She laughed. "Unlike you, Professor, I need to earn my keep. But I almost forgot about the tips. Atzil let me keep everything from the tip jar, which was pretty generous. That alone should cover at least two decent pairs of shoes."
Din's heart squeezed at her excitement over the modest sum. He wanted to shower her with everything she needed—clothes,shoes, jewelry, anything that would bring her joy. But he knew better than to offer. Fenella valued her self-sufficiency above almost everything else.
It was something he admired about her but also found frustrating.
Would that change when they moved in together?Ifthey moved in together?
Or perhaps only an official marriage ceremony would soften her stance on accepting his support. Some women cared about such things. But he was getting ahead of himself. Fenella had already made it clear that she wasn't ready for declarations of love, let alone discussions of marriage.
"What's wrong?" Fenella nudged him with her elbow. "You've got that brooding professor look."
Din forced a smile. "I'm just worried about Shira." The lie came easily. He hadn't thought about Fenella's missing roommate since they'd gotten out of the house.
"Maybe she's already here." Holding on to his arm, Fenella rose on her tiptoes and scanned the growing crowd.
Din followed her example, his gaze sweeping across the gathering, looking for Shira's distinctive red curls. The crowd had grown considerably in just the last few minutes, with perhaps a hundred immortals now mingling on the green. Then he saw it—a flash of fiery red among the sea of more subdued hair colors.
"There she is." He pointed toward the far side of the lawn, where Shira stood talking with a dark-haired man Din didn't recognize. "Near that big tree over there."
As Fenella followed his gaze, relief washed over her face. "Thank God. I was starting to worry." She tugged at his arm. "Come on, let's say hello and give her grief about not letting me know where she was."
As they approached, Din studied the man with Shira. He was tall and lean, dressed in dark jeans and a button-down shirt similar to Din's own outfit. There was nothing remarkable about him other than the intensity with which he listened to whatever Shira was saying.
"Shira!" Fenella called when they were a few yards away.
Her roommate turned, her face lighting up. "Hi!" She waved them over.
Fenella gave her new friend a quick once-over as they approached. "I tried calling you this morning. I was worried when I saw that you weren't home. I left you a voicemail message."
Shira at least had the grace to look sheepish. "I'm sorry. My phone died, and I didn't have my charger with me." She turned to the man beside her. "This is Ruvon. Ruvon, these are my friends, Fenella and Din."
"I know," Ruvon said, his voice soft and his handshake firmer than Din had expected from his slight build.
Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, though Din couldn't place where he might have seen him before.
"Ruvon works for Kalugal. He handles his security systems," Shira said.
Ah. That explained it. Din wasn't well acquainted with Kalugal's men.
"I heard that you started working at the Hobbit Bar," Ruvon said to Fenella.
"I did," she confirmed. "Last night was my first."
Ruvon smiled for the first time since the conversation had started. "Your psychic readings were the talk of the village this morning. Perhaps I'll stop by tonight to get one. Should I bring a specific object or would anything do?"
"Bring your wallet." She winked. "I bet it hides many interesting stories."
