The Revelation of Light and Dark (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 1)

Whatever.

He’s mostly a non-entity where One Bean is concerned. He might be a silent investor, but he knows squat about running a coffeehouse. If I’m lucky, he’ll keep his thoughts to himself. It’s bad enough I have to deal with his surly attitude regarding my unique abilities.

A different waiter walks by, and I reach around Fallon to snag him. “Do you think you could put these up at the hostess desk? They’re taking up too much room.”

“Of course,” the man says, and the huge bouquet is gone. Across from me, Rainey has one eyebrow arched as if to say, Oh, Finley… what have you done to deserve that type of bouquet?

Rainey doesn’t know Carrick personally. The same goes for Myles and Adira. They, of course, know who Carrick Byrne is because they seem to be more tuned into the pulse of Seattle than I am. Rainey knows the most about him as he’s exactly the type of husband material she’s looking for. When I told her that he owned Olympic Dreams, she was able to rattle off a lot of stuff about him, including the fact he made Seattle’s Most Eligible Bachelor the last four years running.

When my friends found out he was going to loan me the monies the grant didn’t cover, Rainey point-blank asked me if he was dating anyone seriously and if could I arrange an introduction.

Of course, I could never tell her, Myles, or Adira that Carrick isn’t someone I would want my worst enemy to get to know. He’s not trustworthy, he’s way too secretive, and he’s dragged me into an underbelly of Seattle that has officially changed my life forever. I dissuaded Rainey from such a notion by telling her I thought he was gay. There was a moment when she looked devastated, and I had to bite back a laugh. It wasn’t an overly harmful lie, in my opinion, but more of a protection fib because while Carrick might look fantastic on paper, he is nowhere near good enough for my Rainey.

“Well, I think those flowers were such a lovely gesture,” Fallon says, still standing behind me. Everyone has gone back to talking, but Fallon huddles in close to me. “You know, I invited Carrick tonight, but he had other plans that couldn’t be canceled.”

Yeah, probably five-nine of a busty, dumb blonde, but I keep that opinion to myself.

Fallon bends and brings her hand to my shoulder, where she squeezes gently. “You see,” she teases with a smile. “I told you that you needed to socialize more. Meeting the likes of Carrick Byrne was the best thing that could have happened to you.”

I think about all the strange things I’ve learned. Carrick killing that succubus last night and probably saving me from certain death in the process. He’s dragged me into an unfathomable world, but he has revealed a fundamental truth I genuinely needed to hear… that I wasn’t crazy. I know he didn’t do these things for my benefit or to make me feel better about my life, but I can’t deny I feel a tiny bit of indebtedness to him.

He’s definitely a mixed bag, and I’m not remotely ready to say he’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Like with many things in life, I have to take the bad with the good when it comes to him. I can only hope, in the long run, that he’s more good than bad because, somehow, I have a gut feeling my life is going to depend on it.

“By the way, did Michael ever call you?” she asks expectantly.

I grin. “He did. We’re going out on Saturday.”

Fallon’s chin tucks in a bit so she can look at me smugly. “Go ahead and say it.”

“Say what?” I ask.

“Say it,” she demands.

I give an overly exaggerated sigh before muttering. “Fine. Thank you, Fallon, for introducing me to Michael.”

She grins broadly, and to my surprise, her arms come around me for a quick, tight hug. In my ear, she whispers. “I am really proud of you, Finley. And don’t ever doubt it… but I always have your best interests at heart, even if you get frustrated with me. I love you.”

My throat gets tight, eyes get misty, and I hug her back. “I love you, too, sis.”

As much as I may have made fun—internally, of course—of this choice of places to celebrate my new role as a business owner, the night ends up being a really good time. We laugh, we share food, and I try octopus for the first time, which I normally would have never done. I even liked it.

The evening ends up being better than I could have expected.

As it’s time to leave, Rainey, Adira, and Myles all corner me after I say my goodbyes to everyone else. “Where to next?” Myles asks.