Page 97 of Cherish

Then she heads back to the counter, and I hear her announce that “whatever Hudson and Jaxon order is on the house.”

Flint sinks back with a satisfied smile.

“You’ve still got it,” I tell him dryly.

He gives me his most innocent look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t. It’s not like you didn’t try that charm on me when we first met.” I roll my eyes.

“Try?” he snorts. “You fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

“Oh, absolutely,” I deadpan. “Because nothing says Prince Charming like tossing a girl out of a tree.”

“Seriously? You’re going to bring that up after all this time?” He shakes his head. “We’ve covered a lot of ground since then,New Girl.”

“Just reminding you where we started,Dragon Boy. And that your charm doesn’t get you out of everything, no matter what you think.”

He glances at Jaxon up at the counter, and the smile fades from his face, replaced by a look that can only be described as pensive. “Oh, believe me, that’s a lesson I’ve learned really well recently.”

I start to ask him what he means—and what all the tension I keep sensing between him and Jaxon is about—but this isn’t exactly the place for it. Besides, Jaxon and Hudson choose that moment to fill the table up with two large trays.

One holds seven cups of tea, and the other holds nearly three times as many decadent desserts. Considering only five of us are going to be eating them, it seems like they went more than a little overboard. At least until I glance at Flint, who has already claimed two pieces of cake and a giant chocolate cookie.

Maybe they knew what they were doing after all.

“Any luck?” Eden asks them once they settle back into their chairs.

“You mean besides getting loaded down with every dessert in the case that doesn’t contain shoes?” Jaxon asks. “Nope. Despite wearing blue jeans and a bright pink top, the waiter we talked to really didn’t seem to know anything.”

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the way he mixed up choux with shoes but decide not to correct him. Heisa vampire, after all. How often is he really going to have to worry about ordering pastries?

Besides, there are way more important things to be talking about right now than my ill-fated day as a baker. Even more important than finding Gillie, though worry about her still scratches at the back of my mind. “We might have gotten a lead,” I tell them.

Hudson puts an arm over the back of my chair and smiles down at me. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Because I’m a genius?” I suggest.

“True story.” He snags one of the cups of tea and takes a slow, cautious sip. “So what’s the lead?”

“There’s a guy named Polo who has a booth at the night market,” Heather tells him as she snags a slice of carrot cake.

“The midnight market,” I correct, because “night market” implies that it will open when it gets dark, but things don’t exactly work like that here. “It opens from midnight until early morning six nights a week.”

Hudson nods in agreement, then says, “Polo? The chupacabra?”

“So you remember him?”

“Of course I do. He saved my ass in that last battle with the Shadow Queen.”

“He saved both our asses. But I still totally forgot his name.” And I feel terrible about it.

“Don’t feel too bad,” Flint tells me. “Compared to forgetting your mate for several months, forgetting a total stranger—even one who helped you out—really isn’t that bad.”

“Gee, thanks. You really know how to make a girl feel better,” I reply, voice dripping with sarcasm.

But he just smiles at me and says, “I do what I can.”

The others enjoy their pastries, bickering and laughing, and while I’m happy to see them having fun, my stomach roils as I turn to ask Hudson, “Did you happen to spot Gillie in the back?” I try to sound casual, but my voice betrays my nervousness.

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