Page 86 of Ulune's Daughter

I greet Teddy and Rachel with hugs and introduce them to Freya. She links arms with Teddy, who is still looking a little green around the gills even though I delivered on my promise of introducing her to the wonders of Chex Mix. After a stop to pick up a ginger-banana smoothie for the poor preggo, we stroll through the mall’s wide corridors, admiring the décor, which is neoclassical Greek revival—all white marble columns and round arches—lit from above through the glass roof. Although I surely don’t need any lingerie, particularly since Rhodes made himself scarce, we get sucked into Pandora’s Chest.

While Freya and Teddy are giggling over something that bills itself as “maternity support” and seems to involve a lot of straps, I pick over a bin of underwear looking for something black, with minimal lace.

Rachel joins me at the bin and drapes her arm over my shoulders. We’ve been on some adventures since Bevvy, me and Rach. Teddy might be my pal in scholarly curiosity, but Rachel is always down for any adventure, no matter how crazy. Some might say the hot-pink-haired quarter fae has a death wish. I don’t think that’s strictly true. She’d have found death by now if she was seeking it. But she definitely takes risks that would turn Evan Lords’ hair white.

“Hey, chickie,” she says. “Who are we shopping for?”

I flip a lacy thong with red bows out of the way. “No one.”

Literally, since I seem to have scared off my potential boyfriend.

“Your exhibit opens in a couple of days. Freya says it’s brilliant. Equinox fires are this weekend, so you’re guaranteed to get laid. You should be glowing, girl. What’s going on?”

Rachel and I have always been honest with each other about our love lives, so I don’t bullshit her now.

“That guy I thought I was dating?—”

“The swimmer with good shoulders?” she asks.

“Yeah, him. I told him about the sleep stuff. He freaked out and ghosted me.”

Rachel nestles her face against mine. “Sorry, girlfriend.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“You really liked him, huh?”

I nod. “He’s great. Smart and empathic and giving. We took things slow. He was making all the right noises. Seemed invested. All kinds of B.D.E. I even took him home to meet my parents.” I sigh and flip a few more thongs out of the way. “We slept together and it was ... yeah. I woke up feeling that really good kind of wrecked and sated and euphoric. He was gone. He has swim practice first thing in the morning so I figured he’d gone to that. The next time I saw him, he gave me the third degree and stormed off.”

“About the sleep stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“No sign of him since?”

“We’ve exchanged some texts. He’s been away to a swim meet. Bevvy lost and he was down about it. I probably wasn’t a very good girlfriend. I didn’t invite him over to cheer him up or anything. He didn’t suggest meeting up the way he usually does. I think ... I don’t know. I think I blew it.”

“Would it hurt more to think or to know?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Well, my completely unsolicited advice is you should find out for sure. Invite him over to your place after the exhibit opens. When you’re not stressed out with a million details. Find out what really set him off. If it is the sleep stuff, well, better to know that you’re not compatible now than three months from now. In the meanwhile, if you’re on a time out, then there’s nothing stopping you from getting a little stress relief at the fires.”

“Good unsolicited advice.” I loop my arm around her waist and squeeze. “You’re right. I’m going in too many different directions right now. I need to focus on the exhibit. Make sure it opens with a bang. Then I’ll invite him over for drinks. If he comes, we can talk it out. If he makes excuses, well, that’s an answer too, isn’t it?”

“It is, but I’ll bet you dibs on being godmother to Teddy’s next baby that he’ll show and try to work it out.”

“Unless he’s hit it and quit it,” I say, feeling the ache again in my chest like my heart’s taken a haymaker.

Teddy pushes between us, wrapping her arms around both our shoulders. “You two plottin’ world domination over satin and lace?”

“You know it,” I tell her. “You guys got plans for the fires? I’m feeling the need to get away from Bevvy. Change of scenery.”

Their faces fall.

“Girl—”

“Kells, if we’d known?—”

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