Page 143 of Luxuries of Lust
“And we are so happy to see our family growing.” Glyma beamed at Liel, Jude, Bryce, Enfys, and Cya as Quin took her hand. “We’re going into a very exciting but new time, and with the new year comes a lot of changes. But we’re confident that together, we can do anything.”
“I’m getting nervous,” Toni said, and Jude twined their hands as Glyma shook her head.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to be ominous, so let me get to the point. We are officially expanding the business. We signed a lease on a small location in Greed for a new Passing Through Cafe branch,” Glyma said, and everyone cheered and clapped, most of them looking unsurprised by the news. Apparently, Gem wasn’t the only one with loose lips. “We will be getting it ready for opening day at the end of January, if all things go well.”
“That is wonderful news,” Zef said, wings buzzing in excitement.
“Yeah, those Greed dickheads ain’t gonna know what hit ’em!” Toni said, making Liel roll his yellow eyes.
Glyma laughed and nodded. “Yes, it’s very exciting, but it is bittersweet because we’ll be losing two of our own. Gem and Oliver have agreed to team up to run the new location.”
The excited atmosphere sobered some, and Gem fought the urge to burst into tears as Toni sent him a surprised and crestfallen look. “I mean, I’m only going under one condition: you have to hang a big picture of me behind the counter and put a camera in my eyes so that I can livestream the feed on my phone. Then I won’t miss out on the inside jokes and you all can’t forget me.” Everyone laughed for some reason, and Gem pouted. “I’m not joking. Do they think I’m joking?”
Rusty kissed his cheek. “It’s gonna be fine, caryd. No one’s forgetting you, I promise.”
“Gem will be our manager, and Oliver will be taking over Quin’s responsibilities in regard to the Greed location,” Glyma continued, and Willow placed a hand on Gem’s shoulder and offered him congratulations. “Cya will be moving to the day shift to fill in behind the counter, and we have a few interviews lined up, though no official new hires yet.
“But none of this would have been possible without all of your hard work and dedication, and Quin and I are so grateful to all of you.” Glyma blinked rapidly, like she was fighting tears. “But our work family isn’t the only thing that’s expanding.”
Glyma and Quin made eye contact, and Gem had seen that look before. “Oh my gods,” he breathed a moment before Glyma said, “Quin and I are having a baby.”
The shocked responses were all genuine this time—except for Willow, who was already weeping happy tears before Glyma even finished speaking. Unfortunately, Gem’s first reaction didn’t match the others.
While everyone else was saying congratulations, Gem shrieked, “Ew, why?” Everyone froze and stared at him, and he winced. “I’m sorry. What I meant to say was, ‘What a wonderful blessing! Children are, after all, our brightest hope for the future.’”
“Anyway,” Oliver said, giving Glyma a huge hug, “That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“How you feeling?” Toni asked as he hovered a hand over Glyma’s stomach. “How far along are you?”
Glyma frowned, then giggled. “Oh no, I’m not pregnant. Quin is.”
“What?” Toni’s chin trembled before he blubbered out, “Oh my gods, Quinnie!”
“Oh, Toni, don’t—okay, I suppose I should have expected this.” Quin patted Toni’s back as the Elas practically burst into tears. “Yes, I’m pregnant, and yes, I’m doing well. The baby is healthy and growing, and everything’s alright.”
Sidling up to Glyma, Gem wrapped several arms around her. “I really am happy for you.”
“I know,” Glyma said, squeezing his waist. “Thank you.”
Once all the hugs had been exchanged and the tears had dried, they returned to their seats.
“I suppose that’s all for the announcements,” Glyma said as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “We’re not sure how things will change once the baby comes. Quin’s been considering taking some steps back from the cafe, but that’s still very much in flux. We’ll be as open and transparent with you as things develop.”
“If the Greed location is so small that only Ollie and Gem will be there, how will they serve lunch?” Toni asked.
Glyma sat down as she answered. “Well, there won’t be any hot lunches served, and for now, we’ll be baking double batches of our most popular items and delivering them each morning. We’ve looked into purchasing a small electric vehicle for deliveries.”
“Who will drive it?” Zef asked.
Hooking an arm around the back of Quin’s chair, Glyma shifted her attention to Rusty. “Well, I was going to speak with Rusty privately, but since you’ve asked, I hoped Rusty would be willing.”
Rusty’s head shot up, eyes wide in shock. “Me?”
“If you like. You’re always here early, and we’d make sure to hire enough people to man the front until you make it back,” Glyma said.
“I don’t have a license,” Rusty said.
“We know,” Quin said. “We’d sign you up for driving classes and cover the costs.”
