Ebony
It was so difficult not to say anything when I called into Jax’s for my usual early morning coffee.
“Ebony! God I’ve missed seeing your face.” She came over and flung her arms around me. “How have you been?”
“Good. Hopefully I’m back now and can get on with selling my clothes. How’s business anyway?”
The coffee shop was busy with only one table spare. “Yeah, it's going well. I still haven’t found anyone yet though. I think I’m being too picky. Perhaps instead of trying to entice customers I’m trying to do a Withernsea Dating and set myself up?”
I smiled. “Don’t look too hard. I’m sure you’ll meet someone in good time. Speaking of matchmaking. How are the terrible twosome doing?”
“Seriously. They’re doing really well. Working dead hard. I’ve never seen either of them like this before, Ebs.”
I sat back in my chair. “Something’s going on with those two. I think I’ll pay them a visit before I open up.”
After finishing my drink, I made my way out of the shop and up the back entrance of the dating agency. I still owned the building and I had a key so I let myself in.
“That client was mine. I opened the email first.” Lucy was shouting.
“He’s a supe. So he’s mine. You’re covering humans.” Kim yelled back.
“He’s a centaur so he’s mostly an animal. Which of us covers animals because Shelley didn’t specify?”
I walked into Kim’s office where Lucy stood, hands on hips in front of Kim’s desk. “Well, well. I hear you are both working extremely hard and indeed it’s to the point where you are arguing for even more leads?”
They both looked at me guiltily.
“You might as well confess all because I’ve already seen it in a vision.”
“You have? So does Shelley come back? Does she get rid of one of us? Or does she stay with Charlie and make me Manager? Plus who gets the bonus payment?” Kim blabbed.
“Oh my God, Kim. She’s not had a vision. You are such a sucker… and a blabbermouth.” Lucy looked at me. “Excuse me, Ebony. I have work to do.” She left the room.
“Ebony! Did you not have a vision?”
“Nope. Just thought I’d get you to tell me what was going on.”
“Damn it. I squealed like a pig.”
“So you’re both working hard in case Shelley decides to stay home with Charlie and to get a bonus?”
“Yes, because I should have the Managers position in the bag but Lucy is doing really well at bringing new clients in. You know how competitive we both are.”
“Well, I’ve had a vision about Charlie which means I doubt you have to worry. I think Shelley will be back and all will return to as normal as it gets around here. I’ve no idea about the bonus though.”
“She called me earlier. Told me about what went down with the faerie. It’s really shaken her up.”
“I know, but in a way it’s been good because she handled it, and it also showed her that she’s not invulnerable. There’s always going to be a chance for the bad guys to misbehave. It's just about being as prepared as possible.”
Kim nodded. “I think it’s good she’s having a christening for Charlie K. I don’t know why she didn’t do that in the first place instead of having to be polite to everyone separately. She can get this gig done in a day and go back to being a mum. Your vicar is performing the ceremony by the way. The one who you saw in a vision with his chorister. After a little bit of persuasion, they allowed Lucy to set them up. They’ve been dating ever since.”
“Thank goodness that sometimes my visions do good, rather than cause chaos and confusion.” I huffed.
“They brought me my husband. For which I am very, very, grateful. Although it did come after a lot of chaos and confusion.”
“Only because you decided to date a rival shifter.”
Kim stuck her tongue out at me. “Anyway, what about your piece of hot stuff? How’s that going?”
I couldn’t help it. A massive smile came over my face.
“Oh my God. Look at you. You’re in love!”
I looked back at her shocked. “No I’m not. It’s going well, but it’s far too early for love.”
“Tell that to me and Darius when we eventually got together. To Shelley and Theo. To Frankie and Lucy. Things happen fast in Withernsea.”
“Yes, well, I’ve always been the most sensible of all of you, so I think I’ll take a little longer.”
“If you say so.” Kim gave me a look as if she didn’t believe a word I was saying.
I wasn’t sure I believed a word I was saying either.
* * *
At just after five Henry came into the shop.
“You’re early.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t wait to see you.” He came up to me behind the counter and wrapped me in a passionate embrace. “Come on. Let’s get this visit to my sister over with and then you can come to mine and see my etchings.”
I giggled. “Okay then, let’s go.”
We walked into Jax’s together hand in hand and watched as Jax’s jaw hit her ankle boots. “You said you had a lovely new girlfriend. You didn’t say it was one of my besties. Oh my God.” She squealed and jumped up and down. Then she punched her brother in the arm. “You screw her over, Henry, and I’ll kill you.”
“Sorry already screwed her over… a chair, the bathroom sink…”
“Henry!” Jax and I shouted at the same time.
“Just no.” I told him. “We invoke the best friend and sister code. You cannot talk about sex while we are both here. Ever.”
“Now tell me everything.” Jax said. Then she paused. “You know what I mean. Everything about how you met.”
We told her. We were like excited children.
Jax sat with her elbow resting on the table. Her chin was in her hand and her head tilted towards us. “Oh guys. I am so happy for you and so jealous. I need some love in my life.”
“It's coming, Jax. Not yet a while, but it’s coming.”
“It is?” She sat up. “Did you have a vision?”
“No. Ebony is just saying it’s bound to happen sooner rather than later, right Ebs?”
Huh?
I turned to Henry. “No, that's not right.” I said sternly. “Yes, I had a vision. But your hair was longer, Jax. In a bob, so it’s not yet.”
“Oooh, and did you see who it is?”
“I did but his face was in shadow which means I’m not allowed to tell you.”
“Oh as long as I know he’s coming. I was thinking about growing my hair. Now I definitely will. Thank you, Ebs.” She looked at the counter. “Do you want any of the leftovers to take home either of you? I’ll go bag some goodies up. I know Henry will want all the vanilla slices.”
“Why did you do that?” Henry’s voice had undertones of frustration and irritation.
“Do what?”
“Tell her you saw her with someone.”
“Because I did.”
“Yeah, but Jax doesn’t know about the supernatural shit, so why get her into predictions and stuff? You should just keep her out of all that.”
I sat up very straight in my chair.
“Out of all the ‘supernatural shit’. Is that how you see it, Henry? As total and utter ‘shit’?”
“You’re taking it all out of context. All I’m saying is she doesn’t know about any of this. I’m trying to protect her.”
“Protect her from what? Weirdos like me?”
“Don’t be stupid. You’re putting words in my mouth that I haven’t said.”
Jax came over. “What’s going on? Is everything all right?”
“It’s fine, Jax. We’re just squabbling about him taking all the vanilla slices.”
“Ah.” Jax visibly relaxed. “Well that’s okay because I put one in your box anyway.” She placed two cardboard cake boxes on the table. “Now I’d better get the place locked up. It was fantastic to see you both and I’m so happy for you. My brother and one of my besties.” She smiled and re-hugged us both and then we left.
Henry moved closer and went to put an arm around me but I shrugged him off. “I’m going to go back to my own house actually, Henry. I’m not in the mood tonight.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake. Just because I asked you to be careful around my sister.”
“Your sister is going to end up with Tristan. You know, Tristan who you had the fight with? The pixie. So you might want to let her get used to the world of the supernaturals because it’s coming to Jax’s life soon.”
He backed away and folded his arms across his chest. “No way is he going anywhere near my sister.”
“The visions said so.”
“Well this time your visions are wrong.”
“They’re never wrong.”
“This time they are. You’d better think up a new one, because that ‘shit’ isn’t happening on my watch.”
“I don’t ‘think visions up’, you moron. They appear. She’ll be happy with him so don’t you do anything to ruin it, you selfish bastard.”
“She’ll be happy? With that knob? If your brain saw Tristan as a good bloke then you are definitely as cuckoo as I always thought.”
I froze in place.
“Ebs. I didn’t mean it like that.”
I held my hand up. “Leave me alone, Henry. Just leave me the hell alone.”