Page 108 of Moonlight Hearts

“Hmm.I was looking forward to taking you with me when I bought replacement plates and glasses.Not even the children were any use in that regard.”

“You’re really good with children, by the way.I’m not.”

He looked at me.“What are you saying, exactly?Did Simeon put you up to this?”

I adjusted my position so I could get closer to him and pulled off my gloves.“Simeon?What does Simeon have to do with that?I just mean because you had money ready for Laura and made a milkshake for Ella.”

“Thosechildren.I don’t particularly enjoy spending time with them, and Ella simplyhadto fall for a Star-Garbed.They’re meddlesome with their pies and their fucking Christmas candy.”

I was slowly putting the pieces together, but I was getting a sense of what the entire picture might look like.“Jules asked me about holiday candy.Is that why?Because you don’t like it but they think I do?”

Soyer narrowed his eyes at me.“What did you tell the house pawn, my heart?”

I shrugged.“Oh, just… I don’t remember.I think I said I like marzipan.”

Soyer frowned.“I see.”

“Was that bad?”

He shook his head.“Of course not.It’s just that they think—it actually doesn’t matter.They’re a meddlesome lot, difficult to get them to stay away from you.That’s all you need to know.”

“I like Jules though.He’s nice.Oh, should we give them some of the cookies we’re going to bake too?As a thank-you for that table, maybe?”

He looked at me.I wasn’t exactly sure how to read his expression, and while the gondola had some lights, it wasn’t brightly illuminated.I thought his left brow twitched once, but I really couldn’t be sure.

“If that is what you want, my heart, we’ll certainly do it.”

I rocked back and forth with excitement.“We’re going to have to make an extra big batch of cookies for everyone.”

“That seems to be the case.”His gaze moved past me.“Take a look, my heart.We’re so high up.”

I did, turning in his arms to take in the view.It was especially stunning because it was mostly dark, though grayish blue remained in the distance where the sky met the horizon’s edge.I was looking away from the city where the falling darkness easily claimed the lightless landscape.But when I turned, there was a glow, shining up against the clouds.Newstaten was bright in the night.

“Do you think we’ll be able to see Sundial Tower from here?”

“Are you making another phallic commentary about our building?”

I counted to three before responding.“I’d never.”

“You absolutely have more energy now that you have free time.”

“Is that bad?Don’t you like me not commenting on phallic architecture?”

Soyer chuckled.“You are such a shimmering soul, my heart.How could I not like having you here with me to make dick jokes about buildings?Who else is going to do that?And even if I tried it, who would listen to me and see me like you do, and make outrageous assumptions about me enjoying the company of children?”

“I’m not making any assumptions at all.”I was about to tell him that I was a child when I went to Lake Eureka the last time before he’d taken me, but then I thought about it and wasn’t so sure anymore.It could’ve been Florence’s birthday just as easily as mine.I couldn’t even really remember anymore, as if all the years before I’d met my firebird were but a dream.

Soyer being Soyer, he tightened his hold on me and rubbed my arm, not that it was that cold.When he did though, I made a half-throttled noise, things falling into place that somehow had slipped by me before now.

“What is it?”Soyer asked.

I turned to him.“When’s your birthday?”

“My birthday?”

“Yeah.Fuck.I’m sorry I didn’t ask you that.Mine is February twenty-fifth.We should’ve talked about that.I’m so sorry.”

Soyer pulled me close.“No reason to apologize.We can come here for your birthday, maybe have them close the park to the general public and open it only to whoever you’d like to have here with you.”