12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Silas

I would rather not see Fenella today.

Last night was… strange. Strangely good.

There was a moment there at the end when I wondered what it would be like to kiss her. To feel those full lips under mine, those purple eyes closing…

I haven't kissed a girl in a long time. Too long.

Embarrassingly long.

If I'm going to start kissing anyone, it shouldn't be Fenella.

Because Fenella is a party girl who blew into town and she'll blow right out in a few days. In the meantime, I'll serve her coffee and not talk about what is in the sky at night. Or even find out if her mouth is as soft as it looks.

She will drop out of sight soon enough and I'll never see her again.

Like Mia. And my sister.

Not seeing her is a good plan .

Only, mid-morning when I come back from the stock room with a sleeve of cups in my hand, Fenella is at the counter talking with Leodie.

My hand gives an instinctive squeeze, like I have her hand in mine. Only I squeeze harder until I realize I've crushed the cups with my grip.

"Hi, Star Guy," Fenella calls. Her smile is warm and directed straight at me.

I kind of feel like that falling star from last night. The one I wished on—wished I'd get a chance to find out how soft Fenella's lips are.

This morning they're covered by some sort of shiny gloss. It's plum coloured.

This is bad. I should not care about what her lips look like.

"How's your drama-filled day?" Fenella asks as I contemplate what I should not be caring about.

She's holding my coat in her arms and the sight of that—and only that—is why I give her such a big smile. Because she's here to bring it back to me, and that's it. "Good," I say, looking everywhere except her face. At those lips I could have kissed last night.

"Bad," Leodie corrects as she makes Fenella's latte. "He's doing double shifts until we can find someone. And I suspect he was out late last night." She frowns at me like a nursemaid.

"I brought your coat back." But she continues to hold it.

Leodie's frown flips upside down. "Why does Fenella have your coat, Silas?"

"He showed me the stars," Fenella says, looking straight at me. "And it was cold."

"He showed you…" Leodie's face all but dances with glee.

"It wasn't planned," I cut in.

"I was lost," Fenella adds.

"You weren't lost. That road would have taken you… okay, maybe you would have gotten a little lost." I grin ruefully at her, doing my best to ignore the expression on Leodie's face.

She's watching our exchange like she watches the latest episode of Emily in Paris. I know this, because I caught her watching on her break once.

"You saved me," Fenella says. "Plus, we saw a falling star."

Like I need the reminder.

"That sounds romantic ," Leodie says with a little too much happiness. "Now I get why you look so wiped this morning. It's not the double shifts at all." Leodie gives me a knowing glance and I wish another customer would come in to distract her. "Sounds like you had a fun night."

"It was." Fenella is still looking at me, smiling at me with those big purple eyes. It sounds disturbing, but I'm fixated on the colour. "I'm glad you didn't let Nathalia come back," she says, finally turning to Leodie. "She really had no business working here. Trying to put lavender into a pumpkin spice." Fenella shivers. "What's next? Raspberry?"

"That would be a crime," I manage.

"She wouldn't let me teach her anything. She has that Breville espresso maker at home and thought she knew everything." Leodie rolls her eyes as she hands Fenella her pumpkin spice latte. With vanilla. And unicorn froth.

There is no one in line behind her, so Fenella seems happy to stay where she is.

I have more than enough to do, so why am I still standing here with them? I could take my coat and go.

Is it silly how I like the way Fenella cradles it in her arms?

"That's nothing. We have a Victoria Arduino at home and it makes much better foam than the Breville ever could." Fenella sips her latte and hums with pleasure.

I steal a glance at my incredibly expensive espresso maker. "You have one of these?" I set my hand on the gleaming top.

"We don't have the double frother but the same one. I love it. It's the only thing I can use in the kitchen."

"You can use one of these?" Leodie demands. "It was a beast for me to learn. Silas…" she muses with a look in her eye.

"No," I say instinctively. It's the same look she had in her eye when she asked out Reggie Barnes, and that was a disaster.

"No, what?" Fenella asks, those eyes watching over the rim of her cup. "This is really good, by the way."

"No, I am not hiring Fenella to take over from Nathalia. No offence," I add to Fenella.

"There is offence," Fenella cries, her expression morphing from polite smile to excitement. "There is so much offence, because why wouldn't you want to hire me?"

Her excitement jars me as much as when I grabbed the handle of the frother when it was running. "You'd want to work here?"

"Yes!" She's actually considering it? "Of course. Why wouldn't I want to work here? You're a nice guy and you'd never fire me, no matter what I messed up."

Leodie laughs along with her.

"Are you forgetting that you have no experience working in a… anywhere? Have you ever had a job?"

Thankfully Fenella isn't offended by my question.

"I'm trying to get a job," she explains. "I've been asking my father to let me take over some of the marketing for the new line."

"Marketing." I nod. That's not a bad thing, but Fenella Carrington working here? "Do you have any experience?"

"I market myself. And I'm a very difficult product. But all that's beside the point," she says airily. "I can make a mean coffee. Seriously, no one can make better." Leodie taps the cup on the counter. "Okay, this is pretty good, too. And you make amazing lattes," she concedes. "But I make really good coffee. And my mocha-vanilla-matcha latte is the best."

"That sounds mildly disgusting," Leodie admits. "I'm not a tea person, green or otherwise. But Silas, we need her," she pleads. "At least until you find someone to replace Nathalia. You can't keep working double shifts, especially while Neptune is visible. And the meteor shower coming up as well."

"I saw Neptune," Fenella confides. "It was amazing. "

"And he should show it to you again. Silas, you can't work so much. You need to show the stars to our guests from away." I know that gleam in Leodie's eyes but I feel like I'm being dragged along behind one of the boats in the harbour, unable to get out from behind the wake. "We need someone else here."

"You do look tired," Fenella offers. But there's a sparkle in her eye like it's a secret between us that she's the reason for the dark circles under my eyes this morning. "I can help out," she adds. "It'll be fun."

I stare at Fenella, waiting for her to finish the sentence. The but…

But nothing is coming.

This must be a joke. There's no way Fenella Carrington, daughter of a billionaire, wants to work in my shop. There's no way she wants to work anywhere .

But she still stands there, waiting expectantly as Leodie shoots me excited glances.

"What do you know about working in a coffee shop?" I finally manage to ask.

"Not much," Fenella says cheerfully. "Actually, nothing at all. But I already know how to use your machine, plus I really like coffee. And tea. Anything with caffeine. And I like it when you talk stars."

I don't look at Leodie. She's going to have so many questions… "Why would you want to work here?" I demand.

"I'm bored." Fenella's reply is simple. "I'm here for at least another week and it would give me something to do. And it will give you time to find someone else. Why would you say no? You don't even have to pay me?"

"Of course, I'll pay you."

"You really don't have to. Just give me all the drinks I want."

"You get that when you work here," Leodie whispers.

"Perfect. It's a win-win. But I need tomorrow morning off to go shopping with Edie."

I laugh because there's nothing else to say. I now realize Fenella Carrington's superpower is her ability to get people to do what she wants.

Only… she wasn't the one who suggested she work for me. In a roundabout way, that was me.

I don't know if I should kick myself, or give myself a pat on the back. "We'll give it a try," I concede.

"Really?" Fenella's expression is one of surprise, but I see the flash of vulnerability like no one had ever given her a chance before. "You made the right choice," she adds, smoothing her surprise into a satisfied smile.

"I said we'll give it a try," I remind her. "You might be another Nathalia."

"Even if I was, you wouldn't fire me." Fenella laughs.

"Don't be so sure." But as she continues to smile at me, and the happiness in her face leaks over to mine, I shrug my shoulders. "Probably not."