“My father is. My mom is an autumn.”
“Did you leave a boyfriend behind?”
“I’ve never dated anyone seriously.”
“Never?”
“The nearby fae were primarily shifters, and you know how they are about dating outside their packs. I went on a few dates with a wolf, but that never went anywhere. Everyone I went to school with was human, and I couldn’t get close to any of them because they’d eventually notice my magic.”
“You didn’t know any other pixies?”
“I have a friend, Nadine. She and her sister lived nearby. And my family traveled a bit when I was young—we came here once. But as my mom got older, she became more of a homebody.”
Which is normal for pixies, and especially autumns. Wanderlust isn’t in our blood.
I continue, “By the time I was a teenager, we didn’t go anywhere anymore.”
“No wonder you’re enamored with Ash—you don’t know better.”
When I level Rowan with a stare, he chuckles and dips his beak into his tea. After he tilts his head back, working his jaw several times, he asks, “When did you visit Moss Hollow?”
“Once, when I was about ten. During the summer.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Sixteen years,” I say. “How did you become friends with Laverna?”
“I started coming here when I was young, often when I was angry with Ash. Then I worked for her while I was in high school.”
“You’re the high school kid you mentioned.”
“I am.”
“That’s why you know so much about tea.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we met each other while I was visiting? Laverna introduced us to a lot of people.”
“Possibly. Though you’re four years younger, so I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to you.”
“You’re really good for a girl’s self-esteem, thank you.”
“You’re a fickle woman. If you think I like you ‘too much,’ you panic. If I don’t notice you at all, you’re offended.”
I laugh to myself and then yawn, exhausted from the long day. Finished with my tea, I leave the table and put my cup in the sink. “I’m going to head to bed.”
“Goodnight, Kit.”
“I have to do more tea research tomorrow morning, and then maybe we can start looking for a dust pendant in the afternoon. Do you want to come to the shop with me again?”
“Of course.” When I start for my bedroom, he says, “Kit.”
I turn back, waiting.
“I’m glad Laverna chose you.”
“She didn’t have a lot of options,” I point out.
