Lotus (Spell Library Book 13)
Page 13
“I’m sorry, Lotus. For me it’s not that you aren’t capable. It’s that I care for you so much I don’t want you to worry or stress about anything. If I can do anything to make sure you don’t have struggle, I want to do it.
“I know you are strong and capable. You moved here with no real game plan and you’ve managed to start a business and build a new life. Not everyone can do that. So, if there are moments I feel driven to take care of you or to try and make your life easier, cut me some slack—it’s because I care.
I felt like I’d been slapped. I’d never meant for Lance or the others to feel bad. I was so focused on remaining independent and standing on my own I didn’t stop and think about why the guys acted the way they did.
I needed to do some thinking about who I was and what I wanted from the life I had now. If I wanted to keep these wonderful guys in my life, I was going to have to change my thinking.
“I’m sorry, Lance. You guys don’t deserve to take the brunt of my feelings about my old life. I know you all care for me. Please be patient with me while I adjust to our relationships. I’ve learned to depend on myself, and when I moved here I was determined to remain that way.”
“We said it before, babe, we’re all learning. We’ll figure it out together, we just need to be patient and talk to each other.”
“Thank you. I’ll work on letting you guys in and not being so stubborn about being in control all the time.”
31
Lotus
Unlocking the stairwell door, I heaved a sigh of relief that my conversation with Lance had gone well. It helped me kick the last of the awkward feelings I’d had. I needed to sit down and figure out what I wanted from the guys and then talk to them about it.
I ran upstairs to the apartment and back to my bedroom. I put on fresh undergarments and grabbed jeans and a long-sleeve tee. I put my tennis shoes on and headed back downstairs. I was halfway down when I realized I needed my phone and most likely my charger. Turning around, I walked back upstairs, making the mental note to get a couple of chargers to have downstairs. One for the back and one up by the register.
Lance
I was thankful Lotus had showered at Evan’s. I don’t know that I could have kept my leopard from taking over if we’d smelled the evidence of their night. After talking to Evan earlier, I knew that Lotus and Evan sleeping together hadn’t been planned. Based on what Evan had explained, the fae mating chimes had done a number on the intimacy the two had created throughout the evening, and basically compelled Lotus to claim her mate.
Evan reassured me that the bond hadn’t been completed because the two of them hadn’t said any words of claiming. That definitely helped to calm me. I hadn’t been lying when I told Lotus that I was jealous that Evan had been able to spend the night with her. It was disheartening that I hadn’t been able to be intimate with Lotus yet. I wanted nothing more than to make her mine completely.
I wasn’t some sex-craved pervert, but my leopard was getting harder to keep under control. He knew our mate and was ready to claim her. Our brother had had her, and her other mate now had her. We had to have her as well or we would snap. Tonight, after our little surprise for Lotus, I was going to need to go for a run. Shifting and spending some time in my snow leopard form would help calm us.
Once I heard the door to Lotus’s apartment lock, I walked out the back door. After yesterday we weren’t taking any chances with her, so I locked it behind me. I jogged over to the café and ordered Lotus a large mocha latte. I knew the caffeine would be needed to get her through the day and figured the extra jolt from the chocolate would be a nice treat.
Coffee in hand, I stepped out the door, and my nose wrinkled. I smelled a shifter near, but I couldn’t place from which direction. It wasn’t a scent I’d noticed before but would definitely know if I smelled it again. There was a musk like a dog, but there was an underlying putridness like the shifter had been sick for a long time. I wondered briefly if the scent had anything to do with shifter Lotus’s parents wanted her to marry.
I made a note to be extra vigilant today and to text Evan and Drake that I’d scented an unknown shifter near the shop. I unlocked the door and stepped inside just as Lotus was coming through the door grumbling about extras chargers and stupid cell phones.
“Hey babe, I got you a mocha latte, that work? If not just let me know and I’ll grab something else.”
Lotus’s smile banished all thoughts of shifter scents from my mind. “Lance, this is perfect! I have yet to taste something I didn’t like at Jewels.”
“They do have a knack for good coffee. Now, hop up on the counter and let me make you a waffle. Thankfully I’m doing waffle cones, so we’re set. It won’t be big and fluffy, but it’s gonna taste great. You ready?”
“You already said you could hear my stomach, so feed me!”
I chuckled as I pulled the batter I’d made out of the refrigerator. I’d set the waffle iron to heat up while I grabbed the coffee. This batter was a special surprise for Lotus, and I wanted it to be perfect. I scooped the batter out onto the hot iron and let the cast iron do its thing.
Ninety seconds later I was pulling a perfectly cooked waffle off the iron. Since I knew I was having this tasting with Lotus, I’d brought some dishes from home.
“My lady, your waffle.”
Lotus giggled as she nodded her head regally and took the plate from me.
“Now, before you bite into this, I want you to know I’ve been working a long time to get the flavors to this particular recipe perfect. I thought we could do a weekly special. If the taste is right and I’ve done my research correctly, these bowls and cones would pair perfectly with Vanilla à la Bob or Chocolate Chunk. Who knows, maybe we can talk to Sapphire and Ford and create a special flavor just for this recipe.”
“Well, now I’m intrigued. Can I take a bite?”
“Bon appétit cher.”
Lotus
I quirked a brow at Lance and took a bite of the cooling waffle. Flavors I hadn’t had in a couple months exploded onto my tongue. I was instantly transported back to New Orleans. I was in the French Quarter sitting outside Café Du Monde. The rich, bitter flavor of coffee with chicory and hot, fresh beignets were filling my palate. I don’t know how Lance managed to do it, but he did! The waffle tasted like I’d taken a bite of beignet and had a swallow of my coffee at the same time. And it was perfect!
Lance wasn’t being boastful about his skills—he’d managed to capture flavors that others tried to replicate but couldn’t.
Once I’d catalogued all the flavors, I met Lance’s eyes. His brow was furrowed as he tried to gauge my reaction. “I know you left New Orleans and had no intention of returning, but sometimes we miss little things about home. I thought we could call this ‘Taste of New Orleans’ on the menu. What do you think?”
I jumped off the counter and into Lance’s arms. “It tastes perfect, Lance! The flavors were balanced beautifully. How did you do it? We’re definitely putting it on the menu. I think we should only offer it on the weekends, like a brunch treat. And you were spot on, this will work for the vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Kids and folks that don’t drink coffee usually get chocolate milk with their beignets, so we have options for people to try. Thank you so much, Lance!”
Lance held me to him and murmured, “It was a lot of trial and error. I’m just glad I got it right. I wanted you to have this.
I tilted my head up and kissed Lance. When our lips connected, Lance let out a growly huff and took control. Using his hands to frame my face, he swept his tongue over my lips. I parted them and was rewarded with a sweeping invasion. Lance’s tongue explored every corner of my mouth.
He was masterful and thorough in this kiss. All I could do was hold on and let Lance lead me where he wanted. When he finally broke the kiss, our chests were heaving. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I could see Lance’s leopard staring back at me.
“Wow, you leave no stone unturned, so to speak, do you?”
“Well, I would say that was thorough for sure. Did someone crank up the heat?”
I playfully fanned myself as Lance swatted my behind.
“All right, Miss Sass, let’s get busy, we’ve got an ice cream shop to open tomorrow!”
“Oh shoot! You guys distract me, and I forget that one of the biggest moments in my life is happening tomorrow. Let’s get to work! What else do you have planned for tomorrow, Mr. Pâtissier?”
And just like that we were immersed in the finer details of getting the shop ready for its grand opening.
32
Lotus
Lance planned to have our basic options ready for tomorrow: standard waffle cones and bowls with chocolate lining the interiors (if you didn’t know, this prevented drips). We were also going to offer the “Taste of New Orleans” cones to get people interested in them. Lance also planned to do some themed macarons that people might enjoy.
Even though the holidays had passed, he thought peppermint-flavored macarons would be tasty and people would enjoy them with the more standard flavors. Sodas were ready to be crafted. We’d decided to introduce milkshakes once it started to warm up. They could be a great promotional item.
Lance
Lotus and I finished getting ready. While she was puttering around, I texted the guys that we were finished and that they could head over. We’d planned a little surprise for Lotus. We wanted to do something nice for her, but we also wanted to take her mind off the shop’s opening tomorrow.
As I was unlocking the front door, Lotus walked in. “We made sure that door was locked, why are you unlocking it?”
“Evan and Drake are on their way over.”
“Okay. We’ll just need to make sure it’s locked before you guys leave.”
“No worries, babe, it will be.”
A couple minutes later, the guys walked in. Evan was carrying a bag with the Anthony’s logo. Lotus’s favorite would be in there with food for us too. Drake was carrying a white gift box. The outside was plain; we didn’t want Lotus to guess what we’d gotten.
“Hey, guys, do you want to eat upstairs?”
We all nodded and headed up. Lotus’s apartment was very comfortable, even if it was the smallest of our homes. Once we’d all sat down and passed out the food, our conversation was loose and natural. We chatted about our days and interesting things that had happened. There was no denying the excited flush to Lotus’s cheeks or the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about the opening of the shop tomorrow. Once we’d finished eating, I cleared the containers off the table so that Drake could put the gift box in front of Lotus.
“What’s this?”
Drake answered for us, “We wanted to get you something special to mark the opening of the shop. We know how excited you are and just how much this means to you. We want you to know that we are proud of you and happy we were all able to play a small part.”
Moving from a pretty pink, Lotus’s cheeks flamed red as she pulled the top off the box. Once she removed the tissue paper, tears welled in her eyes as her hands covered her mouth. “My goodness, this is incredible!”
Lotus
I’d known the guys were up to something, but looking down at the logo of the shop embroidered on an apron with my name sitting opposite was not what I was expecting. The apron was white and the shop’s logo stood out perfectly. An ice cream cone with three scoops of ice cream held the words, “Silver Springs Ice Cream Shop.” The cone had ice cream dripping down it. I’d decided to keep the scoops of ice cream an off-white for vanilla.
On my apron, the words were done in the color of Blood Orange ice cream. On our napkins and to-go cups for our sodas, the colors of the text were varied. We’d used the colors of the different Flying Horse ice creams and the red on the menu board mentioning our adult flavors.
Lance my excitable, puppy-like, cat shifter bounced on his toes. “Pull it out, there’s more!”
Doing as he said, I pulled the apron out of the box and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Lined up in the box was a row of t-shirts, each rolled so the logo was proudly displayed. The shirts were all soft, neutral colors that allowed the logo to pop. And just like our cups and napkins, the text on each shirt was a different color. I pulled the first shirt out of the box and held it up. Just like my apron, my name was embroidered on the opposite side.
“We knew you were planning to wear jeans and t-shirts for comfort, but we thought you might like something that looked official. Now people will know who you are right away.” Lance’s rush to explain their gift was cute.
I looked at each of my guys before I spoke, “Thank you, guys! This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me! Now it’s going to be like the night before school starts. I’m going to spend forever trying to figure out what I’m going to wear. The shirts and apron are beautiful!”
Evan’s smile was beatific. “We are glad you like them, fe’yanil. When we ordered them, we had them designed two ways; there is the multi-colored text, like you have, but for any employees you may have, they can have black text for their shirts.”
I was a bit shocked at their foresight. “Employees? Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves? We have to open tomorrow, and the townsfolk have to actually come in and buy our ice cream.”
“They will, babe. They’ll come because you’re a new face and new business, but they’ll keep coming back because they are going to love it here.”
Butterflies were fluttering in my gut sooner than I expected, but I was determined to keep calm and have a great first day. My guys had done something extra special to help make it happen. In that moment, I felt more loved and cherished than I ever had in New Orleans. I knew finding one good boyfriend was a struggle sometimes. Having three? Someone pinch me because it couldn’t be true.
We talked a little longer. Evan and Drake let me know they both planned to stop by during their lunch breaks. Drake planned to bring something for Lance and me to eat, figuring we’d be too busy to try and get something. We were all going to have dinner together tomorrow night to celebrate.
Evan had asked us to come out to his house and meet his sister. He said he had enough room for us all, which was true, but also that his schedule was light enough tomorrow that he wouldn’t be too tired to cook for the five of us.
No longer hesitant about showing affection in front of the others, I kissed each of the guys before they left. It was hard to keep my thoughts from dictating my actions. I wanted nothing more than to spend some naked time with them, especially Lance.
After the guys had gone, I made sure all the doors were locked then took a warm shower and got ready for bed. I decided to go with dark jeans and the silvery-gray shirt. I’d take my apron down but would wait to put it on. Knowing that Lance had all in hand to get started in the morning, I lay down and stared out the windows, thinking of all that had happened to bring me to Silver Springs. Moving my gaze to the footboard, I watched the crystals winking in the moonlight and thought of the three men who were quickly coming to mean the world to me.
33
Lotus
When my alarm went off, I spent a few minutes rethinking my life’s decision to become a small business owner. While the shop would open later in the morning, I wanted to get going early to help Lance with any baking. I was also too nervous to wait around. I was going to check all the freezers and coolers to make sure their temperatures were set correctly. I was going to check all the hoses and nozzles on the soda fountain and practice mixing flavors again.
I got ready and headed downstairs. I made sure the door at the top of the stairs was secure. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but Drake hadn’t gotten a hold of the landlord to ask about the deadbolts. I understood that Silver Springs was a quiet community, but it was ingrained in me to make sure that I kept myself and my surroundings secure.
I got downstairs, and Lance was already there. The smell of baki
ng deliciousness assaulted my nostrils and I hummed a, “Yummmmm.” Lance chuckled as he turned around. I giggled at his pink shirt with the shop’s logo and his name. The color made his caramel hair look decadent and rich.
Hands behind his back, Lance preened. “Like the pink? I feel like a bowl of sherbet.”
“You look like cotton candy!”
Lance just smirked at me. “Gee, thanks, babe. I guess I’ll just drink this mocha latte I—your most wonderful boyfriend—thought to get you from Jewels.”
“Did you really, Lance? Oh, thank you! You have to stop spoiling me. I’ve got a coffee maker upstairs and I’ll never use it if you keep bringing me treats from Jewels.”
“It’s no sweat, babe. I like giving you little things. And this is the least I could do for you. I know you love them, and they brighten your morning. I’m happy to get them.”
Touched by his sentiment, I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around Lance’s waist. Feeling him reach behind to the counter, I heard the cup snick on the surface. Lance’s arms wrapped around me, and he rested his cheek on top of my head.
I stood nestled in his embrace when an imp whispered in my ear. I started humming gently and as Lance started to sway slightly, I felt behind him and grabbed the coffee cup.
Stepping back, I clutched my prize, crowing triumphantly.
“Yes! It’s all mine!”
“Oh, you’ll pay for that, missy, just you wait.”
Lance stalked toward me, his leopard staring out at me. I edged toward the door leading to the front of the shop when a pounding on the back door had me stopping in my tracks.
“Lotus, you in there? It’s Phoenix. You know, Evan’s sister.”
I looked at Lance. “Did Evan mention to you that she was coming to the shop today?”