Page 56 of Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

“Octavia.”

She beamed. “Handsome and trainable. Quinn, I approve.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Instead of being offended, Rafe flashed a smile. “We should go before she decides to sell me something else.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Octavia said, “you’ll be back.”

He paused.

I grabbed Max’s leash. “And on that ominous note, we’re leaving.”

Octavia came around the counter to hug me. Her arms were small but fierce. “You’re going to be wonderful.”

“I’m going to avoid falling down in these shoes and call that a win.”

She kissed my cheek, then bent to kiss Max’s head. “You watch over her.”

Max gave a soft huff.

Rafe opened the door and stood aside to let us through.

I noticed it because I seemed to be doomed to notice everything about Rafe. He’d paid without making a show of the amount, he’d let Octavia order him around without bristling, had crouched for Max, had given advice that protected me from being dismissed by people who specialized in dismissal.

He was cold, maybe. Closed off, certainly. But he wasn’t cruel. He was, maybe, even a good man.

And that, I was discovering, was its own form of complication.

Outside, the light had gone gold against the shop windows, turning the mannequins into strange, elegant ghosts. Rafe handed the garment bags to his driver, then looked down at Max.

“We still need to discuss whether he has appropriate transportation for the event.”

I stared at him. “You’re worried about Max’s transportation?”

“He’s part of the strategy.”

“He’s a dog, not a wild pig. The subway will do just fine.”

“He is a decorated veteran in formalwear; he can’t ride the subway.”

Max stood a little taller.

I pointed at him. “Do not let this go to your head.”

Rafe looked at me then, and for once the thing he held back came close enough to the surface that I could feel its heat without understanding its shape.

“You both should arrive properly,” he said.

My humor reached for something quick and protective, but it came up empty for half a breath.

Then Max sneezed on Rafe’s shoe.

9

RAFE

THE CAR COOLER CONFESSION