Page 52 of Wateredge

“Well, she’d started it. And with her snitching to the Caw left and right about us, she deserved every one of those jokes and the itchy situation. Though I stand by my opinion that a large size bottle of yeast cream for vaginas called Extra Vaganza would be a best seller.”

“That woman really brings the worst in you, Aunty,” Seren said.

Lark gave the sourdough another stretch then lifted her face. “Turns you into a veritable vagilante, Victoria.”

The room was silent for a long second before erupting in loud cackles.

“This is what I love about you, songbird. You always find the right response.”

“As funny as it is, Vagi-Hex is an actual antibiotic cream for, well, vaginas in Germany,” Lark said and ducked her head when everyone looked at her.

“How on Earth would you even know that? And who named that medication? A witch?” Deryn bent in half and tried to stop laughing.

Victoria just shook her head. “The things you come up with, songbird. Always fascinating. Speaking of fascination. Did you name your sourdough starter? We Crowharts have a naming-our-starters thing going.”

Victoria approached as the water filled the sink.

“I wanted to give it a Star Wars homage,” Lark said.

Deryn poked at the dough, nodding again as it rose back. “Did you go with Rising Dough-Walker?”

Lark shook her head. “Good one, but no. I chose Leia Dough-rgana. It’s a girl sourdough. And I’m making sandwiches from my focaccia today, which in my head is also a girl. I can’t explain it.”

Deryn pursed her lips approvingly and poked at the dough again. “Well, no need to explain, focaccia as a girl bread is right on the money. Some breads are boys, some are girls, and then some are non-binary. Baguette is also a girl, by the way. So is ciabatta. Pumpernickel is a boy, and brioche is non-binary. At least that’s how I see them, so it makes sense. And so does the name. Also, the elasticity on this is perfect. The result will be fantastic.”

“I hope so. It’s important.” Lark heard the hesitation in her own voice.

Victoria patted Lark’s shoulder.

“It will be amazing. I have faith. What you’re doing at the Refuge is… well, amazing.” Victoria sniffed, and Deryn immediately jumped to give her a bruising hug.

“What Aunty Vicky here is trying to so eloquently say is that everything will be… well, amazing!” Deryn stumbled over the choice of words and laughed at herself. “Sorry, I don’t know how to say it better. I hear only the best of things about you from the folks at the Refuge, and Sam adores you, says you’re the best thing that’s happened to that place. And you’re competing with Paloma, who donated millions for the status of being the ‘best thing.’ Sam says the way you took over their data collection, the ideas you implemented for data privacy and comfort for the clients when sharing those, are ingenious. You’ve perfected some of the processes I know Sam agonized over for weeks. And Sam is not prone to exaggeration.”

Lark smiled.

“She’s great, Sam is. And her wife is quite something.”

“Oh, you think so?” Deryn’s eyes were full of mischief. “Did you know that Seren likes her, too? Swoons every time Headmistress Nox stops by the Brew.” Deryn poked her tongue at Seren and turned off the water in the sink just as it was about to overflow.

“I absolutely do not.” Seren shifted her shoulders, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. Lark found the blush rising from under the flannel shirt totally adorable. She was really hoping that once the prep was finished, Victoria and Deryn would make themselves scarce for a bit, if only for her to get her hands on Seren again. She wanted her lips to chase that blush.

Suddenly blushing herself, Lark wondered at her own audacity and refocused on the focaccia. Her pans were ready and oiled, and she really needed to get going and put the dough in the oven.

“It’s okay, you know? Half the island has a crush on the Headmistress. The other half is either blind or crushing on the mayor. Are you fighting them off with sticks, Deryn?” Victoria gave the younger twin a side hug before pushing her away from the sink and beginning to scrub the vegetables.

“Nobody dared yet, not in my presence. You know who does have to beat them back with a stick, though? Ceridwen.” Deryn clutched her shirt theatrically. “It’s kind of ridiculous the way people absolutely throw themselves on the ground in front of Ceri.”

“Well, I did. Throw myself on the ground in front of her.” Lark laughed. “I still feel absolutely mortified every time I see her, and I work at the flower shop twice a week. She has that effect on people. The other day, Judge Astor had to tell a man to move it along and out of the shop after the guy spent nearly half an hour trying to get her phone number.”

From the corner of her eye, Lark noticed Seren’s shoulders straightening almost imperceptibly. She’d have missed it if she weren’t so attuned to Seren’s every move by now. If she weren’t always watching her, without trying to watch her.

“Ceridwen can take care of herself. And since the Caw reported no arrest for being a nuisance to a sitting councilwoman or said councilwoman razing half the island in anger, Christian must’ve defused the situation successfully.” Victoria set the wet vegetables on the counter next to the batches of focaccia. Lark gave them a once-over, then answered carefully, realizing that she had probably stepped into an unspoken family issue. The Crowharts seemed to harbor quite an array of them.

“He did, and she wasn’t angry. Mostly annoyed. And she did make the guy spend over two hundred dollars on day-old roses.”

“That’s my girl.” Victoria chuckled and motioned for Deryn to help her box the now-clean produce. “You’re taking all of this with you, songbird?”

“Yes, once this bakes. I really appreciate the use of your space, Deryn. And the fact that both you and Victoria agreed to help with the food.” She licked her lips. Her nerves were acting up. “We’re expecting over four hundred guests. I’m not certain it will all run smoothly, so taking advantage of the good ovens and having all the prep⁠—”