Page 32 of Moonlight Hearts

I took it by the handle.“I don’t really cook.I guess I’m not allowed.”

Kasey froze.“Whoa.Okay.We’re shifting to a personal convo, yeah?Boss, you have to warn me if you’re doing that.Not that I’m not willing, but I need to adjust.”

I grabbed one of the onions that still needed to be done and cut off the bottom where the dried-up roots came out.Some of Kasey’s snakes took interest.

“Not that personal.I just meant I don’t cook.I used to have instant coffee back when I lived alone.”

“Rough.Really rough.Why didn’t you just have coffee here?I’ve had our coffee.It’s pretty good.”

I chuckled, my thoughts going back to that first night Soyer had spent over at my old apartment.It seemed like it had been ages ago, him and me sitting on that old couch in the place that had been the warmest home I’d ever known, right up until I’d moved in with Soyer.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

“You’re totally blushing.Aw, you’re making me jealous, just a little bit.”

I was blushing.And…I didn’t mind it.A year ago, it would’ve freaked me out, the fear of being known, of only being accepted if I stuck to what was safe.Straight.Back then, I could’ve never imagined that it would be this easy, that no one would really mind.No one who mattered at least.

“Guess I am.In case you hadn’t heard, my fiancé is handsome, so even the jealousy is warranted.”

Kasey’s snakes writhed with what I thought was bemusement.“Are you missing Rae and talking to me instead?Rae’d be really good at this.I’m not sure I should be commenting.”

I’d gone through about half the onion, and my pieces weren’t as small as Kasey’s, not even close, nor were they uniform.“Everyone’s always worried they’re breaking some important rule when they talk to me.Hey, the new manager?”

“I like their hair.”

I looked up from my unfinished onion.“You like their hair?Really?”

Kasey looked at the ceiling and scratched the scales of one of his snakes.“I guess?I like hair.When other people have hair.You know, like humans say blond is their type?I like when people have hair.”

“You’re saying the new manager is good-looking.”I frowned, mostly because the onion was fighting back and making me cry, but also because I was starting to wonder if maybe I was the problem, not Thaeros.After all, they hadn’t really done anything bad.

“I think that’s an objective fact.”

I wanted to ask Kasey about what Thaeros had said, those names they had mentioned.I didn’t though.I wasn’t sure whether that would be wise or whether it would just make me nosy.Instead, I pivoted to the problem at hand.

“What am I doing wrong here?”

Kasey cleared his throat.“A few things, but you do you.”

“Actually, can you show me how to do it right?”

Kasey’s snakes seemed amused.“All right.”He handed me a new onion and put aside the rest of the one I’d been working on.“So, to start, you don’t want to cut off the root.”

I wiped my eyes and set my jaw.It was just an onion, after all, and I was going to master how to deal with it.

Dwayne didn’t need a reminder to leave, as it turned out, and he popped into the kitchen five minutes before I’d planned on getting him.

He put his hands on his hips.“Found a new job, did you?”

With my eyes full of onion tears, I looked up.“Just…helping out.There’s three people out there, and Kasey didn’t mind.”

Kasey gestured with his spatula.“I told him how to hold a knife.Good deed for the day all done.”

“I see.Well, keep it up.New guy?”

Whenever I’d had to take a break to wipe my face, I’d looked out the passthrough, and to my chagrin, Thaeros was pretty damn good at waiting tables.He had the menu down too, and his order sheets were legible.Twice I’d caught Ant looking after him, dreamy-eyed.So, yeah.Everyone deserved their chance, and despite everything, I couldn’t find fault in how Thaeros had used it.

“He’s doing fine so far.”