Page 63 of Luna

Dante grinned. “Okay, so five-year plan it. It’s not feasible now, but what about in five years?”

Lightning shot through me. Dante was right, but wrong. “Five years…I’m pregnant. My life is going to be pure chaos with a toddler.”

“That’s why it’s a plan. Figure it out and work your way backward.”

I looked at him with interest. “Is this how you became an illusionist?”

“No,” Dante shook his head. “That was luck and skill. But you have luck and skill with plants. Why couldn’t you have a greenhouse on the property and work with plants? You already make your own essential oils and candles, it could be an extension of that.”

He made it sound like anything was possible. I didn’t realize how much of a pragmatist I was until I listened to his pie in the sky dreams.

“I’m hungry,” I said, rubbing my belly. “Why don’t we get some food, and you walk me through what that looks like?”

“Really?” Dante looked shocked. “I figured you would want Colton or Halos to help you.”

“They will.” I linked my arm in his. “But we can talk about it first.”

I told Colton and Quinn we would be leaving, and they both kissed me goodbye. Dante drove us in his rental car, a sensible dark blue sedan, and we went to a seafood place.

I normally loved the dark wood and blue paint, but tonight it just looked too dark. We sat down at a wooden table, and my hips ached at the hard wood chair.

The server came by and commented on my baby bump. Dante ignored him, and we placed our order.

“Do you like the idea of a greenhouse? Your own private plants?” Dante cocked his head. “It occurs to me that might not be something you want.”

“I do.” I signed, shifting my hips in the chair. “I love the idea of my own quiet workspace. We have some land to the east of the main lodge too, that would work great.”

“Perfect.” Dante’s brown eyes lit up.

“How did you get discovered?” I asked, and then realized my mistake. He would think I was starstruck, when I just wanted to know more about him. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“I don’t mind.” Dante winked. “It’s not glamorous, but I’m an open book.”

The server brought our drinks. I ordered a strawberry frozen drink that tasted too tart, and Dante ordered a pina colada without alcohol. We placed our food order and the server left.

“I grew up on the streets.” He paused. “I was in foster care, because my parents were in jail, so I struck out on my own.”

“I’m so sorry.” I frowned. He was so laid back and charming. I would have guessed he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

“It’s okay.” He shook his head. “I’m just saying that to explain how I learned card tricks.” He flipped a card out of his suit jacket. “I was sharking cards for money and studying illusions. I kept doing shows at this crappy little club and eventually I developed a knack for it.”

I took another sip of my bitter strawberry drink and set it down.

“Something wrong with your drink?”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. Just too tart. My tastebuds are wonky.”

“Try mine.” He passed me his drink. I almost protested, but then gave in. Suddenly, my mouth was watering for a pina colada.

I took a sip, and the baby magic worked. It was deliciously tropical and smooth. I passed him my strawberry drink and stole his.

“So then you became famous? Did you have a five-year plan for that?” I smirked.

“No,” he laughed, and tossed a piece of bread at me. “Brat. I did put together a five-year plan for the types of shows I wanted to do, the direction I thought illusionists would take with their shows, and traveling circuits.”

“That makes sense.” I bit my lip. “How do I five-year-plan a greenhouse though? That’s just ‘save a ton of money and hope for the best’.”

“First, research materials. What sort of plants do you want to work with? What temperature conditions do they need? How much space will you need?” Dante held up a finger with each item.

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