Page 53 of Prayers for the Prickly

“Iris and Chastity were when I told them. They started complaining about the way I’d already cut their hours.

“If they don’t understand why, that’s on them.”

“I’ll just be gone a few days,” Ever said, as he stood and pushed the chair back in. “A week, tops. I just need to get my head straight and figure out what I need to do to reestablish trust with the community again.”

“What about demonstrations, let them see the process? Then they can see for themselves that nothing extra is getting in the candy?” I offered as he headed for the door.

“Yeah, that could work, maybe, I’ll have to think about it,” he said before taking off.

I hoped that would get people to start coming in again. Ever was a talented chocolatier, and he deserved to have his work appreciated.

Chapter 21

Gregor

My fingers traced the wood as I admired the seagull with a ragged chunk of a flatbread sandwich clutched in its beak as it made for the sky, wings outstretched, that I’d just finished carving. One of the small pawns that would make up part of the wedding gift chess set, it was solid and sturdy, like the piece of driftwood I’d carved it from.

The pawns for the other side were all sandwiches with a hand wrapped around them, the whole concept of the set being gulls and subs, just as my patron had requested. He’d already signed off on all of the sketches, but it would nice to show him this piece, and the first submarine sandwich pawn, both ready to be stained and sealed.

“You will never believe this,” Olly said as he stepped through the curtain into the back, a tiny grin on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

It wasn’t the only change I’d noticed in my brother since Ever had tapped the brakes on their budding relationship in favor of trying to get his business back up off the ground. Gone was the bouncy, fun-loving attitude. In its place was a more subdued one. It wasn’t that he never smiled, he did, just not as wide and joyful as before.

“The seal is back on the boardwalk, and you remembered to take pictures for me this time?” I asked, completely throwing him for a loop by bringing that up again.

“Well, yeah, actually, how did you know?”

I inclined my head toward the window, where the seal was sunning itself with an oyster held between its paws. I couldn’t tell if it had eaten it or was just taking a nap with his snack before he ate it later, but I’d taken several photos myself, so I had a photo reference for when I was ready to carve him.

“I hope that isn’t one of August’s oysters he’s holding, or you get to explain to my mate why he’s one short,” I teased, hoping to get a bigger smile out of him.

“Oh hell no, uh-uh, I know the rule,” Olly said, eyes widening, even as his lips tugged up a little more. “August has first dibs on all seafood and seafood related items up to and including dips, sauces and seasonings. I never knew hedgehogs loved seafood so much.”

“Mine does,” I said, leaving it at that, since we still weren’t letting the cat out of the bag about the hoglets yet.

“Damn, I hate to see what happens when you’re expecting, they’ll be nothing in the fridge safe for me to touch.”

“Or you could, I don’t know, tap into some of those cooking lessons Mom and Nana gave you and start stocking the kitchenette downstairs so you can make whatever you want,” I suggested.

“I suck at cooking anything that isn’t diner food.”

“No, you don’t,” I said, staring him down until he squirmed. “You’re just better at diner food than anything else because that’s what you got used to cooking for your mom. We never ate like that at home and you know it, just like I know you know how to make anything you’re hungry for, so why aren’t you doing it?”

When he sighed and squirmed more, I almost got impatient, until I remembered that all growling or snarling would do was prompt him to snarl right back these days. It was another change I’d noticed, along with his new tendency to stomp back out to the showroom rather than tell me what he’d really come back here for if I pissed him off. I knew it wasn’t just the seal, he could have just texted me the pictures if that was the only thing he’d wanted to talk about. Instead of saying or doing anything, I just stared and waited him out.

“I always make too much, okay?” he admitted. “Even when I cut the recipe down. I’d love to share the extra with Ever but he still isn’t speaking to me, so, yeah, what’s the point when I’m rarely in the mood to eat the same thing two days in a row?”

“You could freeze the extra like Nana does,” I suggested and watched his lips compress into a tight line.

I suspected that not having Ever to share the food with was more of the reason behind him not cooking than him worrying about things going to waste.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just sad to have to do that when it’s better fresh.”

“So, keep a few smaller containers on standby and cut the recipe you’re using down more than the way you already are. It might not result in a perfect portion, but it should be more manageable.”

He nodded at that. “I can try.”

“I know you can, and I know it sucks not being able to talk to Ever right now, but you have to look at things from his point of view,” I said. “You’re mom has stirred up trouble for him every time you guys have gone out together. That gets old, Olly, especially when you won’t tell her to cut it the fuck out.”

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