wrong?” Belle asked. “Did I pick wrong?”
“No, you didn’t.” Her goddess did, though. She’d just been the afterthought in the trio with Ellery and Hannah, and it was getting harder for her not to feel bruised by it.
“I think you need some chocolate cake. Be right back.”
Miles could see Hank in her periphery straightening up and grabbing his own fork.
He was still looking at her. Watching her. The malice from minutes prior was gone and replaced with some other thing she couldn’t quite make out. Resignation? Hopelessness?
Must have been an awful way to feel, being between a rock and a hard place. Well, actually, she knew all about that. Had been squeezed there so many times before herself.
She hadn’t always had good choices, but she’d always had chances, even when they were hard to take. When she was a freshman in college, Ellery offered a chance to Miles when she’d wanted to drop out—when her scholarship turned out to not be enough. Ellery had quietly paid Miles’s tuition for second term using her savings. “Because it doesn’t hurt me, and it helps
you
,” she’d insisted when Miles asked why she did it.
Looking back on it, it wasn’t a whole lot of money. Miles had paid it back with interest long before that inheritance hit her bank account, but it had taught her that small sacrifices sometimes made big differences. And she didn’t have to be friendly with someone to help them.
Miles set down her fork and straightened it so the tines were perfectly parallel with the counter edge. “You might think I’m strange for this, but that’s fine. I’ve always been a bit of an odd duck for the way I think, but I don’t know any other way to be. I have to do this.”
“Do what?”
“You don’t have to like me. I don’t have to get attached to you. That doesn’t mean I can’t help. Funny how honesty makes people want to do that.”
He furrowed his brow and pulled his spine ramrod-straight. “What are you saying?”
“I’ve become very good at figuring out ways to minimize drama. Not every problem needs to explode into a huge ordeal.”
“You have a solution to this, then?”
“Mm-hmm. I think I do.” She stared at the lush, dark chocolate frosting on the cake Belle set down. “The clock’s off, Hank. You’ve got yourself a mate. That is, unless going about it this way is explicitly against the rules. I imagine this could be considered cheating.”
It seemed to take him a moment to process what she said. His forehead furrowed and he formed silent words with his lips, but he said nothing for maybe a minute. “What just happened? Did you…just…”
She forced on a smile before digging into the cake she wasn’t in the mood for. “I guess I did. Don’t thank me yet. Thank me in two weeks when you have proof it worked.”
“It’s a favor. I’ll repay you for it.”
Of course he would. Hank cut deals every day of his life, probably, and this was just one more business transaction for him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know.” But maybe she did. Deep down.
When she looked at how happy Ellery was with Mason, and everything Ellery had gained from saying
yes
, Miles wondered what she could possibly get, too. The family she’d never had, perhaps? A place to belong?
She wanted a clan—to be folded in like Ellery and to belong to a group that respected her. And perhaps, more selfishly, she wanted to be looked at the way Mason looked at Ellery when he thought she wasn’t looking. He revered the woman, and he
needed
her. Miles wanted to know what that felt like. She doubted she ever would, though, and certainly not with Hank.
“I’ll let you know. We’ll figure out an equal trade.” She slipped some cake between her lips, but tasted nothing.
She needed to figure out just how much her end of the bargain was worth.
CHAPTER FOUR
Hank led Miles down Main Street, considering his words carefully. She was doing him a huge favor, and the
“No, you didn’t.” Her goddess did, though. She’d just been the afterthought in the trio with Ellery and Hannah, and it was getting harder for her not to feel bruised by it.
“I think you need some chocolate cake. Be right back.”
Miles could see Hank in her periphery straightening up and grabbing his own fork.
He was still looking at her. Watching her. The malice from minutes prior was gone and replaced with some other thing she couldn’t quite make out. Resignation? Hopelessness?
Must have been an awful way to feel, being between a rock and a hard place. Well, actually, she knew all about that. Had been squeezed there so many times before herself.
She hadn’t always had good choices, but she’d always had chances, even when they were hard to take. When she was a freshman in college, Ellery offered a chance to Miles when she’d wanted to drop out—when her scholarship turned out to not be enough. Ellery had quietly paid Miles’s tuition for second term using her savings. “Because it doesn’t hurt me, and it helps
you
,” she’d insisted when Miles asked why she did it.
Looking back on it, it wasn’t a whole lot of money. Miles had paid it back with interest long before that inheritance hit her bank account, but it had taught her that small sacrifices sometimes made big differences. And she didn’t have to be friendly with someone to help them.
Miles set down her fork and straightened it so the tines were perfectly parallel with the counter edge. “You might think I’m strange for this, but that’s fine. I’ve always been a bit of an odd duck for the way I think, but I don’t know any other way to be. I have to do this.”
“Do what?”
“You don’t have to like me. I don’t have to get attached to you. That doesn’t mean I can’t help. Funny how honesty makes people want to do that.”
He furrowed his brow and pulled his spine ramrod-straight. “What are you saying?”
“I’ve become very good at figuring out ways to minimize drama. Not every problem needs to explode into a huge ordeal.”
“You have a solution to this, then?”
“Mm-hmm. I think I do.” She stared at the lush, dark chocolate frosting on the cake Belle set down. “The clock’s off, Hank. You’ve got yourself a mate. That is, unless going about it this way is explicitly against the rules. I imagine this could be considered cheating.”
It seemed to take him a moment to process what she said. His forehead furrowed and he formed silent words with his lips, but he said nothing for maybe a minute. “What just happened? Did you…just…”
She forced on a smile before digging into the cake she wasn’t in the mood for. “I guess I did. Don’t thank me yet. Thank me in two weeks when you have proof it worked.”
“It’s a favor. I’ll repay you for it.”
Of course he would. Hank cut deals every day of his life, probably, and this was just one more business transaction for him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know.” But maybe she did. Deep down.
When she looked at how happy Ellery was with Mason, and everything Ellery had gained from saying
yes
, Miles wondered what she could possibly get, too. The family she’d never had, perhaps? A place to belong?
She wanted a clan—to be folded in like Ellery and to belong to a group that respected her. And perhaps, more selfishly, she wanted to be looked at the way Mason looked at Ellery when he thought she wasn’t looking. He revered the woman, and he
needed
her. Miles wanted to know what that felt like. She doubted she ever would, though, and certainly not with Hank.
“I’ll let you know. We’ll figure out an equal trade.” She slipped some cake between her lips, but tasted nothing.
She needed to figure out just how much her end of the bargain was worth.
CHAPTER FOUR
Hank led Miles down Main Street, considering his words carefully. She was doing him a huge favor, and the
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