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“Your father bugged you about it, eh?”
He laughed and shrugged, shaking his fae-spun cotton candy to draw attention to it. “Yeah, and then I did that trick Sasha taught me and got some candy.”
“Trick?”
“Yep, she told me I could use any childhood memory to trade for treats. I don’t have to use mine.”
I smiled. “That’s clever.”
A round of applause exploded as Adam tossed the plate into the air and did a back flip, catching the plate between his teeth without cracking the porcelain. Groans of admiration and approval expanded in every direction as the onlookers swelled with excitement. Shouts for an encore inspired Adam to show off a few more poses with the plate until he spotted me and fell on his snout.
Laughter crackled through the air. I watched the embarrassed wolf disappear into an alleyway before reappearing in his usual garb. A blush decorated his cheeks as he collected his herbs, bowed to the crowd, and jogged across the street.
He extended the herbs like a bouquet, appearing more like a sheepish teenager asking me to prom than the handsome devil who had swept me out of my comfort zone.
And that look alone made me doubt everything I had been thinking all morning.
I feigned surprise. “For me?” I winked at Henry. “You shouldn’t have.”
“For you,” Adam stated proudly. “You, uh, said you like working with fresh ingredients. These are from a country hidden within a country. They grow right out of salted earth. No soil needed. You’d be shocked.”
“I am shocked.”
“It’s not bad, right?”
I shook my head while playing with the stubby ends of the herbs. “Not bad at all. They look like petrified beans. How do I use them?”
“Marine said you can pluck off the stubby parts and use the stocks for stews. Or you could mash up the bulbs and make a pie. Anything. Everything.”
“That’s a big challenge,” I commented. “I’m sure I could find some hungry bellies that could help me with that.”
He grinned while rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I figured you would like that. Since you’re a chef. And you like food. And you’re really creative. And you like to—” He coughed. “Good morning, by the way.”
“Good morning.”
“I see you found Henry.”
I beamed at the wolf pup who happily lapped up the rest of his fae-spun candy. Unearthly colors decorated his cheeks, causing his fingers to get stuck while he tried to consume every last bit of it. I dug through my tote and procured some hand wipes for him while chuckling.
“Here, this should help,” I offered. “Christopher made them himself. They can clean just about anything off your hands.”
Henry gratefully accepted them. “Thank you, Charlotte.”
“You’re welcome, Henry.”
“Do you want to walk with us?” Adam asked.
When I looked at him, he shivered, hope dripping from his irises. Or was that something else?
I smiled. “I’d like that.”
“You looking for anything specific today?”
I shrugged while following the path between shouting vendors and freshly baked goodies. Many of the aromas drew me in, but none more than the scent of summer brimming with the power of the sun to my left. Adam had a persona so bright that I swore he could have been a star. But to anyone else, he probably just seemed like a silly dog.
Henry wandered on my right, his fingers wrapped around the edge of my tote as he inspected the booths around us. When he paused, I waited for him, patiently watching his curious eyes.
“I was wondering something,” I whispered to Adam. “Does he know about the…?” I frowned while whispering, “You know…”
