Page 58

Sass swept a curl from her face, as she leaned one elbow against the end of the bar and caught her breath from the evening rush. The fire was roaring and the tables were filled with customers, both old and new. A gnome couple sat at the nook table enjoying supper, and the long tables were filled with those eating and those who’d only stopped by for a pint.

Val and Korl occupied their usual chairs by the fire—all the regulars knew that those were to be left for them—and Val had started on a new scarf, the ball of lavender yarn balancing on one knee as she knit. Korl kept one eye on the kitchen, like he always did, waiting for when Lira would finish her work and come join him, sitting on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck.

She cut her gaze to the bar where Vaskel was sliding a tankard of ale to a new patron and grinned. Although the Tiefling had grumbled when she’d begged him to step in after Durn had left, he was a natural behind the bar. She doubted he’d stay forever, but they didn’t need forever.

She was as shocked as anyone that she’d stayed so long. If you’d have asked her the night she’d tried to rob the till, she never would have guessed that she’d still be in Wayside running the tavern instead of stealing from it.

Sass shook her head. A lot had changed since she’d stumbled into Lira that night, and she would never regret any of it.

Her chest swelled as she surveyed the bustling tavern and all the folks she now called friends. No, her only regret was not telling Lira why she’d been so desperate that night, why she’d been on the run.

In her defense, she hadn’t known whether she could trust the elf—correction, half-elf—or if Lira had been serious about reviving the tavern. She’d just been relieved to have a place to bed down and food in her belly.

Pressing her lips together, Sass’s pulse jangled. She’d been lucky so far. No one knew where she was, and no one from her past would imagine that she could be working at a tavern in a tiny village. But how long until her past caught up with her?

She glanced at the kitchen doors, telling herself for the hundredth time that she should just tell Lira. Lira would understand. But every time, she thought better of it. Then Val caught her eye from across the room and smiled, giving her a slow wink that made heat blossom in the dwarf’s chest.

“Tomorrow,” she said under her breath with a determined nod. “I’ll worry about all that tomorrow.”

Then she picked up a plate of meat hand pies from the bar and made a beeline for the hearth, too distracted by the blonde smiling at her to notice that someone from her past had just slipped through the front door.

Thank you for reading Tusks, Tails