Page 86 of Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

Dr. Sorel sighed. “No.”

“You don’t know what I’m going to ask.”

“You want to dance.”

“I do.”

“We have guests.”

“They can donate without your direct supervision for three minutes.”

“That’s never been my experience at the events, Miriam.”

Miriam tugged gently on her hand. “Georgiana.”

“Oh, very well. Three minutes,” she said.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Done.”

Rafe and I locked eyes, and we shared the same thought so clearly it might as well have been spoken.

Negotiators everywhere.

Miriam turned to me, happiness clear on her face. “Thank you for bringing Max. Keep the dog close,” she said. “He’s excellent leverage.”

Max wagged once.

“Please don’t tell him that,” I said. “He already has too much influence in my household.”

Miriam laughed, then led Georgiana onto the dance floor, their hands linked again. This time, Dr. Sorel didn’t seem to mind who noticed.

“You were very good,” Rafe said.

His voice was even, but the words were not casual. Praise from Rafe didn’t arrive decorated. It arrived cleanly, like evidence placed carefully on a table.

“Thank you,” I said, then because sincerity made me itchy, “I only blacked out for maybe thirty percent of that.”

“That’s concerning,” he said, but his mouth was curved in that almost-smile.

I grinned before I could stop myself.

Across the ballroom, Miriam and Georgiana stepped into the music, cobalt and black moving together beneath the chandelier light. Georgiana said something that made Miriam laugh, and Miriam leaned closer, bright and delighted and wholly unembarrassed by joy.

After a while, Rafe said quietly, “What are you thinking?”

I could’ve made a joke, and I almost did.

Instead, maybe because the night had become stranger and softer than I expected, I told a portion of the truth.

“I was thinking that it must be nice to have someone who knows how to call you back without making you feel small.”

Rafe was silent beside me.

When I looked at him, the humor had left his face. “Yes,” he said. “I imagine it is.”