“It’s great, thank you,” he said. As the girls sat, he added, “Let me get drinks for you while you figure out what you’d like to order.”
They all got the sparkling strawberry lemonade made with strawberry syrup, lemon lime soda, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Trick delivered the drinks and took their orders.
Lucy handed her menu to Trick. “I would like a regular cheeseburger, please. But ask Aunt Juliette if I can have ranch in a bowl?”
“I know she’ll do that for you,” Trick said.
He disappeared into the kitchen, and Cass watched him leave, a smile on her face.
“All right, he’s cute,” Lauren said with a chuckle. “And he’s nice. How’s moving going?”
“Good. We got most everything over to the house today, just have to finish up this week and clean, then turn in my keys.”
“What’s going on with work? Are you staying at the coffee shop?”
Trick came back with a pen and several sheets of paper and set them in front of Lucy, whose eyes went wide. “Juliette said you like to draw and she really liked the wolf you drew for me, so I wanted to give you something to do while you wait for your cheeseburger with ranch on the side.”
“Oh, thank you. Can I call you Uncle Trick?”
He smiled so sweetly that Cass almost melted into the floor. “I’d love that, kiddo.”
Lucy happily hummed and began to draw. Trick winked at Cass and walked back into the kitchen.
“Okay, he’s a good guy,” Lauren said. “So anyway, about work?”
“I switched to part-time. They really only need me in the mornings, anyway. Juliette is part-time at the bookstore too,since she spends time in the kitchen with Sigh. I don’t know if I’ll help out here, but I do want to be in King Lake more than I’m in Mill Creek.”
“You’re happy?” Lauren asked.
“Very.”
“Then I’m happy for you. I’m happy you found love, and I’m sorry that I tried to talk you out of it. Following our hearts doesn’t come with instructions.”
Cass laughed. “No, it really doesn’t.”
Trick brought the burgers out with Juliette’s help, then he joined them at the table and they ate and talked.
After dinner, when Lucy had given pictures to Cass, Sigh, Juliette, and Dare, and Lauren said they needed to head home, Trick said, “Can you come out in the parking lot with us for a few minutes before you go?”
“Uh, sure. Why?” Lauren asked.
Trick looked at his phone, then smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
They all stood, the chairs scraping with the motion, and Cass looked up at him. “What did you do?”
“Something good.”
They walked out into the parking lot as the sun was beginning to set, bathing the whole place in beautiful, soft orange and gold. She heard a dragon call loudly and that’s when she knew what Trick had done.
Lucy gasped. “Oh, did you hear that? That’s a dragon!”
“I heard you’ve always wanted to meet one, so I asked Alpha Caz if someone from his clan could stop by.”
The Pine Ridge Mountains bordered one side of King Lake, and the dragon clan lived there. Trick had told her the dragons ran a security company and patrolled the town from the sky periodically.
“Oh, look!” Lucy said, pointing to the sky as the dragon drew close, swooping in big arcs. He let out a bellowing call and breathed fire, and Lucy cheered and clapped.
