Page 3 of Moonlight Hearts

Dwayne cocked his head, looking confused.“What now?”

Soyer made a dismissive gesture.“He makes up stories about some of the regulars.Don’t tell anyone.We don’t want that to get out.”

Dwayne shrugged.“Fine by me.”He leveled his gaze at me.“So we’re done here?”

“But—”

Soyer nodded.“Almost, Dwayne.We’ll be closing for a day to get the windows done.That’ll be next week, so we’re ready in time for Thanksgiving and all of that.”He grinned at me.“You’ll be so busy, training your co-manager.”

“You planned that!”I pointed at him as if I were some meme.

“He sure did, kid.Should’ve seen that coming when you burned the place down,” Dwayne said.

That had my jaw dropping yet again.Soyer was cackling, the villain.As I watched, the two of them high-fived without looking.Apparently, I’d been sucked into a parallel universe where my boss and my fiancé were much too close for comfort.Where they were…friends?

That made me ignore my indignation for long enough to marvel at that and feel happy for Soyer, who was far too pleased about showing off how scary he was most of the time.Having a friend like Dwayne suited him.

“Now I think we’re done here,” Soyer said.

The two of them shuffled out of the booth, stood up, then shook hands.Yup, they were in cahoots.

“You good to close up?”Dwayne asked me.

“Yeah.Just the saltshakers—”

Dwayne turned away, chuckling as he walked off toward the back.

Soyer stretched, bringing his arms up over his head in such a way that his long-sleeve stretched over his chest.

“A job well done.”

I frowned.“You planned that.”

“Sure did.”

“You didn’t even tell me!You could’ve told me and asked me about this.”

Soyer lifted his left eyebrow.“My heart, there are many things I don’t know, but one certainty I have accepted is that it is far too easy for you to get me to agree with you.”

I crossed my arms.“I could say the same.”

“Could you?Please do.Tell me all about it.Over ice cream?I think we should get ice cream.”

I pointed out the windows.“It’s November, you know.”

“So?”

I couldn’t help myself.Soyer made me smile.He made me happy.“Sure, let’s get ice cream.After I do the saltshakers.But nothing will be open.”

That made him laugh out loud.

He tried to help me with the saltshakers but gave up when he saw me straightening them after he’d placed them on the tables.He seemed not to mind though, watching me instead from where he was leaning against the counter, fondly amused.With his attention on me, I ran my thumb over the band on my left hand.Having his ring was a prize I’d not soon give up, not for anything.

Chapter Two

Before,I’dthoughtwewere always taking taxis because Soyer didn’t have a car.If Ihadthought about it, which, to be fair, I’d barely had the time to do.

But of course Soyer had a car—several, as he’d confessed to me—and it had taken me getting abducted by an evil witch to piece that together.He’d come to rescue me in his car, and I preferred that memory to anything from before he’d come to get me out.