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“What’s up? Bad night?” Lucy asked, steaming the milk.
I sighed. Lucy was my best friend, but I’d kept so much from her since I’d started seeing the Royals. She believed that I was seeing someone rich who wanted to take things slow and not reveal too much about himself. The excuse was working. But I didn’t want to keep lying to her, especially since holding in all of this irritation was getting to me, but I had to for now. I could talk about my situation in vague terms to get it off my chest.
“Not bad, necessarily,” I said, grabbing the tongs and clicking them together. “Just annoying. Men not believing I can take care of myself, basically.”
“Oh, is it the guy you’re seeing?” Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “Do I need to have words with someone?”
I laughed. Lucy was petite and not very powerful. But when she got worked up, she could yell at someone without a second thought. The idea of tiny little Lucy yelling at Lex made me snort.
“No, you don’t. And yeah, it’s the guy I’m seeing.” I put the pink donut on my plate, even though doing so was a formality. It was going straight into my mouth.
“Are you still seeing that same guy?” Chad asked, right as I took a huge bite of my donut. Of course he had to ask right then. “What’d he do?”
I held my hand up as I chewed, then swallowed. “He was just telling me something about his family and that big eclipse holiday that’s coming up. It’s something I’ll need time off for—like two weeks. Is that fine?”
Chad frowned. “Two weeks?”
“Yeah. I understand it’s a pain in the ass, but I don’t expect vacation pay or anything.”
The guys were more than happy to take care of me, and admittedly, I was finally okay with that idea.
Chad ran his hand over his buzzed hair, his green eyes almost filled with despair. Seriously? I didn’t think he’d carethismuch. “So, you won’t come in at all?”
“No?” I chuckled. “Am I really that integral to this place? I’m a barista.”
“Yes. You’re dependable. I’ve known you for a long time. I trust you.” Chad sighed. “I guess you can take the time off. I’ll sort out the details.”
“Thanks, Chad.”
“Go back to what happened with your boyfriend,” Lucy said, waving Chad off. “What’d he say to you?”
“He wanted to warn me about meeting his family as if I can’t handle myself. I’m not afraid of what males think of me, and I could not care less if they think I should be more demure and quiet. And it feels like he should know that.”
Chad nodded. He had his men-are-superior moments like most male fae, but he was getting better at it. I’d snapped at him for it enough over the years.
“So, he’s concerned about your wellbeing,” Lucy said, pouring steamed oat milk into a big mug, then a second smaller cup. “It doesn’t sound like he was trying to offend you or anything. He just cares about you.”
I sighed, leaning my hip against the counter. She was right. Lex loved me for who I was; he wasn’t ashamed of me in the slightest. “True. He’s just protective, I guess, but it still bugs me sometimes.”
“I get that.” Lucy handed me the latte she’d been working on. “It’s a lavender vanilla oat milk latte.”
I took a sip, the smooth warmth spreading over my tongue. “This is amazing. Why isn’t it on the menu yet?”
Lucy beamed, handing Chad the smaller cup. “Because Chad thought it sounded gross. Try it, Chad.”
Chad sniffed the drink and took a tentative sip. “Okay, it’s good. Make it a special for tomorrow.”
Lucy’s smile turned a little smug. “Told you.”
The bell above the door rang as a few customers came in. I rang them up, and Lucy started making their drinks.
“Why’s his family coming in for the eclipse festival and ceremony?” Chad asked once the customers moved over to wait for their drinks at the end of the bar. “Are they religious or something? Or important? Does he have any inside info on the events?”
Chad’s nosiness wasn’t new, but his intense focus on me was a little much.
“Why do you want to know? Because you want an excuse to close up shop for the day?” I asked.
He smirked. “Maybe. Maybe I just want to know, since it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and your boyfriend seems to know all about it. Or be involved enough to invite family.”
