Page 62 of Cosy & Chill
Shifting Priorities
Finn’s copper curls twined with Leo’s golden hair, while they snuggled in the huge sleigh bed, wrapped around each other like puppies.
Roisin gazed at the sleeping pair from the doorway, a strange, tight feeling in her chest. She’d spent more time in the house than either man knew, had witnessed their growing attraction, and had learned some of each man’s secrets. The two never heard or saw her unless she had to do battle with the cutlery.
What it was about these stupid drawers that pulled on her as if with sticky fingers, she had no idea. The treasure she sought wasn’t in the kitchen whether she was present or not. Which meant she had to search the whole house in both magical and non-magical ways, unless she accepted that what she’d thought was the pull of her amulet was an artefact created by latent magic in those damned drawers.
She wasn’t ready to give in just yet.
Finn turned his head on the pillow and the circles under his eyes were visible even in the bedroom’s dim light. Leo’s face bore the same marks, and the signs of exhaustion and anxiety bothered her.
She’d noticed the attraction between Finn and Leo and had used her glamour to nudge them closer to each other. When the two had moved into the building, Finn had been glowing with happiness. He’d been living his dream, his deepest desire, and anyone looking at him could see it. Then they had discovered her snooping in their kitchen, and now Finn worried and no longer enjoyed the progress they made.
Leo hadn’t come off unscathed either. He might have appeared cheerful and outgoing, but his aura held dark swirls that Roisin had had no trouble reading. Leo was letting his past hold him back, trusting neither himself nor those around him. Finn and their store had been helping him see past his hurts, but when she’d arrived, his caution and distrust had reared their head once more.
Now the two shouldered too many worries to be truly happy, and Roisin hated that she was the cause of that unhappiness.
Which made exactly zero sense.
She was fae. She shouldn't—didn’t—care about humans.
Except for Finn and Leo.
Since she’d found them in the market she’d followed them, watched over them, pushed them towards their desires and smoothed their path. Maybe it was that overexposure that had led to her attachment. Because Finn and Leo, the copper and the gold in her search for the silver, made her feel as she hadn’t felt for a human before. It was why she’d decided to refurbish the house for them, turn it into a comfortable home.
Seeing how Leo and Finn sought comfort from each other made her think that her efforts had failed. Or maybe brightening and furnishing the rooms wasn't enough to create a home.
Was there a way to soothe Finn’s anxiety? Could she find out what bothered Leo and fix it? Or should she walk away and leave them alone?
The year neared the winter solstice. Roisin felt the draw in her blood, that flicker of recognition that let her know her world was close. A year ago, finding the house had been bittersweet. The magic of her amulet had called to her, but 13 High Street had had an owner who’d lived over the shop and the magic was strict on that point, forbidding her entry.
Then everything had changed.
The death of the owner saw the building offered as a rental, and Roisin had allowed herself to hope. She’d gone to sleep for the summer pondering the meaning of the copper and the gold—only to find it on the first day back.
Now, only a few weeks later, the thought of finding her amulet and returning home had lost some of its urgency.
She’d meddled in Finn and Leo’s lives and had become invested in their happiness. She couldn’t ignore the worry, anxiety and fear that swirled around the two young men, and she wanted to see the store open, and Leo and Finn welcome their first customers. Instead of planning to return home in time to join the dance at the winter solstice, she calculated how many weeks remained until her bargain called her to the rowan tree.
She had fourteen weeks to see Finn and Leo happy.
And to find her amulet.
Roisin closed the door with the lightest touch so as not to disturb the sleeping men. She needed to plan. Needed air, space, and trees to think. And Richmond Park was just around the corner.
