Page 10 of Midsummer Phoenixes
I went back outside and put the brownie in front of Ben. “Happy Pride.”
He looked from the brownie to me. “Thank you. Are there chocolate chips in this?”
“It’s a Pride brownie, so yeah,” I said, mostly because I’d overheard that same conversation between Lindy and Dwayne yesterday.
“I like chocolate chips,” Ben said, and I saw one of the werewolves with Atkins look over, presumably to check out the brownie. Or Ben? I didn’t even know if werewolves were gay, if it was a problem if they were.
Then again, I knew Soyer and I weren’t a problem for Ben. I mulled that over and started on making Elias’s milkshake.
“You left me all alone, Amory,” the vampire said when I put it down in front of him. The cherry syrup had collected at the bottom of the tall glass, looking like a thimble full of blood. That sort of made it the perfect milkshake for a vampire, and I hoped Elias wouldn’t get into trouble for getting me to make it for him.
“The diner’s full, and I have to work.”
Elias blew a raspberry. “Isn’t talking to me part of your work?” He gave me the puppy eyes again. “I missed talking to my friend over a nice milkshake, you know.”
“We can chat when I have a moment. Or we can go on another juice date.”
For some reason, that got him to brighten up. He even lifted his head off the counter.
I was about to tell him he could just have told me that was what he wanted when the door chimed again.
“Welcome to the Moonlight Diner,” I told the two healers who walked in. I remembered them all too well from back when they had taken care of me and my broken jaw and nose. After those two pawns had come in here and beaten me up.
Lynn waved, and Duncan gave me a casual nod. Elias looked over his shoulder. And frowned.
“Amory, our juice date. Please focus.”
“Just text me,” I told him and got the drinks for the triplets ready.
I stopped in front of Duncan and Lynn to hand them each a menu.
“You healed up well,” Duncan said.
“Yeah. And thank you. For that. I know I was a mess, but I remember you two were really nice.”
Lynn waved her hand as if to dismiss that. “Aw. You were fine. We’ve dealt with worse, believe me.”
“So true,” Duncan said. “You weren’t growling or calling me names or trying to bite my head off. Makes you practically a perfect patient.”
I really wanted him to elaborate and tell me what out there was in the business of biting off heads, but healer-patient confidentiality was probably a thing, even among pawns. I had to ask Soyer about that.
“Busy night,” Lynn said, leaning over to Duncan. “I told you we had to be here for the reopening.”
“Did you? Was that before or after you told me about your new kitchen cabinets?”
Lynn pointed at Duncan. “Total kitchen envy. Can I get a coke?”
“Sure. You’re remodeling too?”
Lynn pulled out her phone and showed me a few photos of a kitchen in that messy stage, but on the way to looking really nice.
“It will be glooorious,” she said, dismissing me and my tray.
I didn’t miss Elias’s noisy slurping or the way he was licking whipped cream from his finger, but I had people to serve.
The triplets watched me approach with their drinks.
“Sorry for the wait time. Strawberry milkshake?”
