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Before Min left, she went to find Gingerbread. Not that he was any good at farewells, but it made her feel better. He was still sitting outside her father’s study, slowly and meticulously cleaning his whiskers.
“Goodbye, Gingerbread,” she called out.
Gingerbread looked up from his task and stared at her, as if she’d mortally offended him.
Cats, Min decided as she left, were unfathomable creatures.
CHAPTER 19
Ethan needed a coffee, a strong double espresso, and he needed to get some fresh air to clear his head.
He took the elevator to the ground floor, crossed the polished marble foyer of the Blade Wing Air building and strode into the sunny Hole In The Wall District. Everywhere was buzzing with shoppers. There were spring sales on in the shops, mannequins wearing pretty dresses in the windows. He paused, gazing at one that would look perfect on Min.
Min. There he went again, unable to get her out of his freakin’ head for two minutes.
Really, he needed to be focusing on the final plans for the airport, which were sitting on his computer, waiting for his sign-off so they could be submitted to the Council of Towns. Their meeting was in a fortnight, and everything had to be finalized by then.
And after that…
When the papers were signed…
Deal done, and this fake-dating fiasco would be over.
Min would return to the Westerly, and he would… he would…
A black hole gaped inside him at the thought that she would no longer be in his life.
He ignored it, focusing instead on the aroma of coffee wafting through the open door of The Right Bite.
The cafe was crowded. Ethan always enjoyed the buzz of different species. Two humans gossiped loudly, high and fast spoken, but not as high-voiced as a fae couple nearby. There were the rich, gravelly voices of minotaurs, orcs, and griffins at another table, and the braying laugh of a centaur somewhere nearby. A table of husky gelfin girls chatted raucously, probably grabbing a bite to eat before working their beat.
And then… the booming laugh of a female dragon.
Mom?
Followed by a soft, gentle human laugh that made his claws curl in his designer shoes.
Min?
As he stood in the coffee queue, his eyes scanned the tables.
“Hi, Ethan. Your usual?”
“Yeah, thanks,” he said absently to Bianca, the pretty elf serving him. She’d made eyes at him sometimes, and before Min he’d had the occasional thought of maybe a brief fling, but… nope.
He only had eyes for one woman now. And he was certain she was in here somewhere.
His gaze panned more sharply around the room. His mom’s laugh came again—she was clearly enjoying herself.
And then, just as he grabbed his coffee, he saw them, tucked into a corner booth.
Eating, drinking, laughing like they’d known each other forever.
His heart lurched hard in his chest.
He hadn’t seen Mom looking this relaxed in… since… before Dad died.
He forced himself to stroll over nonchalantly, while his claws gripped his coffee hard enough to make holes in the cardboard cup.
