Page 107 of Premonition of Peace

Every eye turned toward the entrance as a deep, distinctly male voice sounded from the foyer. My lips parted. Could it be . . .

Sasha entered a second later with a tall dark-haired man I recognized from some business transactions. Their hands were clasped, and she was smiling widely up at him as she made introductions with Lucifer.

My gaze snapped back to Sienna. “They’re holding hands . . . Am I seeing things?” I asked quietly. “Or did Sasha just bring Finn Clarke to a family dinner?”

“You’re not seeing things,” Sienna replied. Her smile was nearly as big as mine.

“Sasha,” Piper called out from where she sat casually inclined against the island bar. “Who’s this?”

She was absolutely glowing as she said, “Everyone, meet Finn. Finn, this is my family.”

My heart squeezed as a round of greetings and pleasantries were exchanged. I used my magic to materialize an extra chair next to Sasha’s usual place. She gave me a grateful smile and I grinned back at her widely.

August, Lucifer, and Marcel busied themselves in the kitchen, quickly coming back out, each carrying a large, covered dishes to be served family style. Piper was not kidding; feeding a house of supernaturals was like cooking for a small circus, but I loved it. And having three extra sets of hands helped.

I walked back into the kitchen to grab the last few things, and Mist fell into step beside me, holding a covered plate. She stopped at the island counter. I grabbed potholders to pull my last dish out of the oven. Holding a large casserole pan, I nodded my head toward her plate.

“What’s that?”

Her pride was evident as she set them down. “I’ve been working on my baking,” she said with a shy smile. She pulled off the covering and my heart swelled with pride as I observed her cookies. They looked perfectly edible, not a single one burned. I reached down to pluck one off the plate and took a bite.

“Oh my gods . . . these are sogood,” I said around a mouthful of butterscotch shortbread. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug. “You’ve come so far, Mist. You should be proud.”

I was talking about more than just the cookies and she knew it.

She nodded and then chewed at her lip before flashing me a look of hesitation mixed with excitement. “I’ve been thinking,” she began, “I feel like I’ve improved a lot these last few months. My training with the Señora is really coming along and for the first time I think I have a good grip on my powers.”

I nodded along. “I agree, you really have.”

“Right . . .” She fidgeted with the edge of the plate. “So I was wondering . . . I heard you were looking, or considering—gosh I’m messing this all up.” A light red tinged her cheeks with embarrassment. “Forget I asked?—”

“Nope,” I gripped her tighter, not letting her flee back to the dining room. “What’s the question?”

Mist took a deep breath and then the words came pouring out, like a dam had broken. “I overheard Sasha and Sienna talking about you wanting to hire another personal assistant and I was thinking maybe I could do it?” She flinched. “I mean, if you’re open to it, I’d really like the job. The apartment has been great and I’m really thankful for all that you’ve done for me. It’s just. . . I want to do something with my life. Help people. I don’t think I could be Piper’s assistant. Too much of what she does is still triggering for me. But I was thinking maybe you might have a spot . . .”

My heart melted a little. This beautiful, broken girl was so strong. She’d never know how proud of her I was, even if I told her every day. “I think that’s a great idea. Why don’t you hang around after dinner and we can talk about what kind of work you’re envisioning?”

Mist’s eyes lit up. “I would love that.”

I gave her another small squeeze before letting go.

“Of course. Now come on. I wanna watch Sasha with her new man,” I whispered conspiratorially with a wink. She laughed lightly before turning and leading the way back to the dining room.

Dinner came and went like the breeze. By the end of it, Finn had us all convinced he was a godsend. I knew he was a good egg from the few times we’d done business together. He wanted to improve the lives of the people who lived in our city, and he cared about others. What wasn’t to like? It was obvious from hersmile that he made her happier than I’d seen in a long time. And, from the way he gazed at her, he was just as obsessed as she was.

When everyone was stuffed and wandering back toward the living room, I saw my opportunity to get her alone.

“Hey,” Sasha glanced at me with a knowing look.

“Hey,” she said.

“You have a second?”

“Sure,” she said as we both made our way toward the patio door. We stepped outside but left the doors open. Chatter filtered through, hushed by the night air of summer.

“So, Finn Clarke?” I said, grinning wide. “Both a charmer and handsome. Anything else?” She threw her head back with a laugh.

“Funny. Kind. Considerate. Thoughtful.” She smiled wistfully at the scene unfolding in the living room. Finn seemed to sense her eyes on him and turned to give her a playful wink before resuming his conversation with Anders and August. “All the things.”

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