Page 15 of Emerald Moon
“‘Cause you’re scary when you’re mad.”
“Correct.Don’t forget it.”She started walking back towards her station.“Who are they for anyway?A new crush?”
Jo rolled their eyes.“I regret telling y’all about my new friend crush problem.”
“What?I can’t ask a simple question?”
They shot her as intimidating a look as they could manage, but they knew it fell flat.“What I said a few weeks ago during moments of pack bonding should remain in moments of pack bonding.”
“Just wondering if you’re infatuated with anyone again like you were with Beta Seraphine.”
“That was a secret!”
Billie laughed, the sound a mix of a chuckle and a snort, and got back to work.“Sorry, I’ll leave you to your mess.”
Jo pouted at their macarons.
The back door of the bakery swung open.Seraphine, the Beta of the pack, walked in.She looked a bit frazzled, but that wasn’t too far off from normal.Along with the pack Alpha, Parisa, she ran the pack and Violet Moon, so Jo could only imagine all the things they had to do everyday.As the Gamma, Wilma helped, and Jo knew from chats with Wil and their Beta that everything had improved since Seraphine and Parisa got together, but it was still a lot to manage.
“Beta Seraphine!”Jo lit up.Their friend crush on Seraphine might have ended, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still one of Jo’s favorite people.They ran over and gave her an awkward hug where they made sure their patchy dyed hands didn’t touch her clothes.
Seraphine patted their back as they returned the gesture.“Practicing again?”
Jo took a step back.“Yep!”they replied, motioning to their mess.“One day I’ll get to where I want to be.”
“And where’s that?”Seraphine asked with a grin.Jo had mentioned wanting their macarons to be out in the cases before, so their Beta knew exactly what their goal was.
But that was too embarrassing to say out loud again.“Just better than they are now.”
She walked over to where Jo’s assembled macarons were on a tray.“I think they’re looking pretty great already.You’ve come a long way.I wish I had your ability to improve.”
“Your bakes have been getting better!”For all the work she did for the bakery, Seraphine didn’t actually bake anything for it.She was better known for producing blobs of barely-cooked dough and burning pots.
“You’re kind.And maybe, but nothing like what you can do.A few more bakes and these will be ready to go out front and be sold!”
“It’s going to take more than a few batches to get my bakes anywhere near what Emmaline and Billie can do.Or even Lock with those hand pies.”
“I don’t think you’re as far away as you think.”Seraphine wiggled her fingers near the macarons.“Can I try one?”
“Of course.”Jo scanned the tray for one of the better-looking ones and gave it to her.They tried to go back to their work while she ate it, but it was too tempting to stare out of the corner of their eye to watch her reaction.
“Jo, these are fantastic!Sweet, but fresh and tart, too.What a great combination.You know what, give these to the next person you have a friend crush on and I’m certain they’ll be yours.”
Jo scrunched up their face.“A friend crush isn’t something I want to be actually romantic!It’s a thing that happens — that I hate, by the way — that passes so I can be a normal friend again.”
“Well, sure,” Seraphine added, “but you never know when you might meet someone that you’ll actually want to stick around as more than a friend.”She winked.
Jo had a moment of panic.Seraphine often talked with members of the Crooked Creek Pack.Did she know something?Did she know about the thing with Cass in the tent?No, that was impossible.Only Cass and Krista knew about that, and they wouldn't say anything about it.But Krista could be chatty and, while she’d never spill a secret on purpose, she might talk around it in a way where someone could read through the lines.
Seraphine patted Jo’s shoulder.“Sorry for teasing, but I do mean it!Give your macarons to someone you’re into and they’ll stick around to get more.I’m sure when you finally do agree to sell these, customers will keep coming back to get them, too.”
“Thanks,” Jo mumbled, glancing away and digging the toe of their old sneakers into the floor.It was nice to hear a compliment, but hard to take it.Saying thanks while feeling embarrassed was the best they could do.
“Oh yeah.”Seraphine motioned to the back door.“Almost forgot to mention — your cat’s outside.”
“Dolly!”Jo perked up at the news and turned back to their work to finish faster.“I’ll finish up and go play with her, maybe give her the treats I brought if she’s still around.”
“And I’m late, like always, so I better scoot.Thanks for the perfect macaron!”Seraphine added as she walked away to go through the doors into the front of Violet Moon.
