Page 60 of Midnight Whispers

I link her fingers with mine, guiding her past the hedge maze.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“A hedge maze. Fair warning, if you go in there, it could take you a while to get out. Though Anabelle’s an expert now, so she could probably lead you through it quite easily.”

“She is?”

I think back to Asher and Anabelle’s journey to finding each other. “Long story.” I squeeze her hand. “Now tell me what you have on your mind.”

I should give her time, but I worry that her decision will take her away from me. I’ve stewed over it for the last hour, and I’m hoping she’ll trust me to talk out what she’s looking into. I’m thinking it has something to do with her looking inside the unit for lease close to Black Magic Bar.

“Well, I think I’ve figured out what I’d like to do if I left T&T’s. I’m just trying to decide if I can make it work.”

“What is it?”

I glance to my side, and she presses her lips together, almost as if she’s nervous to tell me.

“I… I want to open a dance studio and teach kids.” She whips her head to meet my gaze. “Sounds totally crazy and stupid, right?”

My forehead wrinkles. “Of course not. You’re a wonderful dancer, and any child would be lucky to have you as their teacher. Is that why you were looking in that unit for rent last night?”

One corner of her lips lifts, but she doesn’t mention how the only way I could know that is if I was watching her from afar.

“It is. I called the number first thing this morning, and I have enough money saved to afford the rent for a few months, but not enough to do the renovations that would be needed to convert it to a dance studio. I’m afraid that if I keep working and save enough money for the renos, the unit might be gone by then. But what choice do I have? I’ll just have to keep saving and cross my fingers that it’s still available when I am ready. Put my hands in destiny.”

I pull her to a stop on the path. “What are you talking about? I’ll pay for the renovations. Hell, I’ll pay for the rent.”

She shakes her head and drops my hand. “No. That’s not why I’m telling you.” She starts walking ahead on the path, and my steps grow faster to catch up.

“Cinder, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kind of a big deal.”

She shakes her head but laughs.

“Seriously though, I have more money than I could ever spend in this lifetime. Let me pay for it all.”

“But it means something to me.”

I pull her to a stop, and she turns to face me, arms crossed, hip out.

“I want to see you live out your dream,” I say in a low voice.

Her head tilts and her arms drop to her sides. “I want that too, but I can’t take your money, Nero. It doesn’t feel right. You’ve allowed me to live here without paying rent. You bought me all those clothes, and you feed me. You helped my friend. I cannot keep taking things from you. I’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”

She turns to head down the path again, and I roll my eyes. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because I don’t want you thinking I’m only here for your money. It’s the least interesting thing about you.”

A warm sensation spreads through my chest. “Which is exactly why I want to help you.”

She stops and spins to face me. “Nero, I can’t take your money. But I appreciate the offer.”

Jesus, why can’t she see that it’s not a big deal?

Time to change my angle. “What if it was a business loan? Would you let me loan you the money, and you can pay me back over time?”

She doesn’t shoot me down right away, so hopefully I have her interested.

“How would that work?”

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