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“I’m okay. Just couldn’t sleep and then…” I sigh. “My ex called this morning.”
Magnus goes still. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I guess he heard I hadn’t sold and wanted to make me an offer. I’m guessing so he could then use his money to get more from Sinclair.”
“Or a piece of the project,” he mutters. He casts me a long look. “Did you take it up?”
“Have you met me?” I take a sip of my coffee and almost choke. It’s caffeinated sugar with a little milk. I set it down.
Magnus takes my hand before I can move away. “I think I do. You’re not going to sell to him, or to Sinclair, no matter what.”
I just smile and shake my head. “I’m that obvious?”
“I think you’re that principled.”
Words bubble up, and his hand is warm and solid and reassuring on mine and I want to tell him how lovely he is, but I’m saved from making a fool of myself by the bell.
Mikey comes in and his eyes dart between me and Magnus and his hand on mine. I go to pull away but Magnus’s fingers tighten a little and then he lets me go.
“Is he bugging you, Mama S?”
Magnus’s gaze hits mine, full of heat and humor and something much darker, like a proprietary spark that sends a deep thrill tumbling in my blood. “Am I, Mama S?”
There’s something in his tone that’s made of steel, that’s like a sliver of danger and that thrill dissipates. Mikey, for all his bluster, is insecure, and he’s the exact right age where being made fun of, mocked by a man like Magnus, might cause wounds.
“No one’s bothering me, Mikey,” I say.
“There you go.” Magnus straightens up, and turns his cup on the counter. “You’re a good man, Mikey.”
Mikey’s eyes narrow and his body tenses like he’s waiting for the blow. “I like her. She’s good people.”
“I know.” Magnus leans into the kid a little. “And she’s naïve as all hell. She needs someone savvy to keep his eye out. Glad to know you’re on the job.”
Mikey searches his face a long time like he’s looking for the hidden meanings, but then he relaxes, nods, puffs up a bit, and straightens his cap.
“Always,” the kid says.
And I relax, too. Magnus excuses himself, grabs the duster and goes to the books, straightening them, dusting as he goes and Mikey shakes his head.
I fill up a bag with cookies and a couple of slices of cake. I made a nut and seed cake today. It’s healthy, but tastes good. Perfect for Mikey. I hand them to him with a couple of books I set aside I think he’ll like.
“Your boyfriend—”
“He works here.”
Mikey rolls his eyes. “He’s not bad people, Mama S. Catch ya on the flip side.”
He leaves and I pick up the crumpled fiver the kid left on the counter and put it in the register, marking a little card I keep for Mikey under the register drawer.
My hand shakes as awareness burns into me and I look up into Magnus’s gaze. His mouth twists, then he says, “I’ll be back in a few.”
I can’t help it. I follow him to the door and watch as he darts across the traffic to catch Mikey.
Magnus does most of the talking, but Mikey finally nods, and they pull out their phones, like they’re swapping numbers. The moment Magnus turns, I hurry back to the counter and start sorting the piles of things I need to do tonight. Like bookkeeping. The bell dings and he just smiles at me as he approaches.
“Not going to ask?”
“Ask what?”
