Page 24 of Moonlight Hearts

Seems unfair to only give Ben a raise.

Whoever needs a union if they have you?

Fine, they get a raise too.

You’ll have to thank me in their place later tonight.

My cheeks heated, and warmth built in my belly.

All right.I’ll do that.

Only if you want, my heart.I have to get back to this.See you later.

I sent him back a heart emoji even though emojis were more his thing, and stretched out on the couch.I hadn’t been alone in a very long time, and for a moment there, I felt like a fir tree, uprooted and taken from its place in the forest into a house where tinsel was rained on it like snow, where the air was too warm, and where no living creature sought shelter in its branches.

After washing Soyer’s Turkish coffee pot, which he’d left in the sink, I ended up reading while snacking on the buns he’d made.The sweet bread was good with the berry jelly he kept in the fridge, and I had more coffee than I normally did.

All in all, I was being lazier than I had been in ages.That didn’t bode well for…next week?I hadn’t asked when they’d start taking away my shifts, but I had to train the manager first.They wouldn’t just expect someone else to take over from me without at least a little bit of extra training.And while giving up my nights at the Moonlight felt like I was being pushed out, I was happy that we were growing, that we’d be open for longer.I also liked the idea of seeing more people from the underground come to visit us.

I reached the conclusion that expanding was going to be good, that it meant we’d get more people in the door, and that got me excited.With the energy born from that excitement, I ended up taking a shower at about three, right after texting Ben to let him know I was going to head in early if he was okay with that.

He said he was going to meet me downstairs at the front desk.Yet, when I got down there, it was just Jules.The young doorman looked up from his computer and smiled when he saw me come out of the elevator.

“Heading out early today, sir?”

I leaned on his desk.“Just a little.Did you see Ben?”

“Not yet.Would you like anything while you wait?”

Jules looked downright hopeful, which made me smile.Maybe it was like Elias had said and people really thought I was dating a dark prince, a moniker Soyer wouldn’t appreciate.

“No, I’m good.But thanks.”

“Of course.Say, while I have you, do you have any preference when it comes to holiday candy?”

I cocked my head.“Holiday candy?”

Jules was beaming.“Oh yes.”

“Do you mean like…gingerbread?That sort of thing?”

“Absolutely.Do you like gingerbread?”

“It’s not too bad.I guess…marzipan is nice.”

“Hmm.Good choice.Anything else?”

“Uh, I don’t know?I’m not sure.”

That had him frowning, but he recovered quickly.“Marzipan and gingerbread with a big question mark is a good start.And about Thanksgiving, we wouldn’t want to intrude, but do you think we could bring you up a pumpkin pie?Or maybe you’d rather apple?”

I didn’t know why he was asking me all this, but I had the feeling this was one of those important interactions where each casual remark I made meant something far more important to the other party, and if I said something wrong, I’d probably end up offending someone.Jules looked like he really wanted me to say yes to the pie, that much was clear.

“You don’t have to go to any extra trouble, Jules.Thanksgiving is always so busy…” I trailed off.It was.Had been.Back before Soyer.Dwayne had made it special, in his way.There was normally cake in his office, and he’d been sure to make everyone food to take home at the end of their shift.As it was, I wasn’t even sure I was going to be working on Thanksgiving.

I registered then that not working on a holiday was something family people might care about, and from there, I went on to a minor revelation: I had family too.I didn’t know if he was the type to celebrate, but maybe he’d be fine if we asked Elias over, maybe Valentin and Simeon too.And Rae and Ben, though if Ben brought the writer, I couldn’t quite imagine how I was going to handle that.

Jules was shaking his head, pulling my attention back to himself.“No trouble at all.We’re really so happy you’re settling in well here, Mr.Saintclair.”