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My knife.
“Sophie!” I gasped, lifting my knife to angle the handle toward her. “Look.”
A second gold band shimmered next to the first that had appeared in the handle.
“You must have passed a second challenge. Oh, Lia. That’s fantastic news. I swear, the Kelpies have been increasingly difficult lately. I’m barely getting sleep as it is.”
Only then did I really look at Sophie and see the dark circles that ringed her pretty eyes.
“What are you doing to stop them? From being worse, that is?”
“My power comes in my voice. I have to order them back, each night, and reassure them that we’re protecting the Stone. It’s a constant battle, and it will be until the Order is fulfilled. This is great news, though,” Sophie said, beaming at the knife.
“I found some information in my spells book. It seems to indicate that the Order is strongest if it is all women.”
“Ah magick.” Sophie laughed. “Gotta love the ultimate feminist power, huh?”
“I’m sorry about last night,” I burst out, needing to get the conversation over. I had to know if she was going to fire me for not being able to control the broonie.
“What? Why? It was an incredible success.” Confusion crossed Sophie’s face. “Are you talking about Munroe’s parents? They got what was coming to them as far as I am concerned.”
“But…but…” I waved my hands in the air. “It was a total spectacle. Everyone was looking. They could have seen Brice.”
“Ah well, that’s not really a problem.” Sophie shrugged.
“It’s not?” I scrunched my nose up. I could not, for a moment, fathom a magickal kitchen elf not being a problem back at Suzette’s.
“Listen, I can speak freely because it’s just you and me. The Scots are, well, I should saymyScots, are pretty open-minded. They’ve been living with magick and myths for a really long time. They’ve seen enough to understand that there’s more to this world than we can fully grasp. And last night? Almost everyone there was from Loren Brae. Even if Brice had jumped on the table and done a jig, they wouldn’t have been upset. The Scots are, well, somewhat unflappable, I guess? It’s an unnerving and endearing trait. You don’t have anything to worry about, at least from my end. It’s Munroe’s parents that you’ll need to concern yourself with.”
“Yeah, they’re not a big fan of mine.”
“So I gathered. Do you think that’s why you got the second gold band? You weathered the storm?”
“I…” I didn’t want to betray Robyn’s confidence, so instead I just shrugged. “I did perform a spell last night, but I don’t want to break someone’s trust.”
“Ah, my curiosity is piqued. Fair enough, though. As your Knight, I must respect a code of honor.” Sophie gave me a dramatic bow before walking back to the door. There, she paused. “Last night was great. And if it’s any indication of what you can do here, the restaurant’s going to be hugely successful. My spreadsheets even say so.”
“Well, in that case…” I laughed. “Thanks for believing in me. It means a lot.”
“It’s not me that needs to believe in you,” Sophie said. “You proved yourself long before you got to Loren Brae.”
With that, Sophie left, and I let her words roll around in my head as I made notes about what I wanted to discuss with the staff about the night before. I had proven myself, hadn’t I?What was it that made it so hard for me to step back and congratulate myself on a job well done?I was always so busy working toward my next goal that I never really stopped to bask in my achievements of the moment. Perhaps it was just the nature of how I’d grown up, always busy, always trying to make ends meet, never accepting help. At the very least, I’d learned that I could always rely upon myself.
The morning drifted by in a relatively calm manner after the chaos of the day before. Both Hilda and Archie dropped by to congratulate me, along with the dogs sniffing around for treats. I had planned for today to be a down day, so I could spend my time making notes and assessing what changes I’d want to make to the menu, if any at all, as well as any areas of improvement that were needed. For example, I already knew that we would need to reconfigure the lounge space where the diners had converged on the bar. Too many people standing in a narrow space had created a bit of a cluster at the entrance. There were various details that could make the entire experience run more smoothly, and I happily committed myself to writing down my observations. Next up, I’d bring the staff in and get their feedback as well, which in turn would help to contribute to what would, ideally, be a seamless dining experience for both the diners and the employees who would work here.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I looked up from my notebook to see Munroe standing at the door in a slick suit that fitted his broad shoulders precisely. Although I liked the kilt better, he was still heart-stoppingly gorgeous in this suit, and while my ladyparts stood up and paid attention, I couldn’t help but feel a bit frumpy in my jeans and T-shirt.
“You look nice,” I said as I crossed the room. Munroe cupped my face in his hands and brushed the softest of kisses across my lips. My heart sighed.
“I have something for you,” Munroe said, and he put his laptop bag down on the table. “Come here.”
“Munroe. You don’t have to buy me gifts,” I said, uneasiness flitting through my stomach. Every time he brought me a gift, I was reminded that I couldn’t afford to do the same for him.
“But I like to,” Munroe said. He put an arm around my shoulders and walked me outside to a shiny, new bicycle, with a pretty tartan bow wrapped around the handlebars. A bright teal color, it had a basket on the back for carrying supplies, and a cute bell on the front.
This wassolike Munroe. I’d never even mentioned my lack of transportation, as I had my own two feet. And yet, he’d seen the issue and had quietly done something about it. Frankly, I was surprised he’d restrained himself from buying me a car. Frustration filled me.
