“Shinsu,” Nori gasps, her scent blooming beautifully.
Kind of seeing her point, and not wanting to share that part of her with the rest of the town, I relent. Partially. “Okay. After book club, and then all night long.”
“What about your game night with the boys?”
Oh fuck. I totally forgot about them. Should I cancel Knights and Castles tonight or would that be too rude considering we canceled last weekend too? I’m not ready to say goodbye to Nori so soon. But how to balance it all?
“I can take you home after?” I suggest slowly. “Or you can stay another night? They won’t mind if you hang out with us. You can sit on the couch and read while we play.”
“I’d like that,” Nori says with a coy smile. “But only if you’re sure.”
“With you, always,” I reply. In the back of my mind I wonder how I’m going to concentrate on books this morning and a campaign later when I have so much to look forward to with Nori after.
My dragon spins in circles a couple of times, elated at how well everything is going with Nori and excited about the prospects of our future. Together.
I help Nori set up for book club, carrying a couple of chairs over from The Singing Seahorse next door, but when I try to arrange them in a neat row facing the pair of orange chairs, she quickly takes over and rearranges them in a loose circle.
“I really appreciate your help, but I think maybe this way it looks more collaborative instead of like a lecture,” Nori says with a slight wince as she places her hand on my forearm.
“That makes sense.” I look around the room, shifting my weight from foot to foot, wondering what else I can do to distract myself so I don’t pull Nori into my arms and kiss those beautiful lips the way they deserve to be kissed.
Like Lucille can sense I need direction, she glances at me from the refreshments table where she’s laying out napkins. “Beck dear, would you mind restocking the candies while Eleanor and I finish setting up?”
“Of course.” I lean down and limit myself to giving Nori a quick kiss, lingering only long enough to enjoy the way she sways into me before I disappear into the back room and go about my routine of refilling all the jars for the display wall.
I’m on the second jar when my dragon lifts his head, sensing someone new arriving. Halting my movements, I strain my ears and recognize Maisie’s cheerful humming. My dragon relaxes again but remains wary, knowing there will be many creatures around Nori today. It’s not that we distrust anyone in particular, but she’s our priority and keeping her safe and happy is of paramount importance to us.
Maisie gasps loudly as she enters The Dancing Daisy. “Fucking hells, Eleanor! You look magnificent. I love your curls! Is this your natural texture?”
Nori’s response is very demure. “Thank you. It’s definitely something to get used to, but I’m kind of enjoying how it feels.”
“That’s the most important thing,” Maisie says wisely. “As long as you’re comfortable in your body then it’s no one else’s business. Though, I hope Beck has been showering you with much-deserved compliments. You really do look beautiful.”
I want to shout, “Of course I am because my Nori looks like the epitome of feminine grace today.” Instead, I stay quiet and let the women continue their conversation.
A bashful huff of a laugh escapes from Nori. “He has been quite generous with his kind words.”
Hearing Nori say that makes me think back to last night and how much she enjoyed me telling her exactly what I think of every lovely feature of hers. Not only will I write down some of the things I’ve already told her, but from today I’ll be keeping anotebook that I can fill with letters and thoughts I have of her each day.
I honestly think I won’t ever run out of complimentary things I can say about my Nori. Beyond thoughts pertaining to her beauty, there’s much to say about her sweet heart, her smart brain, and her quick wit too.
“I’m glad,” Maisie says. “If he doesn’t treat you right then you just let me know. I’ll gather the girls and we’ll go have a talk with him.”
Thankfully, Nori is quick with her refusal. “There won’t be any need for that.”
“Good. Want to see your book club’s first themed cupcakes?” Maisie asks, seemingly ready for a change of topic.
There’s a sharp intake of breath from Nori, then she exclaims, “Maisie! These are gorgeous!”
Peeking out from the back room, I quickly glance at the quaint cupcakes and the bloody knives sticking out of them, glad that Maisie truly matched the theme of the book, before I resume my task.
“Thank you. I’m really proud of how they turned out,” Maisie says. “Very on theme for our murder mystery, don’t you think? And the knives are edible. And of course it’s just raspberry compote and not blood and guts bubbling out of the frosting.”
“You’re a genius,” Nori praises. “And thank you for coming. I’m so happy to have you here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Seriously,” Maisie emphasizes. “Sorry I didn’t RSVP earlier, I just wasn’t sure if I could stay for book club because I had an order for a birthdaycake that also had to be delivered this morning. Thankfully Ren offered to take it into Cape Easton for me so I can be free to attend. You can imagine the list of instructions I gave him to deliver that cake in perfect condition. Thank fuck he has a tail to use for extra balance. Well, that tail is good for many other things too, if you know what I mean. And Viggo volunteered to take Ren and the cake so Beck could be here for you.”
“What?” Nori breathes out. “I didn’t know.” Satisfaction rolls through me that I was able to organize everything to be here for Nori today. Eliciting Viggo’s help wasn’t that hard to do once I explained to him why I couldn’t ferry creatures to and from Cape Easton today. Turns out that Starry Hill really supports courtship.
