by Meg Ripley
“I think you’re a natural at this.” Summer swiped the customer’s debit card and gave the woman her receipt, and then she had Nora help her with the next transaction. The young man was purchasing several items, so it was a little bit more challenging, but at least he paid with a debit card as well. That made it easier to do with one hand than if she had to count out cash.
She noticed the way Xander was watching them when she was done. The gentle, loving look on his face made her flush. “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” But his face said otherwise. He had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the two of them together.
Summer couldn’t even be mad about it or accuse him of using his daughter to get to her. Nora was an absolute delight, and no matter what qualms Summer had about Xander, she didn’t regret getting to know the child. “Nora needs to help me ring up your purchase, now.”
Xander stepped up to the counter with the alexandrite, as well as the pink candle that Nora seemed to love. “There’s one extra thing I would like while I’m here.”
“What’s that?” Summer was distracted, watching as Nora gently bagged the items, giving the candle one extra sniff with her eyes closed.
“For you to go out to dinner with me.”
Summer snapped her head up to look at him. Despite how well they had been getting along since he had shown up at the shop, she still hadn’t been expecting that. And in her mind, she thought she would say no. After all, she had already explained to Xander that she wasn’t interested in a relationship. But her mouth—and perhaps her heart—seemed to have other plans. “Alright, but only as friends so that we can continue to get to know each other. And only if you bring Nora. I think she’s my new buddy.”
“Works for me,” Xander said with a grin. “What do you think, Nora? Do you want to go out to eat with Summer?”
The child responded with her usual enthusiasm, making her difficult to hold onto.
Xander took her back from Summer, the paper sack with his purchases in his other hand. “Does tonight work for you?”
She would have liked more time, but then again, Summer couldn’t imagine what she would really do to prepare herself. Maybe it was best to just get it over with. “Yes, that’ll be fine.”
“Great. We’ll pick you up at seven.” He smiled again, and Summer swore she caught a quick wink from him as he turned to leave the store. Nora waved, shouting “bye-bye” enthusiastically over his shoulder.
Summer waved back, feeling a distinct emptiness in the store all of a sudden. One customer remained over by the book display, but The Enchanted Elm was otherwise empty. There were plenty of boxes in the back from the new inventory shipment that needed to be gone through and accounted for, but Summer didn’t have the energy. She could go through the store and make sure the sale signs were all correct and straighten the displays that the customers had disturbed, but it didn’t seem very exciting.
“There has got to be something seriously wrong with me,” she murmured as she forced herself to head into the back room and open up the first box. It was filled with tarot decks. She would need to call Leah and let her know they had some new ones in, just in case she needed any, but it could wait. Summer slowly counted the decks and checked them off on the sheet, eager for the work day to end.
7
Xander stood in front of his bathroom mirror. He had read the articles in men’s magazines. He had checked online dating blogs. He’d listened to podcasts from therapists. All the information was in his mind, but none of it seemed enough to prepare him for that night. He had changed his shirt twice and his pants once, and he was considering putting on different shoes. “Don’t be such an idiot, Xander,” he said to himself. “If she likes you, she likes you. It won’t matter what shoes you wear.”
But his body seemed to understand that he was going to be near her again soon. Their proximity in the shop had caused a different reaction than when he’d taken on the feral, defensive posture at the park or while at her house when he’d felt an unbearable, surging need. It had been a more pleasant experience earlier that day, with a warmth emanating through his body, keeping him in her shop as long as possible.
Perhaps Nora’s presence had made a difference there as well, since he loved her so much. It had been the most beautiful sight in the world to see Nora in Summer’s arms and the way the two of them clicked so easily. Summer knew all the right tasks to ask of Nora, never trying to get her to do more than she was capable of, and yet giving her just enough to keep her entertained. Nora, in turn, had taken instantly to Summer. Maybe she felt a similar yearning for her that Xander did, only in a motherly way.
Right then, however, his body seemed to itch all over. If ants had crawled up his pantlegs and spread out over his skin, Xander wouldn’t have even noticed because he was already feeling so uncomfortable. It was like he was experiencing withdrawals from not being in Summer’s presence, and he couldn’t wait to get back to her to settle it all down again.
Tempted to shift and go for a quick flight before his date, Xander realized he didn’t have time. He had said he would pick Summer up at seven, and he couldn’t leave any chance of being late. Summer was already uncertain about him, and he didn’t want to give her any cause to confirm those feelings.
Dressed and as ready as he was going to get, Xander turned to Nora. “It’s time to get you ready for our big night, little one,” he said gently as he picked her up and carried her to her room. He showed her the dresses hanging in the closet. “Which one do you think you want to wear tonight? There’s the pink one? Or maybe purple?”
On Charok, the females of the species did most of the childrearing, at least at the beginning. It wasn’t until dragonlets were old enough to start exploring and learning to hunt that the fathers truly became involved, other than providing food for their families. For this reason, Xander had wondered how well he and the other men would do with the eggs they had managed to save. But their only choices were to take the eggs along, or let them be destroyed or eaten by ogres, and so there hadn’t been any room for argument.
He liked to think that he was doing well enough on his own. He knew how to bathe, feed, and clothe the child, and Nora seemed happy and healthy. She enjoyed playing with the other children—whom they had decided to call cousins—as well as spending time with her father figure. But now that Xander had seen the way Summer was with Nora, he knew that he wasn’t enough. He was a good parent, but a child needed as many people to love and nurture her as possible. Summer would give Nora a different perspective on things, and that could only be good for her.
Xander patiently exchanged Nora’s floral romper for the blue dress she had chosen from the closet. As soon as she had wiggled out of her casual clothes, she took off out of the room and down the hallway, giggling. Xander chased her down and brought her back, keeping her in check long enough to get the dress on. That was all the patience Nora had, apparently, because then she dashed off again. She cackled wildly when her father caught her.
“Alright, young lady,” he said as he scooped her up into his arms. He wanted to sound stern, but it was impossible around her. Nora’s laugh was infectious, and he was laughing himself as he brought her back to her bedroom to put matching barrettes in her hair. “We can’t leave the house with your hair a mess,” he commented. Nora always watched him with her big, dark eyes when he spoke, as though she was hanging on to every word.
“Hair?” she asked.
“Yes, hair. I’ve got to comb it out and put some pretty bows in it.” It was the sort of thing a mother would do, normally, but as there wasn’t one around, he knew it was up to him. He had seen numerous examples of single fathers here on Earth who let their children wear dirty, mismatched clothes and eat ice cream for lunch. Xander didn’t claim to be perfect, but he was at least going to try.
Nora picked up one of the bows and held it out, pressing it against Xander’s hair. “Daddy hair?”
He laughed. “Daddy already did his hair, but Daddy doesn’t we
ar bows. Only Nora.”
“Comb!” She snatched up the comb he had just set down and ran it through his hair, completely messing up everything he had already done. But the look on her face was so earnest. She was trying to help him in the same way that he was helping her. She might have only been a baby, but she understood that family took care of each other.
“Yes, comb.” He finished doing her hair before he went back to his own room to undo her impromptu styling session.
They picked up Summer, arriving at her house five minutes before seven o’clock. “I hope we’re not too early.”
Summer emerged wearing a bright yellow dress, the hemline of which skimmed her sandaled feet. The bodice had a halter top that complimented her curves in all the right ways, and Xander made a conscious effort to keep his eyes on her face. Her hair flowed in golden waves down her back. Actually, everything about Summer seemed to flow, and that was one of the things he liked so much about her. She was soft and ethereal, like a wisp of wind or a ray of sunshine. She was everything the opposite of him, and she seemed to have come straight from the earth.
“Not at all,” she replied with a smile as he held the passenger door for her. “I had just enough time to get home from the shop and get changed.”
“You didn’t have to do anything different,” he commented. “You’d look beautiful in anything.” Her outfit at The Enchanted Elm had been more casual, but it really didn’t matter to him; she could wear a burlap sack and he would be happy. The thought made his bones ache, longing to transform into his dragon.
“Don’t try to flatter me,” she warned, but she was smiling. “This whole thing is just as friends, remember?”
“I do. Nora remembers, too.”
Summer had already turned around in her seat to say hi to the little girl. “Hi, sweetheart. You look very pretty in your dress.”
Nora daintily picked up the hem of her skirt in her fingers and made it dance across her lap. She grinned, Summer laughed, and Xander felt his chest tighten as he fought the urge to shift.
He headed into town, clamping his teeth together against the pain in his back at keeping his wings tucked away. As much as he wanted to be near Summer and to get to know her better, it was difficult to be only a few inches away from her and not be able to truly claim her as his. He wanted this to get easier, but he wasn’t sure it would ever happen until he was able to convince Summer of the link between them. Until that time, he was stuck with muscles that were constantly trying to stretch, skin that itched to turn into scales, and the constant feeling that spikes were going to come thrusting through the back of his head.
“I appreciate you agreeing to come out with me this evening,” he said quietly as he made his way through town. “I know that I threw you off with what I said, and I didn’t mean to upset you. But I’m a firm believer in being honest, and it wouldn’t be fair not to tell you.”
She rubbed those luscious lips together. “Well, you’re right about that. I would hate to start up any kind of relationship with you—friendship or otherwise—only to find out later that you hadn’t been upfront with me. But since we’re being honest, I have a hard time believing that we would work out. Even if we got to know each other more, we seem like very different types of people.”
“Of course we are,” he said with a mischievous grin, “you’re a witch and I’m a dragon.”
“That’s not what I mean.” But she laughed anyway. “I just don’t think our personalities would really mesh.”
“What’s that thing people like to say? Opposites attract?”
“They often do,” she said with a nod, “but that doesn’t mean they’re meant to be together or that they’ll be able to stay together. I’ve seen so many people who try to make it work when they really don’t have a leg to stand on. I don’t think it’s worth forcing things.”
“I can see that.” While of course Xander had never experienced anything like divorce or even a breakup firsthand, he knew that it was a very popular subject amongst humans. They wore their heartaches on their sleeves, often telling anyone who would listen about their troubles. It seemed odd to him, but he hoped he would never have to learn more about it through his own experience. “And I can also see how, to you, this would seem like we’re forcing the subject. But I’m not going to rush you, Summer. As painful as it is for me, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s painful? You mean, physically?” She turned her wide, emerald eyes to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
She sounded so hurt at his pain, and it touched him. In a way, it almost made it more difficult for him than being near her had been in the first place. He hadn’t necessarily been looking for her sympathy, but the fact that she could have any sort of feeling toward him was progress. Still, he didn’t want her to feel bad. “Don’t be sorry. You can’t help it, and neither can I. It’s just how my body works.”
“What’s it like…being a dragon?” Summer twisted a length of her wheaten hair around her finger as she spoke.
Xander lifted his fingertips off the steering wheel while he thought. He’d never had to explain it to anyone before. He had been that way his entire life, and it was just the way things were. On Charok, there had been no need to explain himself to anyone, because they were dragons as well. Earth, of course, was different. “It’s not always easy,” he admitted. “It took some time to learn how to keep myself in check, because it’s instinctive to shift into a stronger form when it’s necessary. If my emotions are heightened, then it makes sense for me to be a dragon instead of a human. It makes things easier to deal with.” Sometimes that was because he was angry, and his reptilian form was far more intimidating. But other emotions were easier to handle in his other physique as well. Xander didn’t know why, but he knew that’s how it worked.
“I’m sure that’s difficult.”
“I manage to deal with it. But it would be nice if I had more opportunities to shift. It feels good—actually, great—at times, but I can’t risk being seen. I know what would happen to me if people found out what I am, and I can’t imagine what would happen to Nora.”
Summer turned in her seat again and gave a soft sigh. “She’s asleep.” She watched the little girl for a moment before she faced forward again. “She’s really special.”
Xander smiled proudly; he couldn’t argue. He pulled up in front of the restaurant and let Summer out before going around the back to lift Nora out of her seat, who woke at being handled and rubbed her eyes sleepily. A hostess sat them at a booth near the back of the restaurant, where they were out of the way of the staff and set off a bit from the other diners. Xander had called ahead and reserved this table in particular, not wanting to be on display for the townsfolk. They all knew what Summer was, and it would only hurt her reputation more if they happened to overhear what he was.
“Have you eaten here before?” he asked, glancing at the small arrangement of choices on the kids’ section of the menu. “The guys and I like to come here occasionally. They have a nice selection of fine food, but they still have simpler fare for the kids.”
“I can’t say that I have,” she replied as she looked over the menu herself. “I go to that vegan café down the street a lot, though.”
Xander froze, realizing just how little he knew about Summer. “Are you vegan?”
She waved off his concern. “No, I just really like some of the food. They have an amazing Mediterranean salad that I’m crazy about.”
The waitress came by to take their drink orders, and the trio went ahead and ordered their meals as well. Nora was settled into her booster seat, scribbling on a paper menu with the crayons the waitress had given her. It seemed like a cozy setting, and Xander had managed to calm his body down somewhat. He was with Summer amongst a crowd, but no one was threatening them.
“I know we talked about it the other day at your house, but I want you to know that I really am sorry if I offended you when you were dealing with that Joanna character. I shou
ldn’t have interfered, not knowing the history between the two of you.”
The waitress brought their drinks, and Summer took a sip of her iced tea. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. You were just trying to help, and I had no reason to get angry like that. In fact, I don’t get mad very often; I’m a little surprised at myself that I did. I think I just wanted so badly not to have to deal with Joanna again, and I didn’t want to risk losing the tenuous peace between us.”
“Leah mentioned Joanna had written about you and your sister before. Has there been anything new on her blog?” Xander sincerely hoped not. He would have to blame himself entirely if the journalist had taken to slandering the sisters once again. Well, Joanna would clearly be at fault as well, but she didn’t seem the kind of woman to take the blame.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t looked.” Summer fished her cell phone out of her oversized purse. “I’ve avoided her site for a while, and I didn’t bother checking it once I knew she had quit her antics.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” The idea of Joanna was making him uncomfortable. He didn’t feel threatened by a human woman, but anyone who wanted to cause harm to Summer was an enemy. He could feel the great furnace in his chest, stoking up the flames and preparing for battle. Xander took a long drink of water.
“No, you’ve made me curious.” She tapped away at her phone until she had the page pulled up. “Let’s see. It looks like she did post about the SBA picnic.”
Xander watched her face as she read, hoping it would remain neutral. But a frown soon turned down the corners of her mouth, and her slim eyebrows scrunched together slightly. “What is it?” Xander asked tentatively.
“Not much, but here. You can read it.” Summer handed over the phone.
Quickly skimming the article, Xander mostly found boring information about what kind of food was at the picnic and what businesses were represented. There was a long paragraph about the formation of the Small Business Association and what it had done for the citizens. Towards the end, Joanna had written that members were so diverse that they even included the two witches who ran The Enchanted Elm. “Well, it’s not directly bad, at least.”