Page 102 of The Devil Wears Tartan

No pressure.

“Moira. Hi.”

I glance up just after hitting send and spot Kenzie a couple metres away. For a moment, all my muscles go slack. I almost drop my phone.

She’s literally stunning, an electric zap that freezes the breath in my lungs and keeps me pinned in place. Her hair is loose, its usual shimmer and shine restored from the last time I saw her. She’s wearing a slouchy, dark blue sweater that hangs off one of her shoulders and a pair of boyfriend jeans that look like they’re professing love to her hips with every step.

When she gets closer, I see she’s done her lips and cheeks in soft pink. The warm tones make her deep brown eyes look lighter, like sunlight filtering through a clear mug of tea.

“Hi,” I say, my voice breathy.

The corners of her mouth lift, but there’s nothing smug about her hint of a grin. In fact, she looks more shy and tentative than I’ve ever seen her.

“You look...really good,” she says, her gaze flicking to the sidewalk and back up.

I’m in a pair of dark skinny jeans with a white v-neck and my army jacket on top. It’s nothing fancy, but it feels like me. I put on some of the few pieces of gold jewelry I own and spent way too long twisting the front section of my hair into a waterfall braid.

If this day works out like I’m hoping, a lot more people than Kenzie will be looking at me.

“Not so bad yourself,” I answer, doing a chin nod I hope comes across as suave.

It probably just makes me look like a broken bobblehead.

“Shall we?” Kenzie motions to the cafe, and the fluttering in my chest shifts down into my stomach. She steps over to hold the door for me and then follows me inside the noisy room.

This is happening.

It’s a struggle just to feel my feet on the floor as I move toward the line in front of the counter.

I hoped I’d be more cool, calm, and collected, but all the words I had planned for the day whooshed right out of me as soon as I saw her. I know my worth isn’t going to change if this conversation goes south, but that doesn’t stop my fingers from going numb and my tongue from getting heavy in my mouth.

“Actually, we’re going over here.”

I look away from where I’ve been staring blankly at the menu boards hanging from the ceiling and see Kenzie waving me over to a narrow hallway past a few packed tables and couches.

“To the...bathroom?” I ask.

She chuckles, and I’m relieved to hear her laugh sounds about as nervous as I feel.

“Uh, no. Not quite.”

We pass the door for the bathroom and head farther into what is clearly an employees-only area. I can hear the bustle and clanging of the staff in the kitchen.

“Are you giving me a backstage tour of this cafe?”

Kenzie’s laugh sounds a little more relaxed this time. “Again, not quite. We’re almost there.”

Instead of taking me to the kitchen, she opens a door leading off the side of the short hallway, and I peer past it to see a dimly lit staircase.

“Ah, so you’ve brought me here to murder me.”

She snorts and shakes her head as she stares up at the ceiling. “Oh, Moira.”

Even now, after everything we’ve been through and all the uncertainty ahead, my name on her lips still makes me feel like I could do anything.

“If I’m gonna die today, we better get it over with.”

I take the lead in climbing up the staircase. I pause once we’ve reached the top of the first flight, but Kenzie directs me to head all the way up to the top. We reach a door with what I think is daylight glimmering along its edges.

---