Текст книги "Berries and Greed"

Автор книги: Lily Mayne

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 33 страниц)

Chapter Seventeen

Beryl

Okay, Beryl. Time to start being more proactive. Time to find out if you actually have a personality.

Back at the cult, I’d felt so much more interesting than everyone else around me. All the people floating around with dreamy smiles and a total willingness to just do what was expected of them. In there, I’d felt confident and self-assured, maybe even a little bit smug that I was duping them all.

After two weeks out here in the real world, it seemed like all my confidence had melted away. Suddenly, I felt like the blandest person ever. Like I’d never even developed a personality. Like I was just beige.

I admired Greid so much. He thought he was a total mess, and in some ways, he was a bit of an adorable mess, but he was brimming with personality. He was funny and interesting and just as cute when he was grumpy in the mornings as he was all lazy and content at night while smoking and eating and watching TV.

He had such a cool business, and I had spent every day for the last two weeks growing more and more dejected as I trawled through job listings on the computer in his workshop. He’d had to teach me how to use it, but after that I’d done my best to stay quiet and out of his way.

Which was hard. When I was feeling particularly frustrated by the endless lists of previous experience requirements and “essential” skills, I’d abandon the computer and wander over to see what he was doing. He never seemed to mind, always shyly showing me and getting embarrassed when I gushed over how gorgeous the pieces were.

He looked adorable in the big magnifying lenses he wore while doing intricate metalwork. He usually whipped them off self-consciously when I spun around in the desk chair, but sometimes he forgot and would look up and blink at me owlishly, his yellow eyes comically large on his face.

I loved spending all day with him, even when we weren’t talking and were doing our own thing. I was trying not to let my fruitless job search get to me. One morning a couple of days after our outing, I’d forced myself to walk to the coffee shop alone while Greid was still asleep, happy to be able to treat him with the little cash I had. I’d made the same trip every morning since, and each time it got a little easier and more enjoyable. I was somewhat friendly with the baristas in there now, and they didn’t seem to suspect in the slightest that I’d recently been in a cult that worshipped their kind as magical sex wizards.

Not that I would ever offer that information to anyone.

Greid and I had settled into a routine, and honestly, I felt closer to him than I ever had to anyone else, with the exception of my aunt. We spent pretty much all our time together, and he was much more relaxed around me now than he had been at the beginning. Last weekend, we’d gone out again for the day, this time to a small park—not the big one right next to the cult’s hill. We’d eaten tacos from a street vendor on a bench under a big tree that was shedding all its golden-brown leaves. Then he’d taken me to the space museum, and we’d gone into the planetarium to watch a showing on astronomy. Because it had been fairly empty and we’d sat right at the back, Greid had sneakily lit a joint and relaxed into his reclined seat, looking half asleep by the end of it.

I was pretty sure he was still asleep right now as I padded down the stairs and headed for the front door. I smiled as I pulled on my new boots. Greid had given them to me a while back, along with a new coat and a SIM card for his old phone. My instinct had been to refuse the gifts, but he’d looked so worried I wouldn’t like them that I just couldn’t bring myself to. I’d given him a big smile and said I’d pay him back for them, which had made him shake his head frantically and mumble something I hadn’t been able to catch.

Grabbing my key, I smiled again. After I’d started going to the coffee shop every morning, Greid had given me the spare key and made a little keychain just for me. It was tiny strands of metal intricately twisted together to form a B, with little stones wound throughout. I’d been desperate to hug him when he’d handed it to me with a shy expression, but I still didn’t know if he’d be comfortable with that.

After pulling on my warm coat, I slipped out of the house and quietly closed the front door behind me. The two old demiurgus across the street who seemed to live permanently on their stoop—with cigars permanently in their mouths—waved at me, so I waved cheerfully back.

By the time I reached Deep Brew, my cheeks felt flushed from the cold. It was definitely getting chillier, and the blast of warm, coffee-scented air hit me as I stepped inside.

I’d finally managed to break my cult sleeping pattern, and now I happily indulged in staying in bed past eight-thirty. It wasn’t like Greid got up any earlier than that. And it meant my morning visits to the coffee shop were always post-rush hour, so the queue was never too big.

“Hi, Beryl,” one of the usual morning baristas, Pidni, said with a smile when I finally reached the counter. “Usual?”

“Hi, Pidni. Yes, please.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said as he tapped on the screen. “Did you recently move into the area? You’ve been coming in every morning for a while now, and I know I would’ve remembered such a pretty human getting coffee every morning. We don’t get all that many humans in here.”

I chuckled uncomfortably, then paused when I realised what he’d said. Wait… was he flirting with me?

I stared at him. He was handsome, sure. He looked younger than Greid. There were lots of earrings in his ears, and his long, pink-tinted black hair was always tied back into an artfully messy bun.

But… no. I wasn’t so sure I liked him flirting with me when I’d given absolutely no indication that I was interested in him that way. Which was maybe a little unfair—I mean, wasn’t that how people started relationships? But in my few sexual encounters with other cult members, I’d always instigated it. I’d liked being in control of the interactions.

I liked being in control of everything. Maybe that was why I was feeling a little lost out here in my new life. Everything was new and different for me, but I was surrounded by people who’d been living this way their whole lives. It felt like I’d joined a race late and was desperately trying to catch up with everyone else on the planet.

Realising Pidni was waiting for me to answer, I cleared my throat. “Uh…”

As I looked at him, I suddenly thought of Greid. My chest tightened, and my stomach went all warm and fluttery. With Greid, I felt in control. Not like I could control him, but he was always so generous with me, letting me decide what we had for dinner and what we watched and giving me free rein of his house—minus that mysterious closet I had still somehow managed not to peek into.

He was giving me little hints of control over my own life. Giving me a safe space to navigate all the new things I was experiencing, without ever making me feel stupid or small for being so clueless about things that were second-nature to him. Like how to use a computer or a phone, which he’d also taught me so I could call my aunt’s office number and let her know I was doing okay.

Greid was… Greid was amazing. And as I stood looking at Pidni, I realised with perfect clarity that if I was going to flirt with anyone—demiurgus or human—it was not going to be with this guy.

“Yep, recently moved here,” I said, my tone a touch cooler than normal. Pidni seemed to pick up on it, because he nodded and ducked his head as he put my order through without another word.

After handing him the cash, I moved to the side to wait for our drinks. I took my phone out of my coat pocket and smiled as I pulled up my conversation with Greid.

ETA five minutes, I sent him, even though he was probably still asleep. But after just a few seconds, three dots appeared.

Hurry im dying, he sent back.

I snorted, slipping my phone back into my pocket as Pidni set our drinks down on the counter.

“Never seen a human using one of those,” he remarked with a wry smile, nodding at the big demiurgus-made phone in my pocket, apparently unconcerned by my lack of interest in him. He probably flirted with everyone who came in here, so I shrugged it off and smiled back.

“I prefer it,” I said, even though I’d never used a human-made phone. “Thanks for the drinks. See you tomorrow, Pidni.”

“Bye, Beryl.”

I took a sip of my plain black coffee as I left Deep Brew and headed for home. I’d tried different drinks on each visit before settling on this. Maybe it was a boring choice, but I liked how strong and bitter it was. Greid’s drink of choice was an almond milk latte with two extra shots of espresso, but it was still too milky for me.

He was up when I got home, shuffling into the kitchen in his blanket tent with a grumpy look on his tired face. But his eyes lit up at the sight of me, before becoming even more eager as they dropped to the drinks in my hands.

“Thanks.” His voice was still croaky from sleep as he took the coffee I held out and greedily gulped it. As I shrugged off my coat and hung it up, he asked, “What’re you doing today?”

I sighed, reaching down to pull off my boots. “Kind of don’t feel like getting annoyed at job listings today.”

He grimaced, but said, “You’ll find something soon, Beryl. But there’s no rush—”

“I know,” I said, cutting off his now-familiar reassurances. “But I think… I think I want to go out for a little while today. I’ve already made a new comfort zone here,” I added with a rueful smile. “So I need to take a step out of it.”

He nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?”

I grinned, but shook my head. “You’re my comfort zone, Greid, and the point is to get out of it a little. I can’t make you give up a day of work every time I want to leave the house. And that would be weird anyway.”

Even though his ears had twitched with pleasure when I called him my comfort zone, I worried that I might have upset him or made him feel rejected, but he simply gave me a tiny smile and a nod.

“I get it.” His long fingers fidgeted around his coffee cup. “You’ll be fine, Beryl. You don’t need to talk to anyone if you don’t want. But maybe… maybe stick to the busy streets?” he added worriedly. “Don’t go wandering down alleys or anything. Some parts of the city are kinda rough, even around here.”

“I won’t. And I’m not going yet.” I picked up my coffee. “I want to have breakfast with you first.”

“Okay.” He turned for the kitchen. “What do you feel like?”

“I’ll make us some eggs.”

I’d started teaching myself how to cook after Greid showed me how to look up recipe websites on my phone. So far, I’d mastered eggs, but my one attempt at making breakfast muffins had been a disaster. Greid had choked down one of the sad, dense little discs—that looked nothing like the fluffy-topped muffins in the pictures—and told me in a strained voice that it was delicious. When I’d bitten into one, I’d had to spit it back out.

“Scrambled?” Greid asked hopefully, already nibbling on a slice of leftover pizza from last night even though I was about to make him breakfast. I knew he’d eat it though, so I didn’t care. Greid’s stomach was a bottomless pit.

“Sure.” I pulled out a frying pan. “You go wait in the living room. I’ll bring it out.”

I always said it because I knew he was sensitive to the hum of the appliances in here, and he always refused, just like he did now.

“No, it’s okay.” He leaned back against the counter and finished his pizza, then gulped down some more coffee. “So where do you think you’ll go today?”

“Um… I’ll probably just wander around here. Get to know the area a bit better. Could you grab me the eggs?”

“Sure.” Greid practically tripped over in his haste to reach the fridge. I smiled up at him when he passed me the carton.

“It’ll be nice just wandering around,” I said as I cracked a ridiculous number of eggs into a bowl. I knew how much Greid could consume. “Especially as it’s a weekday, so it won’t be too busy.”

“Yeah.”

I could sense Greid’s mind churning as I whisked the eggs, so I glanced over at him. He was worrying his lower lip with his sharp teeth, and I knew that meant he wanted to ask me if I needed any money so I could buy things while I was out.

He was fully aware that I’d refuse, so instead, like a little sneak, he said, “Hey, maybe you could grab us some lunch while you’re out. Unless, um, you plan on being out all day. But I’ll give you some cash for it. And, uh, if there’s any left over”—he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant—“you can just get whatever with it. You know, if you spot anything you like.”

I shot him a look that made his face spikes twitch. Deciding to mess with him a little, I solemnly asked, “Greid, are you trying to slyly give me money?”

“What?” His ears went crazy, their frondy tips fluttering against his hair. “No. What? I just—Lunch,” he finished lamely.

He was the worst liar in the world. And I wanted to hug him so, so bad. He looked so warm and inviting in his big, soft tent onesie, clutching his coffee cup like it was some kind of shield that would hide his terrible lying skills. His hair was mussed from sleep, and one of his thick white socks was slipping down his ankle.

His ex is an idiot, I thought as I turned back to the eggs.

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Chapter Eighteen

Beryl

“I’ll have my phone with me upstairs, so call me if you need anything,” Greid said anxiously as he watched me put on my boots and coat. “Like, if you get lost and want me to come meet you. I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” I said, keeping my head bent as I laced up my boots to hide my smile. He was so sweet.

Straightening up, I buttoned my coat and gave him a big grin. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” he croaked, shifting in place. “You’ll be fine. You’re—” His ears fluttered. “You’re brave, Beryl. You can do this, no problem. Just punch anyone who looks at you funny.”

I laughed, but my throat closed up from his sweet words. He thought I was brave? I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel like I’d done a single brave thing. Even when I’d left the cult, I’d had Greid as a safety net. I hadn’t truly done it alone, and I couldn’t have been more grateful to him.

The urge to hug him was near overwhelming. We stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, my hands gripping my key and phone, and his stuffed in the big front pocket of his onesie. Quashing the intense desire to stay inside and bury myself against his tall frame, maybe get under that onesie with him, I cleared my throat and turned for the door.

“See you soon,” I said cheerfully, refusing to acknowledge the nerves swirling in my belly.

Why was I nervous? I did this every morning. The only difference was that I wouldn’t go straight to the coffee shop. But I just planned on walking around, looking in shop windows. This was easy. It shouldn’t feel so scary.

My shoulders relaxed a little as I began walking my familiar route toward the main street. I’d probably only be out an hour at the most, and then I could go home and read my book or maybe keep Greid company while he worked.

The street was even quieter than it had been when I’d gone to get coffee, so I walked slowly, looking in shop windows. This time, I walked right past Deep Brew and kept going, further than I’d walked before. I passed the nail salon I’d noticed on my first day here, as well as the fancy wine shop, which I paused outside of.

Could I work at a wine shop? I had expert knowledge of how wine was made, but I hadn’t ever drunk it. I did know all about the bullshit vintners used to describe their wines. Words like “robust” and “full-bodied”. I’d helped make that stuff up for the cult’s wine.

There wasn’t a vacancy sign in the window, but I found myself reaching for the handle and stepping inside. It was cool and dim in here, the walls covered floor-to-ceiling with stocked wine racks. It even smelled like wine, and I wrinkled my nose as I looked around.

“Can I… help you?”

The snooty, unimpressed voice made my shoulders stiffen as an older demiurgus stepped out from the back office, already giving me the stink eye over his wire-framed glasses. In that moment, I knew without a doubt that I didn’t want to work here, even if they were looking for someone.

Giving him a tight smile back, I shook my head and said, “No. Thanks,” then turned for the door.

Back on the street, I sighed and kept walking, feeling a little dejected. Maybe I should go back and just ask. A job was a job. Maybe he’d actually be really nice, or sympathetic, or even impressed if I told him I’d spent years making wine.

I stopped and glanced back at the wine merchant uncertainly. I needed to get a damn job. I couldn’t keep letting Greid buy us dinner every night and pay my share of the bills. I should go back and ask. I had to go back and ask. It was the one thing I actually had a modicum of experience in.

Just as I was about to turn back, a place across the street caught my eye. The fancy sign above the door declared it Abyss, and it looked dark through the windows, but I was pretty sure I could see bottles lining the back wall.

Maybe it was a competing wine merchant. Maybe this owner wouldn’t be so snooty. After checking for cars, I hurriedly crossed the road and peered into the window. My shoulders slumped with disappointment. It wasn’t a wine shop, it was a bar. A swanky-looking bar, with lots of low leather seating and stained-glass lanterns waiting to be lit on dark wood tables. A big gleaming bar stood in the centre, and there was a single demiurgus standing beside it, polishing champagne glasses.

I stepped back so I wouldn’t look like a creep peering in through the windows at her, but as I began to walk away, my eyes snagged on a discreet sign by the door.

‘Vacancy – bar staff,’ it said. ‘Enquire inside.’

My pulse leapt. Holy crap. There was a real job being offered in this place. They were actually looking to hire someone. My heart started hammering in my throat as I peered inside again. It looked fancy—old-fashioned in an expensive, intentional way.

Palms sweating, I reached for the door. I had to. I had to go in and try.

You’re brave, Beryl. I suddenly heard Greid’s voice in my head, steeling my resolve.

Be brave. Be brave be brave be brave.

My face flamed red when the door wouldn’t open, body prickling with heat. The demiurgus looked up at the sound of the handle rattling, setting the cloth and champagne flute down on the bar to walk over and unlock the door.

She gave me a polite smile as she pulled it open. “Hi there. I’m afraid we’re not open for brunch yet.”

“Oh, I’m not—” My cheeks grew even hotter. “I just wanted to ask about the job?”

Her yellow eyes sparked with interest. “Oh, great.” She held out her hand, her claws painted a deep, subtle blue. “I’m Mani, the manager.”

“Lovely to meet you. I’m Beryl.” I shook her hand and tried to give her a confident smile.

“I have about…” She checked her watch. “Twenty minutes before we open, if you want to have a chat now?”

“Sure, sounds good. Thank you.”

I followed her over to the bar, and we both perched on the plush stools with metal backs. Mani smiled at me again, her gaze slightly assessing as she looked me over, before asking, “Do you have your resumé with you?”

I managed to suppress my wince. Greid had offered to help me write a resumé, but it had felt so pointless as I’d read the endless, impossible job listings online.

Knowing I was already about to fuck this up, I said, “I don’t, I’m afraid. I actually—I recently moved here and it’s… been a big change.”

That didn’t even make any sense, but Mani just looked at me in silence for a few seconds before sitting back.

“Okay,” she said evenly. “Well, why don’t I tell you a little about the job?”

I nodded, swallowing around the lump in my throat. I already felt pathetic. Why had I ever thought I could do this?

“It’s a full-time position, which means day and night shifts. We open at eleven for brunch, when we serve some small dishes to soak up the booze.” Mani waved a hand. “And we’re open until four a.m., but it’s only the demiurgus staff who take the last shift.”

Hesitantly, I asked, “So you have other humans working here?”

Mani gave me a tiny smile. “One human, yeah. He’s always asking if we can take on another so the older ladies stop flirting with him so much when they’ve had a few too many.”

I managed a weak laugh, knowing I wasn’t selling myself at all. My leg was bouncing nervously, and I saw Mani glance at it before she gave me another small smile.

“I have been thinking about taking another human on to try and mix up our clientele a bit.” She gestured toward the windows. “More humans come into this part of the city now, and the bar down the street caters to them more heavily, so they get more of their business.”

“Oh, right,” I said, then forced myself to add, “Yeah, I’ve noticed a few humans in this area.”

“So you moved here recently?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “I was… Yeah, just a couple of weeks ago. It’s a really nice area.”

“It is,” she agreed, then leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Lots of yuppies with too much money and a propensity for drinking away the stresses of their high-powered jobs.”

I laughed, feeling myself loosening up a little thanks to her friendliness. But then she sat back and gave me another shrewd look.

“What experience do you have?” she asked, voice gentling. “Have you worked in a bar before?”

I licked my lips. “No, but I have… I did actually make wine. Before.”

Her eyes flared with intrigue. “You made it? Cool. Well, we serve more than wine here. Not too many cocktails, but you’d need to learn how to mix drinks. But tending bar is… Once you get the hang of it, it comes easily. The main issue is dealing with drunk folk.”

“I’d be good at that,” I said eagerly. “I’m good at standing up for myself without being rude. I don’t think that’d be a problem.”

Her mouth curved into a lopsided smile. “Well that’s good. But… I can’t really consider you for the job without any kind of resumé or anything. I’m sorry.”

My shoulders sagged in devastation. I’d just started feeling a little bit hopeful, but she was right. Of course she was. I was just some stranger who’d walked in off the street.

I could feel Mani watching me, but my eyes were burning so I kept my gaze lowered. I hadn’t even come out looking for a job today, but now, the thought of going back home and telling Greid that I’d tried and failed was humiliating. And heartbreaking.

Why didn’t I take him up on his offer to write a resumé? It would’ve helped a little. It would have at least given me a shot, and not made me seem like a total idiot.

“Tell you what.” At the sound of Mani’s voice, I blinked fast and lifted my head to look at her. She smiled. “If you can give me a legit reference that I can call right now—someone to vouch for you—maybe we could do a trial run. Get you in here during a quiet shift to see how it goes.”

My breath caught, and my voice was pathetically hopeful as I asked, “Really?”

Mani gave me a kind smile. “Sure. I’ve only just put that ad up, and I’d like to get someone in as soon as possible.”

Oh my god, oh my god. I fumbled for my phone, hands trembling as I quickly swiped to my contacts. I only had two in there—Greid, and Violet’s office number. But this was something I could actually do. Violet could honestly vouch for me. And I wasn’t worried about Mani finding out about the cult—not overly, anyway. I knew Violet always answered her phone with, “Orderly Winemakers, how can I help?” because the only reason anyone called the cult was for the wine business.

Mani leaned over the bar to grab a tiny notepad and a pen, and I quickly jotted down Violet’s name and number, as well as Orderly Winemakers. When I slid it back over to her, she stared down at it for a second.

“Huh.” Her gaze flicked over to me. “We actually stock that wine. They make nightberry wine as well, right?”

My gut clenched with terror, but I managed a nod. Did she know about the cult? Would it make her take her offer back? Would she call me a freak and tell me to get away from her because she was a demiurgus? I couldn’t tell if she knew or not, her face purposefully blank as she slid out of her seat.

“Okay, let me go make the call.” She watched me carefully for a few seconds. “Do you want a drink while you wait?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” I managed a tiny smile as I worried the hem of my coat.

She gave me a nod and walked around the bar, vanishing through a door and closing it behind her. I was sweating but I burrowed deeper into my coat. The scent of Greid’s shade smoke clung to the fur trim, and I inhaled it to try and stay calm.

After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone and tapped onto my conversation with Greid. Fingers poised over the keyboard, I considered telling him what I was doing right this second. But if this didn’t go well, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to bear failing at my first try. I knew it was normal—I knew most people had to apply for job after job after job before they landed one—but I didn’t want Greid to feel sorry for me.

I wanted confident Beryl back. I wanted to be as brave as Greid thought I was.

Taking a deep breath, I instead typed, How’s work going?

Then I sat staring at my screen, waiting for him to reply and trying to distract myself from what was possibly being said over the phone in the next room. I knew Violet would sing my praises, but if Mani had some suspicions about Orderly Winemakers and she asked, Violet wouldn’t be able to lie. She couldn’t exactly lie about the business and its origins to one of its customers.

My pulse leapt when three dots appeared. A few seconds later, a message from Greid came through.

Boring. This client has terrible taste but also really fucking loves tiny, fiddly details.

I smiled, my breaths calming a little as I pictured Greid hunched over his workbench in his big magnifying glasses.

Are you wearing your owl glasses? I typed back.

Yes, came through a second later.

Snuffling a laugh, I typed, Show me.

After about thirty seconds, he sent a selfie of his very unimpressed face wearing the glasses, his yellow eyes enormous as he stared at the camera. I gurgled out a laugh, gazing down at it until the sound of a door opening jerked my head up, panic streaking through me.

Mani was giving me a smile that looked slightly sympathetic as she walked over. I quickly pocketed my phone and smiled uneasily back, my heart pounding. That wasn’t a good smile. That was a ‘Sorry, but…’ smile.

“Okay.” She slid back into her seat and tapped her claws on the bar. “I got through to Violet. She gave you a glowing reference and offered to email over a formal one with your work history as well. She said you were there for quite a while.”

I managed a nod, feeling like I might throw up.

Mani watched me for a few seconds, then sat back. “I’d like to go ahead with the trial shift, if you’re interested. You’d get paid for it, obviously. And then we can go from there.”

I stared at her, unable to breathe. Hot tears pricked at my eyes, so I blinked fast and hoarsely said, “Thank you so much. I’m… I’m definitely interested. Thank you.”

She smiled. “Sure. I know how hard it is moving to a new area and having to do everything at once. I grew up in the sticks. Granted, that’s a little different to your…” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, can you come back tomorrow with some kind of resumé so I have all your details, and we can go through everything then? About this time okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” I slid off my seat onto trembling legs as she stood up. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem, Beryl.” She held out her hand. “I think you’ll get on well here. But we’ll see how you handle it in your trial, eh?”

I managed a wobbly laugh, nodding quickly as I shook her hand. “Yeah, I—I’m looking forward to it.” I looked around the bar, my smile widening. “It’s really nice in here.”

Mani waved a hand. “All the fancy fucks like this kind of décor. Especially fancy demiurgus fucks. All the moody lighting to make them look their best.”

I burst into slightly hysterical laughter, then forced myself to stop in case it made me seem like a weirdo. “Okay, well… I’ll come back tomorrow with all my information.”

“Yep, sounds good.” Mani walked me to the door. “It was good to meet you, Beryl.”

“You too. Thank you again.” I beamed at her before stepping outside, taking several deep breaths of cool air to try and calm my racing heart.

Oh my god. Oh my god. I was desperate to tell Greid. I started power-walking down the street to get home, but then I remembered his request for lunch. He’d given me some money and hunched up guiltily when I’d firmly told him he’d be getting all his change back.

Spotting the Mexican place we’d ordered from a few times, I went in and ordered some hardshell tacos and quesadillas—Greid’s favourites—to go. As I stood to the side to wait, fidgeting with excitement, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

Feeling a little mean for the disappointment that flowed through me when I saw it was Violet, not Greid, I answered. “Hi, Auntie.”

My voice was trembling with excitement, and I knew she heard it because she laughed and asked, “Did it go well?”

“Yes.” I turned to grin out the window. “I’ve got a trial shift there. She was so nice. I’m—I can’t believe it.”

“You deserve it, Beryl,” Violet said, her voice thick. “You worked just as hard as everyone else here. I hope you enjoy working there. But be safe, okay?”

“I will.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “Greid will probably insist on walking me there and back.”

“It’s still going okay with him?” she asked, sounding far more relaxed than she had when she’d brought Greid up during our initial conversations after I got my phone. Maybe because all I did was gush about him—quietly, in my bedroom so he didn’t hear.

“Yeah, it’s great.” God, I couldn’t wait to get home and tell him. “He’s so kind. And funny. He’s really easy to live with.”

“You’ve said,” Violet remarked dryly, making me flush.

“Well, anyway, I’m not sure when my trial shift will be, but Mani said she wanted to get someone in soon, so hopefully it won’t be long. And I’ll get paid for it.”