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Wow…
“So I offered him a biscuit as thanks,” he continues, as I try not to butcher his delicious macarons. “Logan took it, ate it in one bite, an’ became a regular. A few months later, he brought the rest of the lads, an’ ever since then, they’ve been family.”
Ugh…
My heart aches with the longing to belong to a family like them.
“You alright there, Cillian?” Finnian asks, noticing my hand freeze over the tray. “You look terribly sad, mate.”
“I’m just tired,” I lie, ignoring the growing emptiness inside me. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Aye, Ada. She didn’t stay in New York long. Moved down to Nashville a while back to pursue her songwriting. Doing quite well for herself, too.”
“That is amazing—”
“Cillian!” Astrid marches in, and she looks angry.
Whoops…
“What on earth are you doing hiding in the kitchen!” she demands, crossing her arms. “You are the host! The guests are asking for you, and one of the art advisors needs to talk to you!”
“Ach, leave the lad be, Astrid.” Finnian grins, completely unfazed by her glare. “He’s got a natural touch with the ganache.”
“Look!” I show Astrid my latest creation. “They’re pistachio macarons.”
“I don’t care if they’re royal wedding cakes!” she snaps, waving her hand toward the door. “Out. Now.”
“Thanks, Finnian. This was fun,” I say, setting the piping bag down and brushing a dust of sugar off my trousers before joining Astrid.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve been handling everything great, Astrid.”
“I have. But the guests want to talk to the host.” She opens her Birkin bag, pulls out a small thermos, and hands it to me. “Here. The cute doctor asked me to give this to you.”
Tae?
I take the warm thermos and twist it open.
It smells like ginger, chamomile, and honey.
“Why did he send me this?”
Astrid shrugs as we walk toward the gallery. “I asked the same thing, and he said you’d know why.”
I don’t get it…
We didn’t even talk this morning.
Tae just stared at me.
But he said I would know why…
“Mmm… Astrid, do you know what ginger and chamomile tea is for?”
“Of course. It eases tension, anxiety, an upset stomach, and helps you feel better. Are you feeling stressed?”
“Oh…” I close the thermos and clutch it to my chest.
Wow…
