Page 12 of Buckle Up, Buttercup

Furyon smirks, black lips pulling into a satisfied smile as he slides an arm around his beautiful mate.

“It’s not fair,” I snap, tossing a rag at Lemon.

She catches it easily, dropping it back onto the countertop. “Stop changing the subject, Bluebell Tucker. What’s wrong with the Bodice?”

I sigh. “Well, it’s been three days since I took over and what’s not wrong? The back room is actually a mess with no organizational system I can suss out. The building is upset at having been left, I think, but doesn’t want any help from me. It’s just not what I thought I was getting into.”

Furyon eyes me. “So she doesn’t want your help? How do you know?”

“We just didn’t get off to a great start, and I’m getting weird vibes. I’m sure it’ll be fine, though.”

“It’s probably just an adjustment period,” Lemon says smoothly. “Kinda like me and the Keeper’s house.”

“We still can’t figure that one out,” Furyon supplies helpfully. “You ain’t our Keeper, Lemon, but that mansion loves you.”

She shrugs but beams. “Tough not to love someone so sweet and kind, ya know?”

“And humble,” I tack on. “Want to come to the Bodice and see if you can make her like me? I don’t know what I’m gonna do if she doesn’t come around.”

“Well, it’s been less than a week since you took over, right?” Furyon grabs Lemon’s menu, stacks it on his, and sets them both aside. “You’re gonna be fine, Bluebell. You’ve known that business your entire life. It’s just gonna take a minute, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” I say, making a fake barfing sound. “Save the sweetiepies for your sweetiepie and the Valentines shindig. Or, shit, even the Christmas or Yule celebrations.”

“Give us our usuals,” Furyon says, sliding the menus toward me.

“Me too,” shouts Oz as he appears in the doorway, an auburn pit hell female trailing after him. He crosses the bar and flops onto a stool next to Lemon. The pit hell hops up next to him and leans forward, resting her chin on the edge of the bar.

Oz shuffles his big leathery wings and pets her head. “Bacon cheeseburger for my girl here, please. I named her Ginger, finally!”

I reach over and stroke the half pit bull, half hellhound’s silky snoot, looking at Oz. “She finally bond with you?”

He shakes his head, stealing Lemon’s mead and downing it in one big gulp. Smacking his black-painted lips, he looks at me. “Naw, but any moment, I’m sure. Which would be cool because then I’d have, like, a personal bodydog, you know, like a bodyguard?”

“Maybe she’d like a gift,” Lemon says thoughtfully.

“What do you think the bacon cheeseburger’s for?” Oz rolls his eyes.

Lemon matches his expression. “I was talking to Bluebell about the Bodice. I’m saying maybe the Bodice would like some gifts since she’s a store.”

I turn and punch Lemon and Furyon’s orders into the point-of-sale. Once I hit submit, I slide a menu over the bar to Oz. He doesn’t tend to branch out in his orders either, but I might as well do the job I’m hired to do. Unless only the dog’s eating…

Lemon does karaoke while Furyon and Oz chat over drinks. The pup’s burger comes out first, and Oz chops it into small pieces for her. She eats with delicate, quick movements, eyes darting around the bar. She’s so cautious, looking constantly to Oz for reassurance. He strokes her with his big purple fingers, his touch delicate.

When she’s done, she crawls into his lap, and despite being probably sixty pounds, she tucks her head up into his shoulder-length hair and falls asleep in his arms. He wraps a wing around her, cradling her body, which makes him look like a human with a wing-shaped baby carrier.

Big ole sweeties, all of the Gulch’s pit hells. Most of them run wild, although they’re all friendly. This one’s been following Oz around for a while, though. I suspect a little love story is happening, which is pretty adorable since Oz moved here to escape a love story with a shitty ending.

He deserves this.

“I’ve got an appointment with a supplier in Santa Alaya tomorrow. They’ve got some cool gear that’s very you-inspired,” I say to Lemon. “So I’m hoping the Bodice will be on board for some nifty new things, a little change of pace.”

“Tell her I asked for it,” Lemon says with a shrug. “She’s always happy to accommodate a customer, in my experience. And I’m in there a lot.”

“I know you are,” I say with a snort. “You’re gonna help me keep the lights on in that place.”

We share a laugh at that. I can’t even imagine what Furyon’s credit card looks like now that she’s gotten ahold of it.

“Between outfits from the Bodice and potions antiques from the Auction House, you’re gonna keep me workin’ til I’m dead,” Furyon says with a wink at his mate, which answers my question.