Page 102 of Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
Juuyu did some quick calculations. Even with customs, courtesies, and traffic delays, they should arrive here by mid-high tomorrow.
Another text came through along with another selfie. Jacques had switched into one of his innumerable dressing gowns, and he and Suuzu were tucked into an onboard bed. Jacques pouted up at the camera over a pair of tinted glasses with heart-shaped lenses. Suuzu had nestled into him, relaxed and softly smiling.
Rest while you can, lover boy
#HeDreamsOfYou
Denny Woodacre arrived a few hours behind everyone else and cheerfully informed the enclave residents that they were buttoning down. All of them. Indefinitely.
Or at least until Argent Mettlebright said otherwise.
Diva posted a notice on the library door, and a similar sign went up at Flutterbys to say that the proprietresses were out of town. Buzz was conscripted as a consultant. Rafter would stand sentinel. As far as their team was concerned, Juuyu was only too glad to defer to Moon, who decided that they were in the ideal location for a short holiday.
For dinner, Antigone pulled out all the stops … and several corks. Diva tapped a small keg of honey mead. Dru had enough beach music to play through the night, and Sinder rigged speakers into Zuzu’s branches. As sunset neared, Jiminy and Portia lofted crystals to serve as party lights, and the Thunderhoof brothers contrived to build a bonfire.
Jiminy wanted a dip in the ocean, so Akira introduced him to the delights of swimming with dragons. Moon, finally sated, had stationed himself at the end of the dock in truest form, either life-guarding or dozing. It was hard to tell. Zuzu had taken a liking to Magda and was helping her and Mirrim brush the lynxes, who sprawled well away from the gentle wash of waves.
Juuyu had to wonder how long it had been since this small patch of beach was so crowded. And if that was the reason why Fumiko had disappeared.
He knew where she was. How could he not?
Waiting until everyone was thoroughly distracted, he slipped inside and climbed the stairs, which he intended to clear tonight. There was more than one way to enjoy a holiday.
Juuyu was catching hints of Fumiko’s mood now, and it worried him. Once he realized he could taste tears on the air, he lunged up the remaining stairs without actually touching them.
Fumiko sprawled in bed, reading, a box of tissues close at hand.
Blinking up at him, she offered a tremulous smile. “You remembered.”
“You are crying.”
“It’s okay.” Fumiko sat up, grabbed a tissue, and dabbed. “This part always makes me cry.”
He eyed the book’s glossy cover warily. She was reading what appeared to be a romance novel, authored by Chastity Landis. The name meant nothing to him, but the stickers on the spine indicated that the book was a new release and had been shelved in the Amaranthine Romance section at the Jacaranda Free Library.
“You have read it before?”
“Three times.” Fumiko sat up and smiled. “It’s wonderful.”
Juuyu knew that the guest suites at Stately House were provided with romantic literature, but he’d never done more than centralize and alphabetize the accumulation. For which Jacques had scolded him. Apparently, each suite had been provisioned according to the taste of its usual occupants. Which suggested some surprising things about the interests of certain guests.
Since then, Juuyu had avoided all but Michael’s abundant research materials.
Scanning the cover illustration on Fumiko’s book, Juuyu ventured, “What is it about?”
“It’s a love story.” She offered it to him.
Juuyu took it cautiously and scanned the summary on the inside flap. It claimed to be an account of a love triangle involving a dragon, a phoenix, and a young woman whose ordinary life is overturned when she discovers that she is an unregistered reaver.
He offered it back. “The scenario is highly implausible.”
Fumiko looked injured. “But … why?”
“Dragons amass harems.”
“Well, this one is searching for his soulmate.”
Juuyu could think of nothing to say to that, so he stuck to facts. “Phoenixes rarely leave their colonies. The likelihood of meeting one in the public sector is miniscule.”
