“Oh, no, no, no,” Uncle Amos said, also getting to his feet.“You cooked, I’ll clean.Sit and finish.”
“I am finished,” Celia said.
Uncle Bram waved his hand at her.“You can’t be finished,” he said.“You haven’t eaten enough.”
“I’ve eaten plenty,” Celia said.
But Uncle Bram shook his head.“I won’t hear it.You sit, keep Darian company while he finishes.”
And with that, both his uncles got up and started cleaning, leaving Celia and Darian sitting next to each other.
“Can you tell they’re trying to set us up?”Darian whispered with a furtive glance at them.
Celia let out a grunt.“I have no interest,” she said.“I simply want to know more about the dragons.”
Darian grinned at her.Of course that was all she wanted, but there was something about her that was irresistible, and he hoped he could change her mind.
If she truly wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t push it, of course.But if she was open to it…things could change between them.
“If you say so, ma’am,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.
She shot him a sideways glance.“You don’t have to call me ma’am,” she said.
“That’s what I call all of our customers,” he said with a smirk.“And you don’t want to be more than that, correct?”
She gave him a sideways glance.“I suppose so,” she said with a suspicious look.“But you still don’t have to call me ma’am.Celia will do.”
“If you say so,” Darian said.
She sighed and stood, her plate scraped clean.“I have everything I came for,” she said.“I must head back now.”
“Darian will walk you back,” Uncle Bram said, suddenly paying attention.
She very nearly grimaced, turning it into a cough instead.“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“Do you not want me to come along?”Darian asked.
She shook her head at him.“I don’t need help carrying anything today.”
“You never know,” he said with a shrug.“You might want someone in case they set your house on fire.”
Celia rubbed her hand over her face.“I hope they haven’t,” she said.“They’re going to be the death of me.”
“They better not be,” Darian warned.“Maybe I’d better have a talk with them if you think they might.”
Celia shook her head.“No, they’re not actually going to set me on fire.”
“Besides,” he said, turning the corner of his mouth up, “I should ask Sod how he’s feeling today for you.Maybe he can tell me something about his leg that will help you heal him faster.”
Celia raised her eyebrows at him, and he fought the urge to laugh.She was too easy to bait.
“Pass the butter, please,” he told her, and when he took it, her fingers brushed against his.
She looked up at him and swallowed hard, her dark brown eyes staring at him like she would drown if she looked away.
He would drown right along with her.
Uncle Amos let out an “oof” and Darian looked up to see Uncle Bram’s elbow leaving his brother’s gut.“Darian should walk you home to be sure you’re safe,” Uncle Amos said.
