me into a hug.

"Hi, Nadia, how are you doing?"

"I'm good. Can you believe the wedding is nearly here?" There was no stopping the excitement pouring off her, even if she was more restrained than her fiancée about it.

I laughed. "I'm surprised it wasn't last year considering how the two of you were chatting after you met."

"Mmm, true." She looked over to where my best friend was talking with a man whose back was turned to me. "And here we are, joint brides at our shower."

"Aren't you supposed to have that separately?" I wasn't sure what the current tradition was. Sometimes, these things moved too quickly for me to properly keep track of.

"Why would I want to have a Bridal Shower without my best friend at it?" she asked.

"You're not going to convince me otherwise," I said. "Marrying your best friend is the right way to go."

"Well, hands off yours," she joked.

I chuckled a little uncomfortably. Not because I'd ever been into Ella, but because if I said I never had been, then I'd have to explain to Nadia why I was sure that I didn't want to sleep with her future wife. "I brought you a present," I said in order to deflect.

"You really didn't have to," she said, taking it from me anyway. "You got us together, we're going to owe you for the rest of our lives."

"You don't," I promised. "I enjoy seeing other people fall in love."

"And when is it going to be your turn? You can't always be the bridesmaid?"

"I'm perfectly fine on my own," I promised. Though it was a lie. I think I would like to find someone, it would just need to be someone who understood my specific needs, and that just didn't come easily.

Nadia gave me a look that said she wasn't so sure about that, which was fair.

I pushed the thoughts to the side so that I could focus on the more important task of celebrating my best friend's upcoming wedding, something that wasn't a hardship for me at all. I was over the moon for both of them.

Ella spotted me and waved me over enthusiastically, without stopping her conversation with the man in front of her, making me assume that it was the brother she'd told me of many times.

Though now I was about to face him, I couldn't recall his name.

She always just referred to him as her brother and not by his name, but I should have asked.

I headed over to them, hoping that she was going to properly introduce him now that we were face to face.

"Tesha!" Ella said, her smile stretching her cheeks and the slight flush giving truth to her promise of drinking tonight.

The man turned, and I blinked a couple of times as I took in his features. "Jacob?"

"Qetesh?"

Ella looked between us. "You've met?"

"I work at the new hotel Jinx has bought," Jacob said. "That's where Qetesh runs her events from."

Ella snorted. "I know that as well as anyone. I met Nadia at one of Tesha's events. How come neither of you mentioned it?"

"I didn't know he was your brother," I said.

"Well, considering I'm not needed for an introduction, I think I'll go and talk to someone else." She slipped away without even pausing to say goodbye.

"She's trying to set us up, isn't she?" I asked.

Jacob chuckled. "I suspect so, yes. She's always been talking about how much I'd like you. Though I didn't realise Tesha was short for Qetesh."

I shrugged. "People question it less than Qetesh."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Does she know that..." I gestured to his hand even though he didn't seem to be wearing his ring right now.

"That I'm ace?" he checked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, she knows. But she knows I'm open to a relationship."

"And she thought that setting you up with a sex goddess was a good idea?"

"You're the one who said that was only allegedly," he pointed out. "But before I quiz you further on that, you should get a drink."

"Ah, a gentleman, I see."

He gestured towards the temporary bar that had been set up in the corner with a menu that looked like it could rival the fanciest cocktail bar. It wasn’t a huge surprise. Nadia knew how to throw a party.

We headed over to the bar and waited while they served a couple of other people. I glanced over the menu, impressed to see that the cocktails all had alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.

"This is good," I said to Jacob.

"Mmm. Maybe a change I'll make to the bars at the hotel once my first month is up."

I laughed. "Are you really not going to make any changes for a full month?"

"I think it's better not to," he responded. "People working there don't know me, and I don't know them. It's better that I give them time to get used to me before I start actually changing things. If I don't, they're just going to get angry and it'll create distrust between us."

"Seen it before?"

"Yes, though thankfully, it wasn't while I was the boss, I saw it several times when I was working up the chain at hotels. Bad managers would destroy the loyalty and good faith of the workforce, and before you knew it, people were leaving and everyone was starting to struggle."

I nodded. "I haven't worked for other people in a long time, but I can assure you that they haven't changed."

"And yet now you're working for Jinx," he said.

"Aine is persuasive. And I'd gotten about as far as I could with my parties on my own, so it was time to try something different."

He raised an eyebrow. "Any regrets?"

"No. It's not going to be a forever thing, but for now, it's good. I like being able to help people find love. Or whatever else it is they want to find."

"Not just love?"

"Some people are looking for other things. Companionship, friendship, sex. They're all entirely valid, even if I'm not looking for them myself."

He gave me a curious look. "You're not?"

I froze for a moment, only to be distracted by the bartender calling our attention.

"What do you want?" Jacob asked me.

"A mimosa," I responded.

He nodded and ordered the two of us drinks. Despite the wait, the bartender was pretty quick to put them down in front of us, and I took mine.

Jacob gestured for the two of us to return to the corner where he'd been talking to Ella. "Unless there's other company you'd rather keep."

"I don't really know anyone other than Ella and Nadia," I said. "And you."

"Ah, then we're in the same boat. I've only met Nadia a couple of times before this too."

"It must be nice to be back around your family," I said.

He nodded. "I'm sure you know about Mum?"

"That she's struggling with her health," I said. "Ella told me about it."

"Ever since she started to decline, I hoped that I'd be able to come home and help Ella look after her. It just wasn't until the Jinx job was offered to me that I was able to."

"Good timing."

"Something like that. I still need to settle in, but I think it's going to be a good job."

"You do have some great company to keep while there," I joked.

He laughed. "So it would seem. Everyone has been very welcoming so far."

"Aine is good at making her staff feel valued. She's a good boss."

"That's good to know as someone who has just started to work for her."

"Just watch it when she starts flirting with you," I joked.

"I thought she was with someone."

"She's with Min, he's an Egyptian fertility god. Their relationship is exclusive, but they like to play a little when it comes to sex."

Surprise crossed his face. "I had no idea."

"They don't really flaunt it," I said.

"And you?"

"I've not slept with Aine, if that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't," he responded. "But I suppose it is good to know that you haven't slept with the boss."

"Would it change anything if I had?" I asked curiously.

"No. I don't spend very much time thinking about other people's sex lives."

I paused for a moment, not really knowing what to say in response. If I was true to myself, then there was a way I'd want to take the conversation, but I wasn't sure if I could say the words out loud.

"Qetesh?" he prompted.

I cleared my throat. "You can call me Tesha if you prefer," I said.

"Tesha," he said softly. I liked the way he said my name, it made me feel as if I could trust him. "Did I say something wrong? You went quiet."

"No, it's not you," I promised. "It's...complicated."

"I can get Ella..."

"No," I blurted out. "Don't get Ella."

"All right then, maybe we should talk of something safer. What's your favourite flavour of ice cream?"

"What?" I asked with a laugh.

"Your favourite kind of ice cream," he said. "What is it?"

"Praline. What about yours?"

"Banana cream."

I wrinkled my nose. "Really?"

He laughed. "It reminds me of being a kid."

"I suppose that's a nice reason to have a favourite ice cream."

"I wouldn't make anyone else eat it," he promised. "I might like it, but I know that not everyone else does."

"So a bit like sex, then."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, sex goddess," I murmured.

He gave me a curious look, like he'd figured out one of my biggest secrets despite the fact I'd never told anyone about it. "I thought you weren't a sex goddess."

"It's complicated," I murmured.

"Well, if you want to talk about it, then I can listen."

"You barely know me," I pointed out.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who is almost a stranger. Though if I listen to my little sister, you're already part of the family."

I laughed. "Fair enough."

A cheer went through the room, stopping any admissions from escaping unbidden, and keeping them away when speeches started.

Thankfully, I didn't have to give one tonight, though the wedding was going to be a whole different matter.

But I'd known what I was signing up for when I'd agreed to be Ella's Maid of Honour, and I was going to do the best job I could at it.