boobs, just like I’d been drawing the whole time).
“Less volume,” Shay added, pointing at the notepad.
“Emhmm,” I said, pen moving again.
Boobs. Boobs. Delaney’s boobs.
“Less antagonism,” Kane said. “Less temper.”
“Fewer death stares.”
“Death stares,” I repeated. “Big no-no.”
I looked up at Kane and Shay for more, but then both remained quiet, seemingly drained by their traumatising interaction with the deliciously notorious Delaney Evans.
“And how did the small talk end?” I asked in conclusion.
Kane rubbed tiredly at his temples and Shay leaned back in his chair to stare up at the ceiling. I waited and then Kane sighed once more.
“She called me a piece of fucking shit.”
“And me a steaming hog turd,” jumped in Shay.
I had to cover my mouth with my notepad to hide the smile that I could no longer repress.
“Well, variety is very important in lively small talk, no?” I asked, my voice muted by the notepad.
Kane ignored me and went on, saying, “She then grabbed the tray of assorted pastries, in the process knocking over my tea, and stormed out of the room.”
“You can’t take her to the Solstice Ball,” Shay repeated once more. “Not with her… temperament.”
“Hmm, yes, yes, I can see this is very grave. Very grave indeed,” I said, nodding sombrely. “I must say, I’m most disappointed in myself. I shall take the blame for this pitiful display.”
I touched my hand to my chest in a heartfelt, sincere gesture as Kane and Shay each stood. I joined them at the door of the parlour and shook their hands.
“Thank you for coming, my friends,” I said, keeping my voice reserved. “I must get back to work. I have two days left and I shan’t waste a single minute.”
Kane looked over his shoulder at me. “We’ll see who’s laughing when we win this little bet.”
“It’s not over till it’s over,” I protested.
Kane laughed as he followed Shay toward the foyer. “I’m not sure it ever got started, mate.”
I watched my friends leave, sticking out a tongue at Kane’s back, and then went down the hallway. Delaney, seeing me coming, pushed herself up from where she had been leaning against the wall.
“How’d I do?” she asked, her eyes searching mine.
I smiled widely and patted her cheek roughly before she could shove me away.
“Absolutely swimmingly, darling.”
Delaney
It was the day before the Solstice Ball and I was addressing my mounting anxiety the only way a trailer trash redneck from the middle of nowhere Texas like myself knew how: with mac and cheese.
An hour after requesting the undisputed king of all comfort foods from the kitchen staff, a casserole dish with sizzling, popping cheese emerged from the oven. Ronan’s personal chef reached for a dainty porcelain bowl and a serving spoon, but I stopped him with a hand on his wrist.
“Don’t bother,” I told him, shaking my head. “I’ll take the whole thing.”
So laden with fifteen pounds of butter and cheese and cream and pasta, I climbed the stairs to the library for Ronan’s afternoon lesson. I dug my spoon into the golden bliss and long strings of ooey-gooey chess stretched toward my open, drooling mouth. I slurped them in noisily like strands of spaghetti.
Adjusting the heavy mac and cheese dish in my oven mitt-covered arm, I reached the second floor and swiped at my messy lips as I rounded the corner toward the library. I was lifting another heaping spoonful toward my mouth when I stopped and frowned in confusion in the entryway to the library.
A semi-circle of chairs was arranged against the tall bookshelves. In the chairs, sitting sombrely and with hands gathered seriously in their laps, were the maid, the gardener, the chef, and Benson. A single empty chair was set in front of this strange, quiet gathering.
I stepped warily into the library and looked from face to face in confusion.
“What in the fucking world is this?” I asked.
The library doors creaked behind me and I whipped around to see Ronan easing them shut with a tired sigh. His easy, carefree smile was gone from his lips and in its place was a tightly drawn line. I flinched as he came up to me and rested his hands on my shoulders.
“Delaney, love,” he said, his voice restrained and quiet and odd. “We’re all here because we care for you, because we all just want to see you get better.”
I stared in utter bewilderment as Ronan guided me reluctantly forward toward the semi-circle of sad, weak smiles.
“What is this?” I asked, feeling my temper flare. “Is this a fucking intervention?”
Ronan