Page 79 of From the Edge

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I see. Yeah, you have a point.”

She chuckled. “See?”

There was a soft knock, and Ark said, “Come.”

The man who came in moved with spectacular grace. She focused through her sparkly eyes and blinked. Dark blue, pointed ears with jagged tips, and eyes that were a soft purple.

“Edric Wayfare, this is Hope Matthews. She lives at the estate we have been recommending.”

Hope extended her hand and said, “Hello.”

He shook her hand and smiled. “The staff who have rooms at the estate speak highly of it. You live there?”

“Yes, I am the cook and housekeeper.”

His gaze was warm. “I have spoken with Rowan about seeing if there is a room to suit me.”

“Okay. If you are there for dinner, it is cottage pie, fresh bread, and lemon meringue pie.”

He smiled. “That sounds excellent. What time does dinner start?”

“Five. Ends at seven thirty.”

“I will be there around five.”

She nodded, and Ark looked pleased with himself. “Oh, shut up.”

He started laughing.

“Well, I have what I came for. Send me the bill.”

“Rowan is paying for our services.”

“Excellent. She said she was; I just wanted to make sure that nothing had changed.”

She stood again and nodded to Edric and Ark. “Toodles.”

She left and walked down to Rowan’s department.

Rowan looked up in her cubicle. “So you are good?”

She held up her documents. “I am legal again.”

“Woohoo. Now we can go to a bar and order mocktails.”

“Not yet. I still have to find a way to make actual money. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am heading home. The inspector is coming for the daycare and afterschool centre. I think it would be better if I were there.”

“You know, you can look into childcare certification.”

Hope shrugged. “I already have it. It’s in here.”

“May I see?”

Hope handed over the document pack.

Rowan looked through the diplomas and certifications, and she whistled. “You are a counsellor as well?”

“Yeah. A lot of ex-foster kids are. We try to straighten ourselves out or at least figure out which adults didn’t act in a protective role. There had to be a reason, right?”