Page 12 of Secret Twins for the Orc

It could have been fate, seeing Rho again like this. It could have been the cherry on top for my babies, actually having their father in their lives in some capacity.

But instead, it turns out my attentive, attractive, gently smiling lover is actually a grumpy alphahole with a pole so far up his backside it’s threatening to come out the other end.

I park haphazardly and slam my car door shut as I stalk towards the large, rustic looking building before me. There’s a wooden board swinging from the awning by the entrance, which says ‘The Golden Griffin’ in metallic golden script, and a stylized gold image of a griffin below.

The ornate wooden doors are swung open, and my heels clip loudly over the polished floors as I enter. A softly lit interior greets me, not particularly busy besides the stony-eyed gargoyle with huge wings, and a heavily bearded dwarf in the corner. I bypass the long wooden bench-tables and the variety-sized booths with worn leather upholstery, heading straight for the bar and the petite pixie woman who stands behind it.

“Pour me the biggest glass of Pinot noir you’re legally allowed to serve me,” I practically beg as I dump myself on the leather bar stool, throw my elbows against the wooden bar, and squash my hands against my cheeks to hold my head up. “Please.”

She has pale skin and the prettiest coloring, with her eyes, pixie haircut and even freckles all a matching shade of lavender. She gestures behind herself and grins. “Would you like that troll-sized, or giant-sized?”

I glance at the glasses behind her. “Uh, on second thought, human-sized is fine. I don’t think I can hold those without looking like an idiot.”

She giggles at my response and turns to pour, and I watch her opalescent, dragonfly-like wings shimmering for a moment before she places a regular glass of red wine before me.

“Rough day, huh?”

“Ugh,” is all I say, before grabbing at the glass and taking a hearty gulp.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the human who’s just moved into town, would you?” She asks it casually as she corks the bottle of wine and returns it to its place, and I take another, more normal sized sip.

“News travels fast around here, does it?”

She shrugs a slender shoulder. “It’s a small town, and we haven’t had someone new move in for a while now.”

“Yeah,” I say on a sigh, finally leaning back in my seat and settling myself in. “I started at my new job today, and it was…ugh.” Another sip of wine, and another smile from the pixie.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” I mutter morosely, before looking up from my drink. “It’s just that, this was supposed to be a new beginning for me, it was going to solve all my problems. But my boss is a nightmare. He’s going to fire me tomorrow. He nearly fired me today. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, since we’re not talking about it,” the pixie says with a cheeky grin, “let me grab myself a stool and get comfy. Hold on.”

When she returns, she sticks her hand across the bar for a handshake, before settling in and pouring herself a Midori and lemonade. “I’m Nib.”

“Ella.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Alright, you were saying…”

I give her an overview of my situation, explaining briefly that my boss and I have an ‘accidental, one-off sort of history’ but not going into details. I know how small towns can work, and I’m not about to have the whole community whispering about me or my toddlers, and especiallynot wanting it to get back to Rho, so I decide to leave out my babies. I am not anywhere nearready to handle that potential explosion right now.

By the time I get to the end of my day, she’s leaning forward in her chair looking extremely interested, so when the dwarf at the back orders another ale, she pours it deftly, flies over to deliver it quickly, and zips back before I’ve finished another sip of my own drink.

“There’s no way,” she all but whispers, her eyes shining with interest. “It’s just so unlikely!”

“I know,” I groan, before pulling my hair into a quick bun at the base of my neck, just to have something to do with my aggravated hands.

“But I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she says as she lifts her glass to her lips. “Give it time for the dust to settle. I doubt you’ll be let go of that easily. Although if you don’t mind me asking, where are you working?”

“Strongarm Constructions.”

She immediately chokes on her drink and puts it down with a splutter. “Oh.”

My heart sinks. “Oh, jeez, you know my boss, don’t you? It is that bad. I’m going to be out of here within the week.”

“No, no, don’t be disheartened!” Her brows draw together apologetically, and she leans over to pat my arm. “Rhokar is a good guy, he’s just a little…uh, well…”

“A little bit of a grumpy, stubborn ass?”

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