Page 16 of Must Love Lavender and Little Lies
“Night,” I said, then slipped inside. I paused at the door, feeling the strong urge to open it once more and invite him in for tea or wine or…
For a brief moment, I imagined taking his hand and leading him to my small bedroom. He would probably hit his head on the low ceiling, making him laugh. But then… I imagined his gaze lingering on mine and the feel of his lips as he gently placed them on mine. I imagined him maneuvering carefully so I didn’t get hurt by his tusks. How would he taste? Knowing him, like ale, cheese, and grognuts. I imagined the feel of his tongue in my mouth, and how it would feel falling into him, letting go and just…
Oh my gosh, no.
I set my hand on my cheek, feeling the red flush of heat there.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, then turned to Pip, who looked at me expectantly. “I’m coming,” I told him, pushing my heated thoughts away and ignoring the strong yearning that had my heart beating hard and the rest of me throbbing with want.
CHAPTER 6
GRANIK
After a sleepless night, I woke early the next morning to set off on a mission. I knew Tansy, the Sylvan elf artisan who worked above Juniper’s shop, always arrived very early. I wanted to speak to her before Juniper arrived.
Fake engagement or not, I didn’t want Juniper to have just any old ring. Her ring needed to be…perfect.
When I arrived at Thistle and Thyme, the shop was not yet open, but the light in the artisan’s loft glowed softly. I went around the back of the building to the garden. There, a window in the loft looked down over the garden to the river.
“Tansy,” I called. “Tansy?”
A moment later, a figure appeared at the window. The Sylvan elf unlatched the window and looked down at me, a confused expression on her face. “Granik? It’s early. Juniper’s not here yet.”
“I know. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, let me come down and open the back door.”
I nodded, then went to the back door of the shop. The morning dew had settled on the spring flowers in Juniper’s garden. The fairies and sprites were already hard at work tending to the plants. They avoided me, but I saw the goldentrails the fairies left in their wake, and the flowers rustled as sprites passed.
Tansy arrived a moment later. “Well, tall, dark, and green, what can I do for you?”
“I…I need a piece of jewelry.”
“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Okay. And you need it now? At sunrise?”
I laughed, then rubbed the back of my neck, unsure how to get the words out. “I need a ring.”
“I have rings. What did you have in mind?”
“I need a… Well, I need a… I need an engagement ring.”
Tansy paused. “You’re getting engaged?” she asked, clearly confused.
“Yeah, well… Kind of, yes.”
“To whom?”
“Um. Juniper, actually. Maybe I should come?—”
“Finally! Get out!” she said, playfully slapping my shoulder. “I thought you two wouldneversee the light. How two people can fail to realize they’re in love when the rest of the world can see it plain as day is beyond me. But who am I to talk? It took a forest knocking me on my arse and stealing my memory to set me on the right path. Come inside. You have to tell meeverything.”
I followed her inside, but my head was spinning.Whathad she said? What. Had. She. Said?
By the time we got to her loft, I thought I might be sick. Tansy happily rattled off gemstones and metals, interjecting about how happy she was for us, not realizing that I might faint.
When she finally turned around and saw my face, she stopped cold.
“Granik,” she said with a gasp. “Your cheeks are…yellow. Are you all right?”
