Page 37 of Moonlight Hearts

“Everyone messes up at the start.I did too,” I told him, trying my best to be the encouraging manager Dwayne expected me to be.

Ant frowned.“I didn’t.I did pretty good, right?”

“Well, you’re totally overqualified, Ant.”I pointed at the coffee maker.“Want to make a fresh pot before you head out?”

Levi straightened.“I’ll do that.I’ll do it.Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

I left them to it to check on table fourteen—not my normal section, but with everything being off schedule, we’d ended up switching.Thaeros had my section for the time being.Ant lingered, hiding behind Levi to watch Thaeros.Hopefully that wasn’t going to turn into a problem down the line.

Ant and Levi had finally made their way to the back to get ready to leave, but Elias caught my attention right after I’d brought table seventeen their drinks.

“I have heard you’ll have so much free time very soon,” he said, stirring his half-empty vanilla milkshake.

I sighed.“Yeah.They took a few shifts from me.”

Elias sucked on his straw while looking at me thoughtfully.“You don’t sound happy about that.Why don’t you sound happy about that?It’s the way, isn’t it, that one who moves up in the world works less?”

I straightened the pen and notepad in my apron’s pocket.“I don’t really think that’s how it works.”

“Hmm.Isn’t it?I believe it’s the promise of aristocracy, to have more leisure, more servants than messes to clean up.”

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed.“I really think you need to let go of this aristocracy idea of yours.That’s not how it works.”

“No, it is.But let’s not argue, given I’m in the right.You can finally come visit me now.I can show you my studio, and I can finally take those photographs.”

“Not getting out of that, am I?”

He shrugged.“I don’t see why you would, Amory.”He turned left.“Ben, you’d love me to take photographs of you, wouldn’t you?Be a dear and tell me true.”

Without pause, Ben said, “Can’t speak for Mr.Saintclair, sir.”

Which in turn sent Elias sprawling over the counter.“Aww, Ben!Such devotion!”He sniffled again and looked at me.“I envy you.Ambrose is nothing like Ben.My lot is a different one, Amory, and you’re the only friend who understands.”

His milkshake was still about a quarter full, but most of that was cream, and he was eyeing it in a way I couldn’t not notice.I picked up the glass.

“How about I get you another one of these?”

He sat up straight again.“Would you?That’s so very kind of you.Ambrose doesn’t make me milkshakes.Or juice, even.Amory, we must go on another juice date.I have been missing the opportunity to talk to you without this distraction of…work.”

That made me feel guilty.Not because of work, but because after the witch, just going out to grab juice hadn’t been anywhere near the top of my list of priorities.I hated that the witch had had that effect on me.I hadn’t been there long, even if it had made me think so.The witch, that thing, had…wanted me.I wasn’t sure exactly why.It was bad enough that I had a general sense of what for.

Had it been anything like that for Florence?What had it been like, being married to a witch?I forced myself to stop thinking about that.I knew it wouldn’t lead me down a good road.

“Amory.”

Elias’s hand on my arm pulled me out of my head.I’d been standing there, his nearly empty milkshake glass in hand, daydreaming.

“Sorry, I just… I’ll make you another.”

Elias gave me a look that was nothing like his usual attention-seeking self.“There is no rush.”

I nodded.There wasn’t, but sometimes it helped to keep busy.

Rae came in during a temporary lull in the dinner crowd, wrapped in a purple scarf and thick jacket, snow clinging to both.It looked peaceful and quaint from inside the Moonlight, the snow coming down as if it wanted to tuck the city in for winter.

“Hello?”they asked, faced with Thaeros, who was balancing a stack of plates from table four.