Page 109 of Scattered Glitter

“I’m only good to be looked at or used.”

“Where would I even go with a fifteen-thousand-dollar dress and a bracelet that costs at least as much?”

It costs more but…

… semantics.

“You’ll have to go out with Levi and me more often,” I reply with a grin, trying to keep it light before things get even heavier.

She laughs, shaking her head, her fingers still playing with the bracelet. “No promises. I’m in Italy soon, remember.”

Italy.

She’s going to be pissed when she hears that our deal isn’t over after tonight. But it’s going to be good when this is over, and she’s away and happy.

“Besides, it’s your birthday, not mine, and I don’t have anything for you.” She steps closer. Before I can respond, she rises onto her tiptoes, her scent hitting me like a hurricane as she kisses my cheek. “Happy birthday, Koen.”

Her scent.

It’s a bakery at dawn—sweet, warm, comforting. It pulls at something deep inside me, something I haven’t felt since I was a kid. It reminds me of early mornings when my mom used to bake cinnamon rolls on Sundays, and the air filled with that warm sweetness that meant everything was right in the world. For a second, I’m back there—small, safe, wrapped in a warmth that makes everything else fade away.

For such a simple gesture, the kiss wrecks my insides in a way I can’t seem to shake. Part of me even wants to pull her back, to ask her to do it again, only to feel her against me for another moment.

Fuck.

For the first time since Oscar’s death, the numbness recedes.

Somethingrealis taking root.

“All right.” I clear my throat, not letting her see how much that little kiss threw me off. “Let’s get out of here.” I tilt my head toward the door, giving her a playful nudge. “Levi’s gonna hunt us down if we take too long. You know he has no fucking patience at all.”

She giggles, and we head out. When we reach the car, she hesitates, her gaze flickering between the Bronco and the ground, her fingers tightening around her purse strap.

“How can we make this ride better, so you don’t, you know…” I gesture toward her, “… ruin all your makeup by clamping your eyes shut?” I try to keep my tone teasing, but I’m actually worried.

Yesterday, watching her struggle, I’d wanted nothing more than to stop the car to let her out or, better yet, to climb into the back seat with her and pull her into my lap, shielding her from whatever was haunting her. And here we are again, another test for her, another challenge I’m hoping she’ll get through.

I’m such an asshole.

“You could let me drink,” she mutters, glancing up at me with a wry smile, though she doesn’t say it as cuttingly as she would have a few days ago. There’s a tension there, though, in her eyes, in the way she grips her purse strap as if it’s the only thing tethering her to the moment.

“I need you sober for this mission. I’m sorry, but you can have champagne with Levi when it’s all over. Deal?”

Yep, definitely an asshole.

“You could put me in a trance, then?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not how this works. I can’t take the fear from you. That would take a lot of work and—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she cuts me off with a wave and a sigh, her shoulders visibly drooping in resignation as I open the passenger door for her, and she only hesitates for another second before taking a deep breath and slipping inside.

Brave girl.

I circle to the driver’s side and take a long breath, trying to think of anything that might help. When I slide in next to her, she hasn’t even buckled her seat belt. Her eyes are closed, her knuckles white as she makes fists, pressing her glittery nails so hard into her palms, I’m sure it must hurt. She’s trying to keep control, but it’s a struggle, and I hate that I’m putting her through this.

“Would it help to sit in the back?”

She shakes her head without opening her eyes. “No,I can do this.”

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