Shortbread and Shadows - Amy Lane Page 0,3

work, if I didn’t see it through to the end.”

“It’s a calling,” Lachlan replied, looking at his own shelves full of cunningly made little toys, plant racks, walking sticks, bookends, and wall plaques. “It’s like, when you’re doing your thing, that craft understands you. Your fingers, your hands, your heart—they all take you to the right place.”

“Yeah,” Bartholomew had said, and Lachlan realized they were gazing stupidly into each other’s eyes. At that exact moment he’d thought, Yes! Bartholomew is going to kiss me! Or ask me out! Or say “Marry me and let’s adopt!” and Bartholomew had leaned forward on his little stool and his eyes had fluttered, and Lachlan had leaned forward in return and….

Bartholomew zoomed up from his chair and bolted for the booth’s exit in the back, calling, “’Scuse me, I’ve gotta pee!”

Lachlan had almost cried.

And he didn’t feel so great right now, looking at the empty booth where Bartholomew was supposed to be.

Fretting, he started to put the finishing touches on his own booth, with his bold, plain logo in black and white. Since it was an alternative-universe fiction con of some sort, he made sure his wooden swords with the intricately carved handles as well as the magic wands with their intricately carved handles were all prominently on display. He also made sure his cashbox and Square were exactly where they were supposed to be, and his business cards—designed by his sister, so they looked better than his tablecloth—were easy to spot.

He saw the first few customers wander onto the floor and had a shock. What convention was this again? He pulled out his program and raised his eyebrows.

Para-Fantasma-Con.

Oh. So paranormal, science fiction, urban fantasy, and probably epic fantasy as well. That would explain what the cosplayers in Lord of the Rings regalia were doing side by side with the entire complement of Voltron.

And trailing behind them was practically all of Hogwarts.

Wow. Just… wow.

That was some eclectic fanbase. He summoned a grin, because he really did love seeing everybody all dressed up and in character, and then his eyes drifted to Bartholomew’s booth and the grin fell away a little.

He should have been there by now.

All of a sudden there was a kerfuffle by the entrance, and Lachlan looked up in time to see Bartholomew and four other people Lachlan vaguely recognized, loaded with boxes and hauling ass through the beginning throngs.

“Bartholomew?” Lachlan asked, surprised.

“Sorry,” Bartholomew muttered, dodging around half of Hogwarts. “So sorry.” He smiled greenly at Lance from Voltron, his gaze so faraway he didn’t even notice the guy was decked, hot, and appreciative of Bartholomew’s gray-eyed beauty. “So sorry.” He hustled to the booth and looked around with a little moan.

“Oh, guys. I… I’m seriously… I don’t know where to….”

“Here,” said the wide-shouldered, no-necked guy that Lachlan recognized as Josh Hernandez. “Kate’ll stay here and help you set up, and we’ll go get the rest of your stock, deal?”

Bartholomew nodded, eyes losing some of their glaze. “Yeah. Thanks, Josh. Guys. I don’t even know….”

Alex Kennedy was a compact person with rusty hair and the scalpel-sharp gaze of an analyst. Any kind of analyst—Lachlan wasn’t picky.

And today he looked like he got dressed in a hurricane.

“None of us could have anticipated….” Alex threw his hands in the air.

“God,” Kate said. “Seriously. None of us.” She was a voluptuous girl with brown-blond hair, green eyes, and the most adorably pointed chin Lachlan had ever seen.

But she wasn’t looking adorable now—she was looking scared, as all of Bartholomew’s friends shuddered at Alex’s words, including Jordan Bryne, who even Lachlan had to admit was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. Taller than the others, with striking cheekbones and shock-blond hair, he looked like Alexander Skarsgård’s younger brother.

“One thing at a time,” Jordan said. “We’ll go back and get the rest of the stock. Barty, you and Kate start setting up. Kate, maybe make sure you use the smoky quartz, brown jasper, and amethyst weights to hold down the drape. You brought them, right?”

“So on it,” Kate said, nodding. “And I’ve got the sage and lavender in the diffuser.” She grimaced. “You, uh, wouldn’t want to run a protection circle, would you?”

Jordan shook his head. “All I brought were the gold and orange for success. I didn’t bring black, brown, or white. Sorry.”

Kate shrugged. “No, no. We were all….” They shared a look and let out a breath.

“Okay. Let’s get moving.”

Jordan, Josh, and Alex took off, and Bartholomew and Kate started the sort of ritual