“Amazing, amazing. It evensmellsold in here. Reminds me of the castle inBeauty and the Beast.”
“Pretty close.” I tilt my head, trying to see PopPop’s world through young eyes again. It’s not quite a real castle, but that iconic scene where Belle floats down the stairs in her yellow dress?
I can totally see it here.
“So is this your house now?”
“I wish. Some other folks in the family will be selling it off sooner or later. We’re just staying here for a little while to take care of some business.” I really shouldn’t say too much about the true reason we’re here, as tempting as it is.
She’s only ten. Kids like to talk, no matter how mature they seem, and grown-ups love to listen. The last thing we need are rumors about a rare lost Blackthorn treasure flying around Portland.
“And Dad too?”
“He is. We’re hanging out until we find a good home for the mother of all Easter eggs.” I decide to treat her like an adult as much as I can, the way I would’ve wanted to be treated when I was her age. “It’s a tough decision, with a lot of research and interviews involved.”
“Couldn’t you just keep it?”
I smile.
“I could, but there are a lot of risks attached. Inspections, security, special cleaning. I can’t see myself living anywhere fancy enough to have a sprinkler system in case there was a fire. I’d probably have to keep your dad on payroll just to guard it. And he’s way too expensive for my blood.”
“Aw, yeah. He’s really sharp.” She bites her lip, mulling it over. “But still. You’d get to tell people you’ve got the Hera Egg. Everyone would be jealous.”
“Oh, no doubt. But some people might get so jealous they’d try to take it away, too.”
Her forehead wrinkles, an expression that looks too serious for her young face. “People would do that?”
“Unfortunately. Some people suck,” I say heavily.
“Yeah, they do!” She points past the stairs to the library. “I remember this place from last time. That nice lawyer lady was here.”
“This is where I’d spend most of my time with my granddad. He’d work and I’d draw, whenever I wasn’t piling in with my cousins for story time.”
“You draw?”
I nod.
She spins around in place once we’re inside, taking in the huge fireplace and the big heavy desk that’ll be mine once this is all said and done.
“I love reading so much,” she says. “Movies too, but mostly documentaries.”
“I liked anime when I was your age.”
“You don’t now?”
I shrug. “Not enough time to keep up. The fandom’s like ten times bigger and there are so many series.”
Losing interest, she takes the lead in exploring the rest of the house. I trail along behind her. I love how she’s having thebesttime, feeding her imagination.
The more house she sees, the more convinced she is that it nailsBeauty and the Beastvibes. I can’t say she’s wrong.
And my brain can’t stop going to obvious places it shouldn’t.
If I’m Belle, what does that make Holden?
I don’t know how much I mind it, either.
With how grumpy and short-fused he is… he’s just slightly less hairy from the real deal.
