Page 87 of Emerald Moon
“Like, a little bit.”Krista laughed.
She bought her macarons, ate over half of them in fewer than five minutes, and gave Jo another hug before leaving.
When Cass walked through the doors, Jo was elated but hardly surprised.
“You’re here!”Jo said.
”Of course I am.I came as soon as I finished closing up at the butcher.”Cass’ eyes drifted along the row of macarons.
”They’re not totally perfect, but Alpha Parisa said I could sell them!”
”They look plenty perfect to me.”Cass leaned forward on the counter and said in a low voice, “I’d kiss you now to celebrate, but there’s too many people here.”
“I’m technically not on the clock.I’ve just been here selling macarons because I can’t believe it’s happening.”They gestured towards the front door.“We could go for a walk.I don’t think it’s a million degrees out anymore since the sun set.”
“A walk would be great,” Cass agreed.She waited for Jo to slip around the edge of the counter before taking their hand in hers.
They made it a few steps outside, just far enough to get to the corner of the building, before Cass lifted Jo into her arms and pressed their back into the side of Violet Moon.Jo wrapped their legs around her middle, both of them smiling too much as their noses touched.Cass tilted her head and kissed Jo through smiles that slowly melted into something sweeter.
”I’m proud of you,” Cass whispered against Jo’s lips when they parted.
Jo wanted to say something about how it was silly to be proud of this, how it was just baked goods in a shop, but they were tired of downplaying how they felt.“Thank you.I’m happy.A lot of good things are happening right now and I feel really lucky.”
twenty-seven
Themorningairwasstill cooler than it would be later in the day, but the stickiness clung to Jo’s skin as they followed beside Cass up the trail they were hiking.They weren’t feeling the itch to race ahead to get to the scenery.Instead they were content to go at Cass’ slower pace so they could be together and enjoy the journey.
Cass was, naturally, in a bird-dotted shirt buttoned all the way up to the top, despite the heat they’d be facing later.She had her notebook out along with her phone, ready to document birds they saw on their hike.
Jo was ready, too, in their band t-shirt and hiking boots.They had the same notebook Cass had given them last time and a pencil.Last night, they’d even stayed up late checking out what birds they could expect to see during the season so they could impress Cass with all their new bird knowledge.It was one of the few nights this past week they hadn’t stayed in Cass’ room.
They sprinkled in the facts they’d learned as they made note of the birds they saw just so they could watch the way Cass’ eyes lit up each time.The quick, stolen kisses on the side of the trail were nice, too.
It took ages to reach the campsite with all their stops along the way, but Jo had a notebook filled with notes and couldn’t care less about how long it took — except for the heat.
“I’m dying.It’s so hot.I’m so sweaty and gross.”Jo flopped down on a log after they dumped their camping backpacks and supplies.
“You’re sweaty, but you’re not gross,” Cass disagreed, settling beside them.
“You sure about that?”Jo pushed their sweat-slicked hair out of their face.
Cass pressed a kiss to their forehead.
They shot backwards, clasping a hand to their forehead.“But I’m so salty right now!That had to have been disgusting.”
She shrugged.“You’re seasoned well.”
They burst out laughing, falling into Cass’ side.“What am I?A pot roast?”
“My little pot roast.”
Jo glanced at the other campers at sites nearby and, making sure no one was looking this way, traced their fingertips along Cass’ jaw and guided their lips together.The kiss was quick, but it made them forget how tired they were.Happiness overtook everything else.
They set up their campsite, showered off the day at the facilities a short walk away, and grilled sausages from the butcher shop for dinner because Cass had refused to buy regular hot dogs.Jo had to admit they were better, even if hot dogs were classic.They debated lighting a fire or not, because it was so humid that night, but eventually they decided that s’mores were a must, even if it was too hot.
“I’m so full of sugar.I’m buzzing.I’m never going to sleep tonight.”Jo licked chocolate from their fingers.
Cass leaned in to whisper, “I can think of a few things we could do instead of sleep.”
