A Fae’s First Kiss

“I was hoping it would be you”

Veronica Mars

One

“Fetch me the serving bowls, Calliope,” Padraig barked from her position at the stove.

Catriona Collins cut Grady Wallace a sharp look across the kitchen when he started to snicker. It wasn’t the first time the palace cook had called Cat by the wrong name. It wouldn’t be the last.

“Yes, mum,” Cat replied.

As she made her way to the pantry, Grady fell in step beside her.

“You’ve volunteered to help with catering at every palace festival for, what?” he asked. “Three years?”

Cat shrugged. “At least.”

“She should at least know your name by now.”

“She has more important things to worry about.”

“Like forgetting to put the bonnach in the oven?”

Cat quickly bit back a smile. “Yes, like that.”

The cook had a tendency to be forgetful. But her talent in the kitchen was unparalleled. If Cat wanted to be a chef someday, she couldn’t do better than to learn from Padraig.

At the pantry door, Cat pulled out the ring of keys she had stashed in her pocket. She quickly selected the right one. All of the kitchen keys looked alike, but the one for the pantry had a distinctive wear pattern worn into the head.

She turned the lock and hurried inside.

“Which ones do you think she wants?” Grady asked.

Cat surveyed the shelves full of dishes of all shapes, sizes, and materials. For something like tonight’s Brigid’s Day celebration, a massive bonfire followed by an equally massive feast, she imagined Padraig wanted something with enough capacity to feed all of the revelers.

But it also needed to be sturdy enough to withstand potential damage.

“These, I think.” Cat pointed at a stack of large silver serving bowls.

Grady held out his arms and Cat began moving the bowls, one by one, into his hands. As she stacked them up, he pretended they were too heavy to carry.

“Go on,” she said with a shooing motion. “I’ll bring the rest.”

Grady turned and started back to the kitchen and Cat reached for the few remaining bowls. When she picked them up, she noticed a small pink envelope sitting on the shelf.

She leaned closer. Scrawled across the envelope, in scratchy block letters, was her name.

CATRIONA COLLINS

Cat blinked several times before setting the bowls back down and picking up the envelope. She opened the flap and pulled out the card inside.

The front was simple: a large pink heart on a red background.

When she opened the card, her breath caught.

Dearest Cat,

I don’t know how to express my heart, so this card will have to do.

Just know that, above all else, I am desperately in love with you.

Your Secret Admirer

For several long moments—minutes, maybe—Cat stared at the card. Stunned.

She had a secret admirer? She thought that sort of thing only happened in novels and fairy tales. But the card was real. The words… She didn’t know how to explain it, but they felt real.

“Carla!”

Cat jumped at the sound of Padraig’s shout. She quickly tucked the card back in the envelope and the envelope into her pocket.

She would have to investigate the source of the note later.

As she hurried back to the kitchen, she practically skipped at the wonder and mystery of it all.

---

Two

“What’s wrong with you?” Grady whispered.

“Nothing.” Cat sniffed. “It’s the onions.”

She nodded at the seemingly endless pile she had been asked—very well, commanded—to dice for the stew.

Although her attention was on the peeling and cutting, her mind kept drifting back to the note. Who had written it? How had it gotten there? How had the author known she would not only be in the pantry but that she would be choosing those bowls in particular this night?

So many questions. So few answers.

She glanced around the palace kitchen, looking for signs of who might have left the note for her. There had to be near to thirty young fae working on the feast preparations.

It could be any of them.

“Did you see anyone else go into the pantry?” she asked Grady.

He kept his attention on the pile of potatoes he was dicing. “No, just us. Why?”

“No reason.”

Cat shrugged. And shook her head. And tried not to look like it mattered at all.

Unfortunately for her, Grady had the instincts of his ainmhi, a mountain lion.

“What?” he probed. When she didn’t respond, he repeated the question.

She tried to focus all of her attention on the onions.

Grady stopped chopping potatoes and turned to face her. “Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“You’re lying.” He leaned in closer. “Your nose twitches when you lie.”

She quickly touched her nose. “Does not.”

Her eyes started watering at the sting of the onion juice on her fingers.

“Fine, have your secrets.” Grady turned away in a huff and went back to chopping. “It’s not like I’m your best friend or anything.”

He was faking insult. Cat knew it. Because he was her best friend and she knew him better than anyone.

She didn’t give in. The onions weren’t going to chop themselves.

Finishing onion #275, she slid the diced pieces into the bowl and then reached for another onion. As she grabbed a plump yellow one off the pile, a flash of pink caught her eye.

Quickly checking to make sure no one—especially Grady—was watching, she snatched the envelope and tucked it deftly into her pocket with the other.

Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she started to work on the next onion. But the curiosity was getting to her. It took every ounce of willpower to focus on her chopping.

When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she set her knife down and declared she needed to use the restroom.

The instant she was out of the kitchen, she plucked the envelope from her pocket.

Her name was inscribed on the outside, just like on the other one.

Inside, she found the same kind of card, but with a different message.

Dearest Cat

I’ve loved you from near and far, from above and below.

I can no longer rest knowing that you might never know.

Your Secret Admirer

She clutched the pink card to her chest.

Who could it be?

Could it be someone she might actually like back?

How could this fae have loved her for so long and she had not so much as a hint?

There had to have been signs. Her mind raced, but no obvious candidates emerged.

The kitchen door swung open and Grady stepped into the hall. “Cat, come on. Padraig is—”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the envelopes. He pointed at them.

“What are those?”

Cat quickly shoved them behind her back. “Nothing.”

Grady’s eyes narrowed. There were those mountain lion instincts again. He moved closer.

“What secrets are you keeping?” he asked, a feline grin curving his lips.

Cat thought about denying it. Part of her wanted to keep this secret to herself. But Grady was her best friend. And, once he sensed a juicy morsel, there was no throwing him off the scent.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ve been finding love notes.”

Grady blinked several times. “Love notes?”

She held the envelopes out for him to see. He frowned as he read the contents.

“Do you know who they’re from?”

“Not a clue.” She inched closer. “Do you have any ideas?”

He studied the notes for a long time before slowly shaking his head. “Nothing stands out.”

He shrugged and handed the notes back to her, as if he found nothing significant about them. He was likely right.

“Yeah,” Cat said. “Probably just a joke or something.”

But as she went back to her onion chopping, she had to wonder if it was something more. And whether she was hoping it would turn out to be very, very real.

---

Three

Sweat dripped down Cat’s brow as she stared intently into the oven. Padraig had given her very specific instructions for when to take the sunshine rolls out. The instant they turned the bright yellow color of a marigold.

Any longer—even a second—and the delicate flavor of the Conmara bee pollen would burn away.

The color had just started to shift when Grady appeared at her side.

“How goes?” he asked.

“Move, move!” Cat cried as she grabbed the hot pads and flung open the oven door.

In a carefully choreographed dance, she grabbed the pan at either side, lifted it out of the oven, and spun around to set the sunshine rolls on the cooling racks she had already laid out.

“Those are marigold yellow, right?” she asked, leaning in close to inspect.

Behind her, Grady closed the oven door.

“Looks it to me,” he said. “Then again, I’m colorblind.”

Cat threw him a sideways glance.

She gave the rolls one more evaluation before deciding that the color was, indeed, perfect. Padraig would be pleased.

“Help me put the next batch in.” Cat nodded to the oven as she grabbed another pan from the counter.

Grady re-opened the oven and Cat slid the pan into place.

Momentarily relieved, she dabbed at her forehead with a cloth and leaned back against the counter for a much-needed break.

“How long do you have to watch ‘em?” Grady asked.

Cat smiled. “They bake for twenty minutes, so I don’t need to watch them for at least fifteen.”

“Great!” Grady grabbed her wrist. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

Grady grinned at her. “To find your admirer.”

Cat shook her head. But when Grady got something in his head, it was near impossible to dissuade him.

He guided her through the kitchen to the spot by the door where they could see the entire staff. At least two dozen fae scurried around, getting the bonfire feast ready.

“When did you get the first note?” Grady asked.

Cat sighed. “Grady, I don’t have time for this.”

“You have fifteen minutes,” he countered. “Now answer the question.”

Cat gave in. “When we went to the pantry,” she replied. “It was under the stack of serving bowls.”

Grady nodded thoughtfully. “That eliminates about half the staff who hadn’t come in yet.”

That piqued Cat’s attention. He was right. Maybe they could deduce who was leaving her the notes through a process of elimination.

“And the next?” Grady asked.

“While we were doing the chopping.”

“That’s when several fae were helping Padraig set the table.” Grady tapped his chin. “That leaves us with only a few candidates.”

“It’s likely a male,” Cat suggested.

That wasn’t necessarily true, but the handwriting definitely looked male.

“And probably near to our age,” Grady added.

Cat nodded.

“That leaves, what?” Grady scanned the kitchen. “Three possible admirers?”

Cat did her own survey. Yes, their deductions left only the larder master, the pastry chef, and the head server.

She didn’t know any of them particularly well. She’d been friendly with them all, of course, but nothing more. How could any of them have such strong feelings for her?

“Well, four actually,” Grady amended.

Cat turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“Me,” he said with a grin. “I meet all of those criteria.”

Cat laughed and waved him off. Leave it to Grady to be a jokester at a time like this.

She turned her attention back to the three prospects.

“Which one do you think it is?” she asked.

Grady knocked his shoulder gently into hers. “We’ll just have to watch them to find out.”

A faint dinging chimed across the kitchen.

“Oh no!” Cat cried. “The sunshine rolls!”

As she rushed back to the oven, her mind still pondered which member of the kitchen staff could be her secret admirer. Would she ever find out the truth?

---

Four

As Cat placed the last candied orange on the last sunshine roll, she let out a huge sigh of relief. The feast was set to begin shortly, and every last detail was officially taken care of.

Now, she could relax.

Wiping her hands on the towel she had slung over her shoulder, she backed up to the nearest wall and slid down to the floor. Catering an event like this was exhausting. She didn’t know how Padraig had done it for so many years.

But Cat was grateful for the opportunity to watch and learn from her.

With the work done, Cat’s mind settled back on the identity of her secret admirer. Ever since Grady helped her narrow down the candidates, she had been watching each one surreptitiously.

The larder master was out, because he had gone home before she received the last two notes.

The pastry chef had screamed at her for adding an extra drop of lavender syrup to the creme Deachair, so she didn’t think he was likely to be secretly in love with her.

Which left only the head server. Willem.

She watched as Willem guided his serving staff to carry the various bowls and platters out into the royal hall. What concerned her was that in the entire time she had been watching him, she had never once caught him watching her.

That didn’t bode well for him being desperately in love with her, did it?

“Great Morrigan,” Grady exclaimed as he slid down the wall next to her. “That woman is going to be the death of me.”

“Padraig means will,” Cat said. “She’s under a lot of pressure on feast days.”

Grady let his head fall back against the cool stone. “Not anymore. She let it all out on me.”

Cat smiled. Grady may have been trying to sound upset, but he loved the crotchety old cook as much as Cat did.

“Any news on your admirer?”

“Two more notes,” she told him.

“That makes, what?” he mused. “Five?”

“Six.”

“Right, six.” He turned his head to face her. “And you’re no closer to figuring out who it is?”

“I think it can only be Willem?” Her uncertainty crept into her statement, turning it into a question. “Unless we’re wrong about age or gender.”

Cat pulled out the stack of notes and quickly flipped through them. She had been careful to keep them in order. Each one contained a piece of verse that seemed to connect to the next.

It was a poem. A beautiful love poem.

“Maybe I’ll never know,” she mused. “Maybe he wants to keep it a secret. Forever. What do you think?”

Grady answered with a snore.

Cat didn’t blame him. In fact, she was just about to lay her head on his shoulder and join him in slumber when Padraig shouted, “Caroline! Let’s get this kitchen cleaned up!”

Leaving Grady to his well-deserved nap, Cat pushed to her feet.

As she stuffed the notes back into her pocket, her fingers brushed across a piece of smooth paper. She recognized the texture. Another note!

Dearest Cat

When the clock strikes ten and your workday is done,

I will reveal all of myself and hope to become the one.

Your Secret Admirer

She almost couldn’t contain her excitement! It was past nine already. Less than an hour until her admirer’s identity would be revealed.

She couldn’t wait!

---

Five

As the clock struck ten o’clock, the kitchen was empty. Cat stood near the door, breath held and waiting for… something.

For the longest time, the only sounds were the drip-drip-drip of the sink and the rushing of her blood in her ears.

When the kitchen door swung open suddenly, directly behind her, she screamed.

“Aaaack!”

Grady pressed his hand to his chest.

“You could slay a fae with that scream,” he teased.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked when her heart came back under control.

He frowned. “Looking for you.”

“Oh.”

“What are you doing in here?” he asked. “The party has started.”

“I know, I just…” Cat looked around the kitchen helplessly, realizing that maybe the whole love note thing had been a hoax. “Nothing. I was just making sure the ovens were off.”

“Oh,” Grady said, his eyes dropping to study the floor. “I thought maybe you were meeting your secret admirer.”

“How did you know that?”

Cat hadn’t had time to tell him about the last note. He couldn’t know that’s what she was doing, hiding in the kitchen while the bonfire festivities began.

When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his cheeks flushed bright pink, it hit her like a lightning bolt.

All of the pieces fell into place. Grady had been with or near her every single time she received a note. He even suggested himself as a possible candidate.

She thought he’d been joking.

“Y-you?” she asked, disbelieving.

He shrugged. But his eyes told her everything.

They had been best friends for so long that she never saw it. The way he was always there, at her side. Ready to help in any situation. Happy just sitting around reading a graphic novel while Cat browsed her latest cookbook acquisition.

He was the one he could turn to when she needed a shoulder to cry on or a partner for the scavenger hunt.

It was Grady. It had always been Grady.

As everything about their friendship—their relationship—suddenly made sense, she felt a wave of total peace wash over her.

With Grady, there would be no nerves or doubts. No fears or miscommunications. No question.

With Grady, she didn’t have to be anything but her full and total self. As she had always been. And he with her.

He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to.

“I’m glad it was you,” she whispered.

She could see the relief wash over him in every cell of his body.

Neither of them spoke as they closed the space between them. Grady’s hands came up to cup her face. Cat’s cupped his in return.

And when their lips touched, soft and warm and vibrating with magic, it was as though they had been waiting eternity for this kiss.