Page 1 of Moonlight Hearts

Chapter One

ItwasMondaynight,just a few minutes after midnight, and the Moonlight was empty.

For some reason, that made me grin from ear to ear, even if, as the manager, it was my job to make sure we were always busy.To be fair, it wasn’t my fault no one was here.We’d closed early today because of the business meeting Dwayne and Soyer were having in the back.

I didn’t know why the two of them discussing whatever it was they were discussing meant we couldn’t serve some pie and coffee, but I didn’t argue.Also, Ben had been allowed to leave early, and Rae too, and for the first time in forever, it was just me out here in the front, refilling the saltshakers now that I was done folding the napkins and setting the coffee makers up for the early shift.The windows had turned to mirrors hours ago, and my mind was drifting.I’d always loved the early hours when the Moonlight got quiet, when everything was quiet.

I stopped in the middle of doing the second to last saltshaker to look at the ring on my finger.Being engaged to Soyer just never got old.It was the perfect little fault in the nostalgic moment I was having.Soyer had changed everything, made everything new.

Before I could get even more swoony, I heard the door in the back, meaning the meeting was over.I hurried to get the last saltshaker done and I’d just about finished when the swing doors opened and Dwayne walked in.

“All done for the day, kid?”

“Yup, all ready to go.”

He grunt-nodded and walked over to table five.“Take a seat, then.Business meeting part two.”

I pointed at my chest.“With me?”

Dwayne fixed me with a steely gaze.“You’re the manager, aren’t you?”

I flushed.“Guess I am.”

I put the box of salt back under the counter and left the shakers out for now, then wiped my hands on my apron and slid into the booth across from Dwayne.

“New server’s working out?”Dwayne asked.

I nodded.“Well, I mean… Levi is really trying, you know?He’s getting better.He has the entire menu down, knows everyone’s specials, can spot the regulars, and he never gets anything wrong when he totals up someone’s order.”

Dwayne nodded once.“You tell him that?”

“I… Some of it.”

Dwayne nodded, then the door went again and Soyer strode in.

My heart swooped.I had no idea whether that was normal after we’d already known each other for months, but it was a reaction I had pretty reliably.He looked at me, looked me over, but kept his expression neutral.

I moved closer to the window, but instead of sitting next to me, Soyer took the seat next to Dwayne.Dwayne had his hands folded in front of him, elbows on the table, and in a move that I didn’t think was coordinated, Soyer mirrored that pose almost exactly.I could tell when he noticed, because he frowned, looked to his right where Dwayne sat, and pulled one arm off the table as if he’d always intended that.

“Let’s get this over with then.”Soyer looked at the windows.“We’re going to do a touch of remodeling, get these replaced.”

“The windows?”

Dwayne nodded.“He says mirrored glass is better.For the…different crowd.”

I blinked my eyes two, three times at the casual way Dwayne mentioned the supernatural crowd.I shouldn’t have been surprised.I’d walked in on him meeting Kasey for the first time, and that had boiled down to Dwayne standing in the kitchen doorway, Kasey pretending to ignore him but watching him with his snakes, and Dwayne just nodding and heading through to his office.Yeah, Ireallyshouldn’t have been surprised.

“Okay?”I looked at the windows too, thinking that I’d miss them.They’d been here longer than I had, after all.

“You’ll still be able to look outside, of course.We’ll go with one-way glass,” Soyer continued.“We’ll also add some neon to the outside, make it flashy.And a second entrance through the back.”

“Through the back?Oh, for everyone else?”

Another nod.“We’re going to extend the opening hours to be around the clock, and what used to be closing time will remain so for humans but will become the opening time for pawns and cursed.”

Dwayne nodded.“Apparently, people want to come here but can’t.Makes sense to do this.”

“Right?”I glanced at Soyer, who’d folded his hands in front of him, unconsciously mirroring Dwayne all over again.I had a feeling there was more.