Gentle Green

Chapter Eight

Sua fixed the lace cuffs that hemmed her dark blue dress' elbow-length sleeves. She'd pinned them up earlier so that they wouldn't get dirty while she prepared the day's meals and did her other chores. This managed to keep them clean, but it also wrinkled the trailing fabric.

Thankfully, her apron had protected the rest of her outfit from a similar fate. And because she didn't have to worry about looking any more bedraggled, she'd finished early enough to prepare for their picnic. Not that she needed to, because this outing wasn't exactly for her.

Sua had no doubts that Guyaba would be delighted to have Gin's pleasant company for lunch. She'd sent word early that morning, of course, to make sure that her friend could get ready. Guyaba would have wanted to look her best in front of the most eligible man in town.

"This is as good as I'll look," she said after coiling her braid into a bun on her head and pinning it in place. She stooped down and held a hand out for her pet. "Let's go, Po."

The antula chirped before jumping onto her palm and scurrying up to her shoulder. If it weren't for the mottled pattern of his fur, he would have blended in with her bodice. They went down to the bar—and Sua stopped in her tracks when she noticed her waiting escort.

As usual, the few people who had stopped by the inn to catch a break from the fair huddled around him. She counted two men and five women, all of whom were dying to get a word in before the others could. One of the girls—Sua believed she was some relative of the local schoolteacher—had been coming and going for three days now, her excuse being that she preferred the lemonade they served.

But that's not what had grabbed Sua's attention the most.

For that lunch hour at least, Sa Gin had traded in the plain clothes she'd given him for something a bit flashier.

He'd chosen to wear the whitest shirt she'd ever seen and gray pants embroidered with white flourishes at the seams. A tan jerkin with fawn-colored stripes hugged his broad shoulders and tapering waist. It also highlighted the beauty of his gold-flecked eyes.

Those eyes seemed to sparkle as soon as they met her gaze.

"There you are," he said instead of answering the question that the lemonade-loving woman had asked him. "You were gone for so long that I was starting to get worried."

"I'm sorry for taking a while. I had to put my hair up." Sua waved at the crowd. "Thanks for keeping him company, everyone."

One of the men nodded at her.

"Closing up again, Sua?" he asked as the three women who'd been standing behind him said goodbye to Gin and slipped away. It couldn't be any more obvious that they'd come around for one person and one person only.

"Yes," she replied. She walked to the counter, with Gin following her every move, to retrieve his weapon from the compartment behind the wall. "There's no point in staying open when the rest of Alola will be at the fair anyway. Have you gone yet?"

"No," the man replied as another woman bid Sa Gin farewell, "but me and the missus will be there for the auction."

The last woman, the one who'd been ordering lemonade, tapped Gin on the shoulder. She was leaning so close to him that it was impossible for Sua to misunderstand what she was doing. Thankfully, Gin had the good sense not to look lower and peek at the girl's suggestive neckline.

"Will you be going to the auction, Gin?" the lemonade girl asked. "They say there might be rare sets of jewelry up for sale. If you're planning on buying someone a gift, you'll never find a better source."

Unfortunately for the woman, Gin stood up before she could put her figure on full display for him. Sua would have cackled at the situation if she were any less polite. Instead, she chose to smile at the man as he made his way over to her.