Page 44
The luxurious launch and sumptuous functioning of the Astronomy Resort has verifiably driven up the commerce and investment into Crow’s Nest local businesses. What was once a massive risk is now a boon to the local economy.
Councilwoman Ceridwen Crowhart has stated on the record that for her business alone, the opening of the Resort has been hugely beneficial, citing a surge in flower sales of nearly 200%, as the resort is in constant need of fresh blooms. In fact, she has hired additional help to run her store and opened a new hothouse on the Sky Blue Cliff.
Greg Gangson gave a very similar statement, insisting that foot traffic from the Resort to Market Square has increased his profit nearly twofold, and he is planning on upgrading his cart to a food truck in the near future.
And these reports are just from the off-season. The locals and the Caw eagerly await the arrival of the peak tourist season on the island to assess the overall improvement to quality of life and the impact of the financial injections and investment thanks to new ventures like the Resort and the Cupcake.
Watch the town, watch what the future brings, and watch this space.
—Crow’s Caw
“And then I kissed her.” Lark heard herself speak and closed her eyes, because why could she not keep quiet at all? Why did she have to open her mouth?
Except she knew why. From the moment she had stepped into the hothouse, the scents of flowers and earth surrounding her, and Ceridwen’s serene smile undid her.
She had wanted to share. She had been floating on a fluffy cloud since leaving the Crow House, and she had wanted to share. She even contemplated dropping by the Book Nest, knowing Prudence had received new inventory and would be up for a chat, but her evening had turned to flowers and to Ceridwen. And Lark was grateful for it.
“I had a feeling you’d be the one to end this tap dance or whatever it was you were doing around each other.” There were little devils in Ceridwen’s eyes. Lark found herself beaming.
“I didn’t mean to. She was just so…” She searched for the word to describe Seren. There were so many. Strong and gorgeous and handsome and tall and all these muscles and those unbelievable ocean eyes and… “Kind,” she finally settled on, knowing she was probably red as a beet.
“Right.” Ceridwen bit her lip, and Lark knew it was to keep from laughing. Somehow, Ceridwen laughing at her did not make her feel bad. On the contrary, it made her feel cozy, accepted.
“She was standing there, water all around us, looking so scared, so lost and in pain and yet so determined to make it right. I couldn’t help myself,” Lark said before she realized she should’ve probably kept the mention of Seren’s magic to herself. Ceridwen’s long-fingered hand was suddenly on the skin of her wrist, still quietly stinging from the flames.
“She did a good job taking care of you and the burn. And I know she will be fine. But this is just to make sure.”
The steady beat of a heart that wasn’t her own rang in Lark’s ears for a few seconds before it vanished, the tenderness of the burn entirely gone.
“Oh, wow.” Lark lifted her hand, examining it in the light of the flower lamps. There was no trace of redness on her skin. “Wow, I… I have no words. Thank you.”
“That’s quite all right. You are very welcome. As I said, Seren is very good. I am just better.”
Lark sucked her lip into her mouth, then let it go silently. She had so many questions.
“Ask, I will do my best to answer.” Ceridwen laughed. “And no, I’m not reading your mind. Your curiosity is all over your face.”
“You’re not mad I know about the magic?” For some reason, it felt imperative to know this specific answer.
“No, I had a feeling Victoria would be sharing with you. Magic and knowledge. To my recollection, she has never told any of this before, to anyone, not even her husband, and so who am I to question her decision? Moreover, I see what she sees in you, and then I question her even less.”
“Even less? So you question her a little bit?”
Ceridwen’s laughter was contagious.
“I admit to having had some doubts when I first met you, but those disappeared very quickly.”
“Was it because I was so very pathetic?” Lark asked.
“No, it was because of how fast Victoria took to you. It was instant. Immediate. And I have to confess, even if it shames me, I was perhaps a bit disconcerted by it. She never had children. We four were all her family, and suddenly, there you were, and she treated you like her daughter before you even uttered your name.” Ceridwen took a long-stemmed rose in her hands but didn’t cut the thorns, merely holding it for a second.
“I was afraid you’d hurt her. Believe me, these thoughts lasted for a few hours at most. And then I saw you, the person you are, trying to do the right thing, to tell the truth despite it possibly coming back to hurt you. And so my doubts were gone.” Ceridwen’s smile was open, reaching her eyes, showcasing those thin crow’s feet underneath them.
Lark smiled back, relieved, but Ceridwen was not finished.
“And I must confess, you were not what I had expected. You were so very strong, even when you didn’t need to be. You were so damn stubborn that night when I thought you could just let it go, and yet you never once gave an inch. Almost dead from the cold and hunger, and you fought for every inhale. It’s a different kind of strength, to not submit to your destiny. I wish I knew how to find it. So, I envied you a little. That strength, that fierceness even in the face of fate.”
Ceridwen spoke softly, and Lark felt a sudden dread sliver under her skin and nestle in the middle of her chest. Before she could ask about it, Ceridwen touched her fingertips again, and the heat and glow of the magic seemed to dissolve her worry. Lark licked her dry lips. She was certain she had just missed something. Something important. She’d ask Seren about it later. She felt like she needed to.
