He arched a brow. “Is Agnes going?”
“Why do you care?” I asked and he glowered at me.
“I just haven’t seen her all weekend. Usually she stops in.”
“Maybe she’s been busy,” I said, shrugging, and went to take a Coke to a table.
I was clearing plates from a table of four when a familiar golden blur trotted in through the front door, followed by the click of sensible boots and the soft tap of a cane.
Mitch.
Zara followed behind him, her dark hair pulled back, the same self-possessed energy she’d had since we were teenagers. Mitch led her confidently through the crowd, tail wagging like a metronome.
I dumped the plates on a nearby tray station. “Hi, Z!”
Her head snapped up, her face lighting in my direction. “L?”
“Right here,” I said, reaching her and gently catching her forearms. “Hi.”
She broke into a huge grin and leaned forward, bumping her forehead against mine in an awkward hug. “There’s my dram of chaos.”
Warmth flooded my chest. “I’m sorry I haven’t seen you much this week.”
“It’s okay, I know you’ve been settling in.” Mitch sat at her feet, grinning up at me with his harness on.
“Here, come sit.” I helped Z to a table and Mitch lay down next to her. “I’ll bring him some water shortly. Do you want a roast lunch, or something light, like a Caesar salad or chicken soup?”
“Soup and salad suits me just fine.” Zara bent and took Mitch’s harness off, and he bounced up to give me a kiss.
“Hey, handsome. You keeping my sister out of trouble?”
He licked my cheek in answer and I gave him a quick cuddle before Zara re-harnessed him and he settled at her feet.
“So, Liora, what’s going on? I can’t believe I haven’t heard from you. Is it awful living with Torin? I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize who the landlord was. Tell me, quick, is it bad?”
My stomach did a guilty flip. I really should have filled Zara in on everything that was going on. “Life is…good,” I hedged. “But it’s not actually bad at the house. Torin is a good landlord. And now that I’ve got the job here, I’m quite busy. I’ll give you the full download later, I promise.”
Guilt pricked sharp and hot under my ribs. I hadn’t told her about the chartweaver thing. I hadn’t really told her about Torin and me, beyond a few short texts promising her that everything was fine.
I made a mental note to tell Zara everything. Soon. She deserved to know what was going on. I’d never hidden anything like this from her before.
“Good,” Zara said. “Because if you dash off to your magickal castle friends and forget all about me, I’ll tell Mum.”
I laughed. “I would never risk Mum’s wrath.”
“She can be terrifying,” Zara agreed.
She wasn’t really. She hadn’t exactly abandoned us when she left for London, but she had certainly made a new life for herself. She was…happy. Just not particularly maternal. We heard from her every few months during hercheck-insbut that was about it. I wondered if she might come for Christmas now that I was in Loren Brae.
“I have to get back to work,” I said reluctantly. “But I’ll swing by to chat when I can.”
“No problem, I’m just happy to not be making food for myself today.” Zara settled back, comfortable with spending time in her own company, and I dove back into work.
The rest of the shift flew by in a whirl of orders and plates and the warm comfort of knowing my sister was nearby. Between tables, I’d catch glimpses of her laughing with Graham, Mitch sprawled under the table like he owned the place. Stopping by to give her a quick hug before she left, I once again promised her I’d stop by that week for a proper hang out. She left, happy enough, but guilt still tugged low in my gut.
By the time two o’clock rolled around and my shift was ending, I was pleasantly tired and buzzing with the pride of a solid weekend worked.
I said my goodbyes, collected my tips, and slid into my wee car, sending Torin a quick text.