Page 12 of Zachary

Remembering the number of times Fabian had to be fetched for meals while I was living at Here Be Dragons, and when he strolled nonchalantly out into the snow without shoes because he was distracted by his thoughts, my mood lifts. We all have our little eccentricities. Mine is just… less dragonish than everyone else’s.

“No work today,” Fabian’s insisting. “Make those lists, then find something fun to do. Do you want me to send you a list of Rhys’s favorite shows? Or you could bake cookies. And I’ll call you back with my plan later. I need to talk to some people, and if I wake them up now, they’ll be grumpy.”

Alarm races through me. “What people?” I don’t need the world knowing my business.

“Just us,” he promises. “Dustin. Sophie. My friend Hagen—have you met him? Don’t worry, Ronan. It’s going to be fine.” He ends the call before I can reply.

I stare at the phone, chewing on my lip. I trust Fabian, but… Sighing, I toss back the covers and get up. Does it even matter? It’s not like anything he suggests is going to make things worse.

And he’s right. A day away from the cave will let me recharge. Not that I really need—

No. I’m recharging. I’m going to shower because it feels good, even though, since Brandt showed me how to use magic to keep clean, I haven’tneededto wash. But right now, I want something that feels good. And then I’m going to make those lists Fabian suggested. I think Garrett and Cam might like me? Or at least not dislike me. And Arne is always friendly, now that I’m at the pub so often. I can always buy his friendship.

And then… well… I guess I could make cookies. Or maybe I could try something new, something a bit challenging? I watched Kethe make croissants once. I bet that would distract me.

With a plan set, I square my shoulders and prepare to face the day.

CHAPTER SIX

Zac

I’m a habitually early riser,but even I have to admit that there’s something nice about occasionally lying in bed on a Sunday morning and just… being.

Not that I’ll do it for very long. I’ve been awake for twenty minutes now, and that’s pretty much my limit. There’s a big, wide world out there, and as comfortable as my bed is, I get restless being here when I could be doing something.

So… plans for a lazy Sunday, since I have an unexpected day off. Number one should be trying to come up with a reason for having a day off that’ll satisfy Grandmother. On the other hand, nothing’s likely to satisfy her, so I may as well just tell her I was sick of being stuck in the cave with Ronan.

Guilt pangs through me. I can’t do that, especially not after what I promised my cousins last night. I need to at leasttryto be nicer to Ronan, and that includes not making mean comments about him to others. So I’ll just remind Grandmother that slavery is illegal and that Ronan and I decided two days off per week were necessary. She doesn’t really like him that much, so I doubt she’ll speak with him long enough to find out that the decision was mine.

Okay, that’s settled. Hopefully someone else in the family will do something stupid today and I’ll be able to fly under the radar at dinner.

So I’ll get up, work out in the home gym we’ve got set up downstairs, and read the paper while I have a leisurely breakfast—which I bet I can probably get Garrett to cook, if I ask nicely. And then I might go for a walk, maybe see if my little cousins want to go skating on the temporary ice rink Zoe set up. That and the snow village aren’t going to be around for too much longer—maybe a month or a little more—so we may as well enjoy them while we can. The snowfall is already starting to ease up, and despite Cam’s mutterings about the cold, the temperature’s been edging a little higher lately. We’ll still get snow into May, maybe the occasional overnight flurry in early June, but it won’t be sticking around like it does now. Spring is in the air.

With a plan firmly set, I throw back the covers and get up, stretching my arms over my head. I yank on a pair of sweatpants and my running shoes, then wander downstairs.

“Morning, Zac. You’re up late today.” Garrett doesn’t look up from the paper he’s reading. I’d stake my life on the fact that he gave Asher big pleading eyes this morning, and my cousin went to Zurich to get it… and then went back to bed. Saves me having to go get my own later.

“Day off,” I explain. “I decided to be lazy.”

“Good call.” He puts the paper down and meets my gaze, his eyes searching. “Listen, about last night—”

I hold up a hand. “It’s fine, Garrett. And I promise I’ll be nicer to Ronan.”

Garrett nods slowly but doesn’t look away. “I appreciate that, but I really just wanted to remind you that if you need someone to talk to, we’re all here. We’ve been worried about you.”

“Thank you.” I don’t know what else to say.

“And if you really don’t want me and Cam to find a guy for you, we can hold off for a while. Even if we would be better at it than Damaris.” His face is solemn, but there’s a tiny twinkle in his eye that makes me laugh.

“I can find my own guys, thanks.” Although ithasbeen a while. Maybe next weekend I should get away from the village, go somewhere with a lot of nightlife and guys looking for a little no-strings fun. Do I want a relationship? Someone to give a shit about me and snuggle up with every night? Of course I do. I’m not a kid anymore, and I’m the homebody type. But I don’t want a parade of guys shoved under my nose like Grandmother did with Asher before he met Garrett. When the right guy comes along, I’ll know.

Garrett nods, though I’m pretty sure he’s bullshitting me and he and Cam will continue their plotting. Lucky for me, it’s not that easy for them to throw men in my path up here in the middle of nowhere, cut off from the rest of the world like we are. “Okay, we’ll leave it with you.” His overly cheery tone just confirms my suspicions. “Hey, do you have a second to look at something for me? I’ve been trying to come up with plans for the garden at the new house, and Asher said you’re the one to ask for tips.”

I shrug and join him at the table. “Sure. What do you have in mind?” I’d almost forgotten that when the ground finally thaws, Asher and Garrett will begin construction on their new house. There’s a very limited amount of time to get buildings from excavation to weatherproof up here, but after that, the interior work can be done at a more leisurely pace. Even so, it’s likely they’ll be moving out before the end of the year. Micah’s already all but living with Cam, and the thought of being alone here is… not fun.

Shaking that off, I turn my attention to Garrett’s ideas. The garden’s definitely not going to happen this year, but I canunderstand him being excited and wanting to plan ahead. I love that he’s committed to using native flora too. He also has vague notions of a rock garden, something that can be made to look interesting even outside the growing season, when nearly everything is covered in snow. Rocks and plants are kind of my thing, and I try not to get too excited as we discuss options.

There are worse ways to spend a Sunday morning.

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