Chapter 21
Permanent Arrangements
June
2 Weeks Later
I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my delivery career. I once delivered a hand-carved birdbath to a wendigo who was “trying to attract more songbirds to improve the ambiance during feeding time.” But watching Dale Brennan slide into my booth at Merry’s Diner with an actual smile on his face? That might take the cake for unexpectedness.
“June,” he nods, signaling Merry for coffee.
“Deputy,” I reply, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. “You’re looking… not completely miserable today. Should I be concerned?”
Dale actually chuckles as Merry pours his coffee. “Can’t a guy be in a good mood without raising suspicion?”
“Not when that guy is you. You once gave Mrs. Henderson a citation for ‘excessive wind chime noise.’”
“Her wind chimes are three feet long and can be heard from miles away,” he mutters, but there’s no heat behind it. He takes a sip of coffee and shifts in his seat. “I’ve been visiting Kestra.”
I set down my fork. “The same Kestra who tried to flatten you with an oak tree a couple weeks ago?”
“The rehabilitation center is about three hours away,” he continues, ignoring my question. “They’ve got specialists there who work with non-humans who’ve… had trouble adjusting.”
“By ‘trouble adjusting’ you mean ‘attempted to murder an entire town’?”
Dale sighs. “She lost everything, June. Her entire world was destroyed. Can you blame her for being angry?”
I study his face. The permanent furrow between his brows has softened, and he looks tired but somehow lighter.
“What do you two even talk about?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Tree fertilizer? The best season for mulching?”
“I bring her saplings,” he says, a hint of pride in his voice. “Native species. She’s caring for them in the facility’s greenhouse.”
“And she doesn’t try to impale you with these saplings?”
“Oh, she’s still prickly,” he admits with a small smile. “But she’s… healing. The program confirmed the land legally belongsto her under the post-Unveiling reparations law. When she’s cleared to return, no one can touch her property again.”
I lean forward. “So she’ll be able to regrow her grove?”
“That’s the plan. It’ll take decades, of course, but…” he trails off, staring into his coffee. “Time means something different to her. She talks about centuries like we talk about seasons.”
A slow grin spreads across my face. “Deputy Dale Brennan, are you hoping she’ll invite you to visit once she’s settled?”
His ears turn bright red. “Maybe.”
“Dale! Really?”
“What?” he huffs defensively. “She’s… different. She sees the world in ways I never considered. Talking to her has made me rethink a lot of things.”
“Like your stance on non-humans?”
He has the grace to look sheepish. “Among other things. I don’t know what’s growing between us, but I want to find out.”
“I’m glad,” I tell him, and I mean it. “Kestra deserves someone patient. Someone willing to see past the anger to the pain underneath.”
Dale nods thoughtfully, then clears his throat. “So, how are things going with the spider?”
“His name is Riven,” I correct automatically. “And things are great, actually. I’m moving in with him.”
