“Excellent idea, Calisa,” Auntie Zee said, which was more praise than she’d ever heaped on Calisa and made her, if possible, even more nervous. What exactly did Auntie Zee plan to say to her moms? And what would her moms say back?
She hurried into the kitchen to fetch the dishes of crème brûlée that she’d made. She heard a tapping on the window over the sink and spotted Steve poking at the glass with his wing. “Yes, come in,” she told him. “I need reinforcements.”
Opening the window, she welcomed him in and patted her shoulder. He flew up and perched beside her neck. His scaled side felt like rough leather, and he smelled of dirt and pine.
Leaning out, she called, “Jack?”
He popped his head up from within the garden, where he was working with his dad. “You’re back! Where were you? How was it?”
“Want to meet my moms?”
“Uh…”
“They’re going to love you.” Surely they wouldn’t argue in front of Jack and Steve and the firebird, would they? She reallywanted this to go well. It felt like the grand reopening all over again, except this time she had less control over it.
Jack handed his gardening gloves to his father and trotted inside. After he washed his hands in the kitchen sink, he helped her carry a tray of crème brûlée into the sitting room. As she passed the mirror, she whispered, “What did I miss?”
No drama yet. Just a lot of boring awkward staring.
“Good.”
Are they going to fight? I want to watch a fight.
“Calisa?” Jack asked, nervous.
“It’ll be fine,” Calisa told him. “Just show them your smile.”
I’m betting on Auntie Zee. She’d fight dirty.
Ignoring it, she walked into the sitting room. “Mom-Elise, Mom-Kate, this is Jack.”
Setting down the tray of crème brûlée, Jack smiled at them and offered his hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. Ma’am.”
“We’ve met before,” Mom-Kate said, shaking his hand and smiling at him. “You and Calisa once climbed a tree—”
“Is that—” Mom-Elise pointed to the little dragon on Calisa’s shoulder.
“This is Steve,” Calisa said. “He’s my dragon.” She’d told her parents about him, but apparently seeing him in the flesh—and in the scales—was a different experience. She wondered how much of her story they’d believed or even absorbed. It had been a lot. She considered whether she could have waited a few days before bringing them to the B&B. Perhaps they’d need more time to process everything.
Her moms exchanged glances, which made Calisa even more nervous. “Um, sweetie,” Mom-Kate began, “we know that we said someday you could have a pet…”
“…when we live in an apartment that allows them,” Mom-Elise finished. “But I’m not sure any apartment lease allows for…” She waved her hand toward Steve.
“Well, they don’tnotallow it,” Mom-Kate said to her.
“But a…I can’t even say the word,” Mom-Elise said.
“He’s what’s known as a draco minor, or micro dragon,” Auntie Zee said briskly. “He won’t grow much larger. But regardless, it’s best if he lives at the B&B, where he can fly free outside whenever he wants, without the risk of being spotted by anyone.”
Calisa put her hand up to scratch Steve’s neck. She didn’t like the idea of leaving him here without her. She’d gotten used to him always being nearby, and she knew he was attached toher.
“As you can see, the draco minor has formed an attachment to your daughter,” Auntie Zee said. “They bond with one person at a time, and it would be cruel for Calisa to abandon him at this point. She should be the one responsible for training him, now that he’s able to produce flame.”
Wait, where was Auntie Zee going with this? Calisa looked from her great-aunt to her moms and then back again. Obviously she didn’t want to abandon Steve….
Mom-Kate rose to her feet and paced through the living room.
“Tea?” Auntie Zee offered.
