by Martha Carr
Ember finally lifted her head and ran her hands down the sides of her face. “I feel slightly better.”
“We don’t have to go—”
“Are you kidding me? Yeah, I’m a little freaked out, but the thought of turning down a dinner invitation from Bianca Summerlin is, like, terrifying.”
Cheyenne burst out laughing and unlocked the Panamera as they drew closer. “Yeah. She’s gonna love you.”
Chapter Ninety-Four
“You’ve gotta be shitting me right now.” Ember’s mouth dropped open a little less than two hours later when they made it up the shallow incline of the gravel drive and Bianca Summerlin’s valley lodge came into view. “You grew up here?”
“I grew up here.” Cheyenne eyed the estate house and wrinkled her nose. “So, full disclosure here, Em. You’re the first person I’ve brought out here. Like, ever.”
“What?”
“I know it might be surprising, but I’m not a big people person. Like, intrinsically.”
Ember just blinked and slowly shook her head. “I don’t even have words.”
“All right, at least close your mouth before we get to the front door. She’s a stickler for first impressions.”
“Like anyone could leave a better first impression than this.” The fae gestured at the house and leaned forward in the passenger seat. “This is unreal.”
“Yeah, until you get used to being here. Then it’s very, very real.” The Panamera came to a smooth, rolling stop on the gravel yards away from the wide stone steps leading up to the front door. Cheyenne turned off the car, unbuckled her seatbelt, and froze. “Shit.”
“What?”
“I didn’t think about the gravel or the stairs.”
When the reality of that inconvenience dawned on the fae, Ember groaned and thumped her head against the headrest. “First impressions. Off to a great start.”
“Okay, hold on. We’re here, and we’ll figure it out, okay? You mind waiting for a minute?”
Ember shrugged. “I could stay here the whole time and have a much better chance of not humiliating myself.”
“Whoa. Em.”
“What?”
“Come on. Look at me.”
The fae slowly turned her head, one eyebrow raised. “What?”
“Everybody wants you here. Nobody cares about anything else, got it?”
“I care.”
Cheyenne laughed. “Well, cut it out already, okay?”
“Yeah, easy for you. You don’t give a damn what other people think of you.”
“A skill honed by years of practice, just to be clear.” The halfling nodded and popped the trunk. “You got this. And I’ll help.”
When she got out of the car, the crisp, fresh scent of pine trees and earth and the flowers in the front garden settled the halfling into a calm she’d forgotten she knew how to reach. There are still benefits to coming “home.” She grabbed the chair from the trunk, opened it up, and brought it around toward the passenger side door.
Ember stared at her when the halfling opened the door. “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna help you into this baby.” Cheyenne patted the back of the chair. “And then I’m gonna figure out the best way to get you inside the house before you meet my mom.”
Ember steeled herself to just go with it. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“That’s more like it.” Cheyenne bent down and helped her friend out of the car. Ember barely had enough energy in her arms to steady herself on the armrests, then she was in, and the halfling closed the door. “That’s gotta be a record.”
“Really? Felt like hours.”
Shooting her friend a knowing glance, Cheyenne swiveled the chair around on the gravel until Ember sat a foot in front of the Panamera, directly in front of the door. “Lookin’ good. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Yep.”
The halfling hurried toward the wide stone steps and almost laughed. So much better than the last time I was here. Zero FRoE agents. She skipped up the steps and smoothed down the front of her shirt before knocking quickly on the front door.
It opened, and Eleanor’s perpetually flushed, smiling face greeted her on the other side. “Well, look at you!”
The woman opened the door all the way and spread her arms. Cheyenne stepped into the crushing embrace Bianca Summerlin’s housekeeper and close friend never failed to deliver, grunting a little at the pressure. “Hi, Eleanor.”
The woman released Cheyenne and stepped back, squeezing the halfling’s shoulders before releasing her. “Don’t tell her I said anything.” Eleanor glanced briefly over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “But she almost danced across the house when you didn’t think twice about accepting her invitation.”
Cheyenne smirked. “She doesn’t dance across anything.”
“I said, almost.” Eleanor batted her employer’s daughter with a playful hand, then glanced out the door onto the front stoop. “I thought you had a friend coming?”
“Yeah, she’s here.” Stepping back out the onto curved landing at the top of the stairs, Cheyenne turned and swept her arm out toward Ember. “And there she is.”
Eleanor grinned. “Hello. So glad you could make it.”
When the housekeeper gave the fae an enthusiastic wave, Ember’s anxiety eased enough to make her chuckle sound genuine. She waved back and called, “Thanks for having me.”
“Oh, she’s lovely. I can tell already.” Still smiling at the fae in the wheelchair, Eleanor clasped her hands in front of her and muttered to Cheyenne from the side of her mouth, “You need a little help getting inside, don’t you?”
“Yep. Hey, I won’t say anything about the dancing part if you don’t say anything about what we’re about to do.”
The housekeeper cleared her throat and cocked her head. “You drive a hard bargain, Cheyenne.”
“I learned from the best.”
“I’m going to pretend you’re referring to me and take that as a compliment.”
The halfling smirked. “Of course.”
“Let’s get to it, then.” Eleanor stepped quickly down the stairs, a new grin spreading across her face as she and the half-drow approached their guest for the evening. “So nice to meet you, Ember. I’m Eleanor.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Ember shook the woman’s hand and shot Cheyenne a curious glance. “Everything okay?”
“Totally. Ready to go?”
“Uh, yeah. How are we—”
“Why don’t you just let us handle that part, Ember?” Eleanor nodded with her hospitable smile as Cheyenne stepped around the back of the chair and spun her friend around. She tipped the chair back just enough to lift the smaller front wheels and pulled Ember backward toward the stairs.
Ember’s eyes widened, and she glanced at the halfling over her shoulder. “Cheyenne—”
“We got it, Em. No problem. Another two minutes, and you’ll be getting the grand tour.” They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Cheyenne positioned the back wheels squarely before stepping up. “Just a few bumps. Probably.”
Eleanor caught the fae’s gaze and let out a little giggle as she reached down for the frame of the chair below the seat. “You know, Ember, Cheyenne failed to mention she’d be driving up in a new Porsche tonight.” The housekeeper grunted as she and Bianca’s daughter lifted the chair’s huge back wheels over the first step. “Honestly, I’m more inclined to believe the story of how she got that car if it comes from her friend.”
“Wow.” Cheyenne laughed as she stepped onto the next step and got ready to pull. “After all this time, you don’t trust me enough to brag about my car, huh?”
The housekeeper lifted again as the halfling pulled back, then she puffed out the breath she’d been holding and glanced briefly up at the girl she’d helped raise on the estate. “That’s precisely what I’m trying to avoid, my dear. Your bragging.”
With another grunt from the housekeeper, they made it up another step and were over halfway
there.
“I don’t brag, Eleanor.” Cheyenne lifted up one more time and glanced over her shoulder. “I just save the best stories for you. And I haven’t said a word about the car.”
“But you want to.” Lift, grunt, drag. “Don’t forget, I’ve been anticipating your every move since you were two.”
The halfling barked a laugh and moved onto the last stair. “And I’m still a step ahead of you.”
“No, you’re — Oh. You meant literally.” Eleanor chuckled, her face flushing even deeper as she and the half-drow lifted Ember’s chair one final time up the last wide stone step. “Don’t underestimate these gray hairs, Cheyenne. We both know most people can’t keep up with you, but I am certainly not one of them.”
The housekeeper dusted off her hands as Cheyenne pulled Ember’s chair up over the threshold of the front door and into the grand foyer of Bianca Summerlin’s secluded estate in Henry County.
“So many things make so much more sense now,” Ember muttered.
“Ha! I like her.”
Cheyenne smirked at her mom’s closest confident and shrugged, brushing loose strands of hair away from her face. “Yeah, she’s okay.”
“Thanks, Eleanor. I like you too.” The fae’s grin made the other woman burst into quick, sharp laughter that echoed around them in the massive house.
“Aren’t we in for a night!” Eleanor pressed a hand to her cheek and shook her head. “This is all—”
“Oh, good. You made it.” Bianca Summerlin stepped into the foyer from the north end of the house, presumably her study, and offered the other three a calm, appraising smile. Her discerning gaze fell on Eleanor, and the woman’s eyebrows twitched into a brief frown. “Are you all right?”
“Absolutely.” The housekeeper was still trying to catch her breath as she nodded quickly.
“Eleanor, you’re much more flushed than usual.”
“Oh, it’s just the heat from the stove and scurrying here as fast I could to let these two inside.” When Bianca raised an eyebrow, Eleanor nodded and glanced at Cheyenne, then gave another quick burst of laughter before cutting it off entirely. “I’ll go check on dinner.”
The woman bustled toward the other end of the house and the kitchen, and Bianca Summerlin’s smile bloomed again when she looked at Ember. “Welcome. Drinks first, I think, yeah?”
“Definitely.” Ember nodded, and Cheyenne bit her lip to force down her laugh.
Yeah, she’ll be just fine.
Chapter Ninety-Five
“Ember, I hear you and Cheyenne are housemates now. Is that right?” Bianca Summerlin stood at the bar behind the dining room table and mixed Ember Gaderow a cocktail.
The fae stared out the wide swath of floor-to-ceiling windows stretching across the back end of the Summerlin house. Sunset lit the sky with brilliant orange and pink, all of it spilling across the valley behind the estate, over the veranda, and into what served as the living room. Cheyenne glanced at Ember and cleared her throat.
“Oh.” The fae blinked quickly and nodded. “Yeah, we just moved in on Friday. I thought our view was amazing, but this…”
“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Bianca offered her guest the first cocktail of the evening in a highball glass. “I hope you don’t mind Nolet’s, Ember.”
The fae’s eyes almost bulged as she reached for the glass and nodded. “Uh, Nolet’s is perfect. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure.” The woman’s smile widened as she watched Ember take the first sip of her gin and tonic a la Bianca.
Cheyenne’s friend closed her eyes and sighed. “Damn, that’s good.” The Summerlin women chuckled, and Ember’s eyes flew open. “I’m sorry. I need to watch my mouth.”
“Trust me, I’ve heard much worse. I’m happy to hear you enjoy the gin so much.”
Ember’s cheeks reddened, but she pushed through it gracefully and stared at the drink in her hand. “I haven’t had a drink since...well, since Gnarly’s.”
The halfling offered a small, reassuring smile when Ember looked at her. At least she’s not saying, “Since the night I got shot.” “So, like three weeks.”
“Yeah.” Ember gave a little chuckle. “Feels like forever.”
Bianca ignored the glance the young women shared and turned back to the bar beneath the grand, sweeping staircase. “You two met your freshman year in college, correct?”
Ember swallowed the much larger sip of gin and tonic and nodded. “That’s right. Haven’t been able to get rid of Cheyenne since.”
“Ha!” Bianca didn’t turn around, but the young magicals looked at each other again in surprise.
The halfling shot her friend a discrete thumbs-up and raised an eyebrow. Get Mom to laugh, and that’s like a thousand extra points.
“Well, I’d love to hear how you two came to the decision about the apartment. Your usual, Cheyenne?” The woman lifted a bottle of Elijah Craig toward her daughter and raised her eyebrows when the halfling nodded once. She set to making her daughter the next drink, playing the perfect hostess, as always. “I have to admit I never expected Cheyenne to live with anyone since she’s rather like me in that way.”
“Hmm. Well, you have a housemate too, don’t you?”
The small freezer door set in the top of the bar clicked shut, and Bianca paused. “I suppose you could say that.” One large, square ice cube clinked into the rocks glass, and the woman turned to glance at the fae again, her lips pursing in amusement. “And I’m starting to understand why you’re the friend with whom my daughter decided to share an apartment.”
Cheyenne almost laughed when her mom shot her another quick glance of approval before returning to the halfling’s drink.
“Beyond the fact that we get along pretty well,” Ember started swirling her cocktail, “Cheyenne’s been helping me out.”
“Really? It goes without saying, but I hope it’s all legal.”
Ember choked on her drink, and Cheyenne snorted a laugh before covering it by rubbing her mouth.
“All legal, Mom. Promise.” When the halfling caught her friend’s mortified expression, she shook her head and mouthed at Ember, “She’s joking.” That never happens.
“Uh, as far as I know, yeah,” the fae replied. “I just needed a little extra help, you know?” Then, realizing how much it sounded like she was using Bianca Summerlin’s daughter for her money, Ember quickly added, “The wheelchair’s new. Lots of adjusting.”
“I can only imagine.” A splash of purified water topped off the bourbon on the rocks, then Bianca handed the drink to her daughter and got to work mixing her own.
“Yeah, what Ember’s not saying is that she decorated the entire apartment by herself over the weekend. Better than I would have, honestly.”
The fae laughed. “Easy as point and click, pretty much. And it wasn’t by myself. Who knew you could pay people to come in and unpack all your new stuff for you, huh?”
Bianca pressed her lips together and dipped her head. “A lovely convenience. Where were you over the weekend, Cheyenne?”
“Oh. Uh, errands.”
Ember snorted and covered it with another long sip.
“While your new housemate took care of setting up the entire apartment, hiring movers, and putting things together the way they need to be?”
“Yeah, it’s a pretty good deal for both of us.” Cheyenne took a sip of her bourbon. Then she stopped and glanced at Ember with wide eyes. “Oh, man.”
“What?” Ember frowned above a confused smile.
“It just hit me, Em. You’re my Eleanor.”
Ember and Bianca burst out laughing at the same time. The sound surprised all three of them, and when the fae and Cheyenne’s mom looked at each other, they fell into another round.
“Don’t let Eleanor hear you say that,” Bianca muttered as she poured a large amount of vodka over a very small amount of ice.
“I’m flattered, really.” Ember grinned at her halfling friend and pointed with a warning finger. “D
on’t expect me to cook your meals, though.”
“I’m good with leftover pizza, Em.”
“Despite how much that makes me want to cringe, Cheyenne, I’m glad the apartment’s working out, at least. Which apartments?”
“Pellerville Gables.”
“Oh, yes. Senator Berkley’s son has the second floor of one of the buildings there, I think. I heard it’s nice.”
Ember’s mouth popped open. Cheyenne hummed in agreement and raised a mocking eyebrow at her friend. “Very nice.”
“Now.” Bianca turned to face the young magicals beside the dining table and lifted her vodka soda with lemon toward the glass double doors. “Shall we move out onto the veranda?”
Ember stared at the wide stone terrace in front of them and took another sip of her gin before handing the glass to Cheyenne. “Best idea I’ve heard all day.”
“Excellent.” Bianca approached the double doors and pulled them open one at a time, then stepped outside into the cool evening air.
Gripping the wheels, the fae looked at her halfling friend with a crooked smile. “How am I doing?”
“You got her to laugh and make a joke. She might want to adopt you.”
“I might let her.” Ember nodded matter-of-factly and wheeled herself across the dining room toward the double doors.
Grinning, Cheyenne followed and balanced both their glasses in one hand so she could grip one of the handles with the other. “Go for it. I got you.”
Ember gave the wheels a quick shove to get her over the lintel and onto the veranda. The chair lurched forward, and a pale violet light flashed around the small front wheels beside the fae’s feet. The bump and jolt both young magicals had expected never came. Instead, Ember’s chair hovered above the veranda, and a second later, she lowered it gently to the stone.
The fae’s hands jerked away from the wheels, and she and Cheyenne stared at the chair. “Did you do that?”
The halfling stepped around the chair and handed Ember the tall glass of gin and tonic. “Pendant, Em. That was all you.”
