Page 75 of Faking with the Fae King

Hannah nibbles on the edge of her roll, then her eyes go wide and she chomps down, chewing vigorously. “Oh, my god, this is epitome of bread, the bread that all other bread wishes it could be.”

“You get it now.” I shove the rest of the roll into my mouth and reach for another. “There’s nothing else like brownie bread.”

“Is this your cook from the palace?”

“No.” I offered a ludicrous salary to Pepperpot, to no avail. “But there’s good news. Pepperpot has agreed to open a bakery in Ferndale Falls.”

Hannah gives an excited squeal around a bite of bread and swallows. “You mean I get to eat thiseveryday?”

“Every day,” I promise.

Pepperpot reappears with two bowls of asparagus soup, the pale, creamy liquid smooth and delicious. It’s not quite as good as the bread, then again, what is?

We sip the delicate white wine as we eat, and as soon as the soup is done, the brownie whisks it away, leaving us each two lightly seared scallops drizzled with herb-infused oil.

It’s almost a tease, the serving size enough to give a good idea of the seafood’s excellent flavor and tender texture, yet not quite enough to satisfy. It’s one of the marks of a good chef, when a meal will have several courses like this.

When the last morsel of scallop disappears between Hannah’s lips, she sets down her appetizer fork and shoots me a rather sheepish smile. “Sorry, the food is so good I kind of forgot people usually eat dinner together so they can talk.”

“The lapse is as much mine as yours,” I say. “Yet there’s noone else I’d rather share this meal with than you. A brownie working at the height of their abilities is a meal to be savored, and I like seeing you enjoy it.”

“Didn’t you tell me you’ve had brownie chefs before?”

“I have, yet none of them matched Pepperpot’s abilities.” What I don’t admit to Hannah is that those brownies didn’t want to work for me. Their food was always excellent—they wouldn’t dare serve me anything less—but I can now see that it lacked a certain something. Pepperpot’s joy at creating shines in every bite and elevates her food to an even higher level. This is certainly an unexpected perk of being “good.”

The brownie reappears, the main course in hand, herb-infused pheasant with a roasted root vegetable side. The white wine disappears from the table along with the appetizer plates, and I pluck up the red I’ve had breathing for a good half hour. It’s an earthy, smooth wine with cherry, black currant, and violet notes.

The harpist plays continuously, wrapping us in a bubble of beautiful music that makes it easy to forget we’re in the middle of town. Between the excellent food and company, I have to force myself to take more notice of our surroundings. Multiple people walk past the green, all staring at our fabulous meal for two. Even though I arranged all of this for Hannah, I cannot regret that it will further serve our story of a love match.

Yet when she looks at me with delight and approval shining from her eyes, I find it hard to think of anything other than tonight’s plan to prove we share a true connection.

Our initial hunger somewhat dulled, we converse as wecontinue eating. I admit that I spent most of my day arranging this evening’s date, as well as the two new businesses for Ferndale Falls. Hannah tells me about the porcupine family that came to visit and her plans to stock her kitchen with a range of animal-safe foods. I make a note that we will need to do so at the palace as well, during the year she’s with me.

For the second time in my life, I make small talk. I ask her about her work as mayor and actually pay attention as she recounts the lengths she’s gone to in order to keep her beloved town afloat. She tells funny stories of decorating various empty shops to attract temporary businesses called “pop-up stores.” The Severin of only a few months ago would have sneered at hearing such small details from another person’s life. But this evening, it takes little effort to listen to Hannah, to learn more about her.

Underneath her sunny disposition and general goodness, she’s driven, stubborn, and a furiously hard worker. I admire all of these traits as well as sharing them. You can think conquering thoughts all day long, but if you don’t have a good work ethic, you’ll never rise to the level of warrior king.

We finish the last bites of an excellent raspberry tart as she wraps up the story of decorating one of the empty shops for Halloween. She sets down her fork and gives a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “I willneverunderestimate what it takes to do that large of a project again. I budgeted a couple of hours and spent all weekend on it! Who knew fake spider web was such a pain in the butt?”

“What did all of your hard work reap?”

“Well, the shop was only open for two weeks. It did okaybut not great, so there wasn’t much rent or tax money.” A touch of joy flickers in her eyes, in contrast with her words.

“There’s something more.” I lean forward. “Tell me.”

“While the Halloween store was open, every kid in town visited at least once, if not more often. It was all they could talk about—how cool it was to have a costume shop with lots of options. The wonder in their eyes, the smiles on their little faces…” Her lips curl in soft satisfaction as her gaze goes dreamy and distant.

And there it is, the core of her being. Hannah’s heart is big enough to care for all of those children, big enough to encompass this entire town.

I lift my glass to her. “To you, Mayor Hannah Wylde, and your indefatigable spirit and heart. May they ever shine.”

She drinks with me, then continues to hold her glass high. “To you, King Severin, for going above and beyond in helping to revitalize Ferndale Falls.”

We sip the wine to seal the toast, but she lifts her glass again. “Thank you for tonight. This is the most amazing date of my life, not that I’ve had many lately.” Regret flickers in her eyes for a moment before she shakes it away.

“I find that hard to believe,” I say. “You’re beautiful. You’re accomplished. Men should be lining up to beg for a single second of your time.”

“There aren’t many single men around.” She gives an awkward one-shouldered shrug. “And… I haven’t made my personal life much of a priority these last few years. My friends keep telling me I need to ‘get a life.’”

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