Secret North: Book 4 of The Wishes Series (14 page)

Modesty took over then and she folded her arms across her chest. “Well?” she asked, taking a downward glance at her new skirt. “What do you think?”

I tried prising her arms apart. “Don’t hide from me,” I murmured. “I like looking at you.”

A pretty blush that I didn’t often see burned across her cheeks. “Finish dressing me,” she ordered.

“Yes ma’am.” I reached for the next scarf, and managed to fashion a top that almost covered her.

“Not bad,” she praised. “Not bad at all, but you have two left.”

I was done. My mind was already undressing her, so my efforts to utilise the last two scarves were half-assed at best. One minute and two knots later, she was sporting Hermès armbands.

“You should’ve been a fashion designer, Ryan.” She flashed me a killer smile.

“Perhaps,” I replied casually. “But my workmanship leaves a lot to be desired.” I pulled a corner of her headscarf, undoing the knot. Both of us ignored it as it drifted to the floor.

“Shoddy at best,” she agreed.

I grabbed her hips and jerked her forward, pulling her against me. “Perhaps you should hire a professional next time.”

“No,” she breathed. “I like your style.”

***

It was the middle of the night when I woke. I reached across for Bente and grabbed nothing but sheet. The light coming from the hallway was dull. The light illuminating the clock next to the bed was slightly brighter. It was a little after one in the morning.

Bente was sitting at the kitchen counter tapping on her laptop when I walked in. I wrapped my arm around her from behind. “Can’t sleep?”

She kissed my forearm, but typed until she’d finished her sentence. “I write a lot at night,” she explained. “I have a busy mind. I think it comes from working to deadlines.”

I sat down beside her. “Do you like working to a deadline?”

“I do,” she replied. “I work pretty well under pressure.”

“So what are you writing tonight?”

“Just thoughts and ideas,” she said vaguely. “Things to keep me going until a job comes up.”

I looked around the living room. “You’d probably work better if you had a space to work in. We’ll get you a desk.”

“And put it where?” She closed the lid on her laptop. “You’ve made enough allowances for my stuff already. One more piece might tip you over the edge.”

I frowned. “Bente, it’s not about making allowances for you. We’re supposed to be in this together.”

She stepped off the stool and sidled up to me. “We are together.”

My hands moved of their own volition, settling on her hips. “I want you to be happy here.”

“I am,” she insisted, pressing against me. “Me and my ugly dresser are very happy here.”

“So you’re aware that it’s… aesthetically challenged?”

“It’s as ugly as sin, Ryan,” she replied, chuckling. “I was planning to get it restored but I never got round to it.”

I let out a long breath I couldn’t remember taking. “My brother convinced me that it had some special meaning and that’s why it looked so tragic.”

“Like?”

“Like, a dead grandma decorated it, leaving you with the magic memory of teal paint.”

“How could she decorate it if she’s dead?”

I grinned at her. “I don’t pretend to understand magic.”

Her head lolled back as she laughed. I usually fought the urge to kiss her when she made that move, but not this time. I pressed my lips to her throat, tasting her warm skin.

She inched my head back. “I’m not Charli,” she replied. “It’s just an old thrift store dresser with great potential.”

“You don’t see magic in it?” I asked cautiously.

She smiled blackly. “No.”

And therein lies the difference between Bente and Charli. Charli looks for magic. Bente looks for potential.

“Do you think I have potential, Bente?” I have no idea why I asked. Judging by the confusion on her lovely face, she didn’t either – but she answered anyway.

“Huge potential.” She kissed me. “As soon as I get all the layers scraped off you, you’ll be spectacular.”

***

Bente wakes early, even when there’s no need. I wasn’t even convinced it was morning when I awoke to the sound of the shower running. She skipped into the bedroom a few minutes later and climbed on top of me. I brushed her wet hair from my face. “Are you always this hyper in the mornings?” I mumbled.

“No, just this morning.” She planted a kiss on my chest. “It’s my first day at a new job. I’d like to make a good impression on my boss.”

I grabbed the sash on her robe and pulled. “Get back into bed then.” I never got tired of her laugh, or the effect it had on me as it travelled through my bones.

“No, get up.” She patted my chest. “The day is wasting.” She slipped off the bed and headed for the closet. “I’m actually excited about it. I might’ve missed Nellie’s a little bit,” she admitted, raking through the clothes. “I even missed Paolo.”

It occurred to me that we should’ve discussed my job offer in greater detail. “Ah, sweetheart, you’re not working at Nellie’s,” I said quietly.

She turned back. “You’ve changed your mind?”

I propped myself up on one elbow. “Of course not. It’s just that I don’t have a position for you at Nellie’s. The job is at Billet-doux.”

“Oh.” She took a long moment to think things through. “Okay, then.”

“You’ll like it there,” I assured her. “Probably more than Nellie’s.” She was much better suited to Billet-doux. The place was almost as sexy as she was.

“It doesn’t matter either way, Ryan,” she finally replied. “A job is a job.”

24. SPECIAL FAVOUR

Bente

Starting a new job is as scary as a first day at school. Ryan wasn’t going to be there to hold my hand. He wouldn’t have come if I’d begged him to. My first shift was a fairy high tea – the ultimate trial by fire.

A woman named Noelle met me at the door. She was bubbly, blonde and really annoying. I couldn’t pinpoint why. Perhaps it was her high-pitched voice. It might also have had something to do with the way her eyes darted around as she spoke.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said urgently. I checked the time on my watch to make sure I wasn’t late. “It’s Ben-ta, right?”

“That’s right.”

She shamelessly looked me up and down. “I was surprised when Ryan told me he’d hired you. He doesn’t usually do the hiring and firing. I can only assume you’re a special favour for someone.”

“I like to think so,” I replied, trying to keep up as she scuttled over to the bar.

Noelle picked a menu off the counter and handed it to me. “It’s super important to know the menu back to front,” she instructed. “And listen carefully to the orders.”

I thumbed through the fancy pages. “No coleslaw?”

I enjoyed my private joke. Noelle did not. She narrowed her eyes. “This is a classy place,” she snapped, sounding personally offended.

“I understand.”

“Super,” she crowed, recovering quickly. “Let’s go, Ben-ta. I’ll show you around.”

***

Fairy high teas are not for the faint of heart. It was like being locked in a room with thirty Malibus and an excess of sugary desserts. I steered clear of the small children, opting to serve their mothers instead.

I was standing at the bar waiting for a round of drinks when Noelle approached. “Nice work, Bente.” I could tell she was happy with me because she almost pronounced my name properly. “You’re going to fit in really well.”

“Thanks.”

The bartender loaded my tray with a round of lethal looking mojitos. I’d been introduced to him earlier but couldn’t remember his name. In my mind, he was Bar Guy.

“Noelle’s seal of approval after just a few hours?” he teased. “Lucky you.”

Out of the blue, Noelle let out a squeak, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the bar guy. I followed the direction of her of darting eyes and saw Charli walk through the glass front door.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“One of the owners just walked in,” she replied acidly.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour then.”

“She won’t care either way,” she snapped. “Charli doesn’t give a damn about this place. I have no idea why she even shows up.”

“I like it when she shows up,” interjected Bar Guy.

I looked at him. He seemed to be stripping her naked with his eyes as she closed in on us.

“Yes, Charli?” asked Noelle as soon as she was within earshot. “What can I do for you?”

Charli ignored her curt tone. It was too high-pitched to be taken seriously anyway. “Nothing,” she replied cheerily, “but thanks for asking.”

Bar Guy diverted her attention by saying hello.

“How are you, Rob?” she asked, sounding much more like herself.

He swiped a cloth along the length of the glossy wooden bar. “Better for seeing you,” he drawled.

I almost felt bad for him. If ever there was a case of unrequited affection, this was it. Charli only had eyes for Adam. She was a one-frog woman, and always had been.

“We’re super busy here, Charli,” fluttered Noelle.

If that was a hint to leave, Charli missed it. “Can I talk to you for a second, Bente?”

I glanced at Noelle before replying. “Sure.” I picked up my tray of drinks. “I’ll just offload these first.”

Charli was already walking away. “I’ll be in my office,” she called.

“It’s Ryan’s office,” corrected Noelle, raising her voice to make sure she was heard.

I delivered the drinks to the tipsy fairy mothers and began making my way to the office. Noelle cornered me at the doorway. “Do you know Charli?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “We’re friends.”

“I see.” She cocked her head to the side. “So you’re
her
special favour,” she accused, relaxing her grip on my arm. “That’s why Ryan gave you a job.”

I shrugged free of her. “No, no. Ryan’s my boyfriend,” I corrected. “He gave me a job because I’m
his
special favour.”

I didn’t wait to see her reaction. I took off down the hall and didn’t stop until I reached Ryan’s office door.

***

Ryan’s office was far less impressive than I expected. The room looked more like a storeroom. There were papers scattered all across his desk and sticky notes stuck to the edge of his computer screen.

“What’s wrong?” asked Charli, leaning back in her chair. Perhaps I looked confused.

“Nothing.” I closed the door. “I just expected his office to be… tidier.”

“I don’t think he cares how tidy it is as long as it’s functional. He knows exactly where everything is. If I move one thing, he’ll know I’ve been here.” She picked up a stack of papers and put them in a drawer. Her errant smile made me laugh.

“No wonder you drive him crazy.”

“He told you that?” She actually sounded excited by the idea.

“Once or twice.”

She leaned back and drummed her fingers together like an evil professor. “Excellent.”

I slumped in the chair opposite her as if I’d been on my feet for hours. “I’d forgotten how hardcore waitressing could be.”

“Noelle is hardcore too,” she teased. “I’ll bet Ryan didn’t tell you that, did he?”

“Nope. Never did.”

“She has a huge crush on him,” she revealed. “She’s all sweetness and light when he’s around.”

“No crush on you, though.”

She laughed again, wickedly. “No, she doesn’t like me much.”

I kicked off my shoes to give my feet a minute of relief. “So did you come down here to rescue me or did you want something?”

I began to fear her answer when her smile morphed into a worried frown. “I heard about what happened yesterday. I feel horrible.” She leaned across, reached into her purse and dropped a familiar orange box down on the desk. “Ryan should never have let Bridget take your scarf. I’m really sorry.”

I stared at the box. “You bought me a new one?”

“It was the least I could do,” she mumbled.

While I appreciated the gesture, I was still annoyed. Bridget was still victoriously sporting a Hermès cape. Charli must’ve picked up on my ire. “If you’d rather choose your own I’ll –”

I sourly cut in. “What does it matter, Charli? Bridget still gets to keep mine.”

She was shaking her head before I’d even finished speaking. “No, she doesn’t. I took it from her as soon as I found out where it came from.”

“So why not just give it back to me?”

“I didn’t think you’d want it.” Her shoulders drooped. “For some reason, it’s covered in red lipstick.”

I was so relieved, I felt like crying. I needed Charli as an ally, but until that point I didn’t think I had her. “I could kiss you right now,” I told her. “I was worried that you wouldn’t understand.”

“Bente, you know me,” she grumbled. “Since when would I think giving Bridget something like that was okay?”