Page 136 of Clean Finish

Seb pressed a kiss to the top of my head and headed for the fridge to get us drinks, him and his mom moving around the kitchen together with easy familiarity. He towered over her, which was kind of funny. I grinned at him when he glanced at me with a smile.

“Iced tea okay?” He pulled out a big pitcher. “Dad likes it unsweetened, but we should have some honey if you want it.”

“We do have honey.” Emma seamlessly opened a cupboard and passed him a jar.

“Unsweetened is fine. Great,” I said quickly. “Thank you.”

“Larkin, honey, do you eat chicken?”

“Uh-huh.” I smiled at Emma when she glanced over as she pulled something out of the oven. She grinned back in relief.

“Okay, great. I wasn’t sure if you might be vegetarian. We’re having baked chicken with Hasselback potatoes. And lots of veggies, don’t worry. I know the fae like their veggies.”

“Sounds great,” I said politely, then shyly added, “My dad grows all kinds of stuff so, um, yeah, we eat a lot of vegetables.”

“Ooh, maybe he could give me some tips for my tomatoes next year. They got ruined by spider mites this time. Little buggers.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said eagerly. “He can definitely help. He’d love to. He’s, like, super passionate about growing stuff.”

As Seb handed me a glass of iced tea and sat down beside me, gently squeezing my leg, I heard the stairs creak in the front hall. I tensed up, clutching my glass tight and taking a quick sip. Seb’s mom was all nice and friendly and mom-like, but I was super nervous to meet his dad.

“Hi, Dad.”

I quickly twisted around in my seat when Seb greeted him, plastering what I hoped was an easy smile on my face. Seb deftly grabbed my glass and set it down when I almost spilled it all over my lap. After shooting him a grateful glance, I looked back at his dad.

He was just as tall as Seb, with thick, dark hair streaked with grey and tied back in a neat bun. His jet-black beard had some white sprinkled through it, but he still looked pretty youthful, and he was strong and fit under his buttoned plaid shirt.

He gave me a tiny smile, looking so much like Seb that I swallowed nervously as I rose from my chair.

“Hi, Mr. McCullough.” I stuck out my hand probably a bit too forcefully, but he just stepped forward to give it a firm shake.

“Great to meet you, Larkin.” His voice was deep and raspy, but not harsh or too gruff. And he actually looked a little nervous himself as he let go and tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Call me Jack.”

Then he turned to look at Seb and his smile widened. “Hi, Son.”

“Hi, Dad.” Seb drew him into a brief, tight hug. Jack patted him on the back as they moved apart.

“So…” He seemed a little awkward, like he wasn’t used to talking to new people, and it reminded me so much of Seb that it actually made me relax slightly. “How was the drive?”

Seb chuckled. “Fine.”

“You’re going to a party after this, right?” After a pause, Jack smiled at me again and made his way around to an empty seat at the table.

“Uh-huh,” I blurted, hurriedly sitting back down. “Our boss’s birthday party. He gets all weird about getting older, but his boyfriend wanted to do something for him, so we’re going bowling. I’ve never actually been bowling, so I’ll probably be really bad at it. I’ll have to use one of those things that kids use to get the ball down the lane.”

As I snapped my mouth shut and flushed, Jack chuckled. “Bowling, huh? That’ll be fun. I haven’t gone bowling in years.”

“Is this the boyfriend you told us about, Seb?” Emma asked as she brought a big dish filled with baked chicken and Hasselback potatoes over to the table. “The human?”

“Yep, that’s him.” Seb relaxed in his seat, draping his arm over the back of mine. I tried to subtly shift my chair closer to him. “Taylor. He’s great. Fits right in at work.”

“He really does,” I added eagerly. “He’s awesome. And he keeps Holt busy so Seb and I can be alone in the office.”

Heat immediately flared over my whole body as Jack looked at me.

“Just working, obviously,” I blurted, my face on fire. “We don’t—Seb just keeps me company while I’m at my desk. From the couch. Across the room. Doing crosswords. We… we barely even look at each other, honestly.”

Seb and his dad both laughed the exact same laugh as Seb smoothed his hand over my shoulder. I tried not to squirm in my seat, my wings fluttering anxiously.