Oh my god, oh my god. I fumbled for my phone, hands trembling as I quickly swiped to my contacts. I only had two in there—Greid, and Violet’s office number. But this was something I could actually do. Violet could honestly vouch for me. And I wasn’t worried about Mani finding out about the cult—not overly, anyway. I knew Violet always answered her phone with, “Orderly Winemakers, how can I help?” because the only reason anyone called the cult was for the wine business.

Mani leaned over the bar to grab a tiny notepad and a pen, and I quickly jotted down Violet’s name and number, as well as Orderly Winemakers. When I slid it back over to her, she stared down at it for a second.

“Huh.” Her gaze flicked over to me. “We actually stock that wine. They make nightberry wine as well, right?”

My gut clenched with terror, but I managed a nod. Did she know about the cult? Would it make her take her offer back? Would she call me a freak and tell me to get away from her because she was a demiurgus? I couldn’t tell if she knew or not, her face purposefully blank as she slid out of her seat.

“Okay, let me go make the call.” She watched me carefully for a few seconds. “Do you want a drink while you wait?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” I managed a tiny smile as I worried the hem of my coat.

She gave me a nod and walked around the bar, vanishing through a door and closing it behind her. I was sweating but I burrowed deeper into my coat. The scent of Greid’s shade smoke clung to the fur trim, and I inhaled it to try and stay calm.

After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone and tapped onto my conversation with Greid. Fingers poised over the keyboard, I considered telling him what I was doing right this second. But if this didn’t go well, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to bear failing at my first try. I knew it was normal—I knew most people had to apply for job after job after job before they landed one—but I didn’t want Greid to feel sorry for me.

I wanted confident Beryl back. I wanted to be as brave as Greid thought I was.

Taking a deep breath, I instead typed, How’s work going?

Then I sat staring at my screen, waiting for him to reply and trying to distract myself from what was possibly being said over the phone in the next room. I knew Violet would sing my praises, but if Mani had some suspicions about Orderly Winemakers and she asked, Violet wouldn’t be able to lie. She couldn’t exactly lie about the business and its origins to one of its customers.

My pulse leapt when three dots appeared. A few seconds later, a message from Greid came through.

Boring. This client has terrible taste but also really fucking loves tiny, fiddly details.

I smiled, my breaths calming a little as I pictured Greid hunched over his workbench in his big magnifying glasses.

Are you wearing your owl glasses? I typed back.

Yes, came through a second later.

Snuffling a laugh, I typed, Show me.

After about thirty seconds, he sent a selfie of his very unimpressed face wearing the glasses, his yellow eyes enormous as he stared at the camera. I gurgled out a laugh, gazing down at it until the sound of a door opening jerked my head up, panic streaking through me.

Mani was giving me a smile that looked slightly sympathetic as she walked over. I quickly pocketed my phone and smiled uneasily back, my heart pounding. That wasn’t a good smile. That was a ‘Sorry, but…’ smile.

“Okay.” She slid back into her seat and tapped her claws on the bar. “I got through to Violet. She gave you a glowing reference and offered to email over a formal one with your work history as well. She said you were there for quite a while.”

I managed a nod, feeling like I might throw up.

Mani watched me for a few seconds, then sat back. “I’d like to go ahead with the trial shift, if you’re interested. You’d get paid for it, obviously. And then we can go from there.”

I stared at her, unable to breathe. Hot tears pricked at my eyes, so I blinked fast and hoarsely said, “Thank you so much. I’m… I’m definitely interested. Thank you.”

She smiled. “Sure. I know how hard it is moving to a new area and having to do everything at once. I grew up in the sticks. Granted, that’s a little different to your…” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, can you come back tomorrow with some kind of resumé so I have all your details, and we can go through everything then? About this time okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” I slid off my seat onto trembling legs as she stood up. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem, Beryl.” She held out her hand. “I think you’ll get on well here. But we’ll see how you handle it in your trial, eh?”

I managed a wobbly laugh, nodding quickly as I shook her hand. “Yeah, I—I’m looking forward to it.” I looked around the bar, my smile widening. “It’s really nice in here.”

Mani waved a hand. “All the fancy fucks like this kind of décor. Especially fancy demiurgus fucks. All the moody lighting to make them look their best.”

I burst into slightly hysterical laughter, then forced myself to stop in case it made me seem like a weirdo. “Okay, well… I’ll come back tomorrow with all my information.”

“Yep, sounds good.” Mani walked me to the door. “It was good to meet you, Beryl.”

“You too. Thank you again.” I beamed at her before stepping outside, taking several deep breaths of cool air to try and calm my racing heart.

Oh my god. Oh my god. I was desperate to tell Greid. I started power-walking down the street to get home, but then I remembered his request for lunch. He’d given me some money and hunched up guiltily when I’d firmly told him he’d be getting all his change back.

Spotting the Mexican place we’d ordered from a few times, I went in and ordered some hardshell tacos and quesadillas—Greid’s favourites—to go. As I stood to the side to wait, fidgeting with excitement, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

Feeling a little mean for the disappointment that flowed through me when I saw it was Violet, not Greid, I answered. “Hi, Auntie.”

My voice was trembling with excitement, and I knew she heard it because she laughed and asked, “Did it go well?”

“Yes.” I turned to grin out the window. “I’ve got a trial shift there. She was so nice. I’m—I can’t believe it.”

“You deserve it, Beryl,” Violet said, her voice thick. “You worked just as hard as everyone else here. I hope you enjoy working there. But be safe, okay?”

“I will.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “Greid will probably insist on walking me there and back.”

“It’s still going okay with him?” she asked, sounding far more relaxed than she had when she’d brought Greid up during our initial conversations after I got my phone. Maybe because all I did was gush about him—quietly, in my bedroom so he didn’t hear.

“Yeah, it’s great.” God, I couldn’t wait to get home and tell him. “He’s so kind. And funny. He’s really easy to live with.”

“You’ve said,” Violet remarked dryly, making me flush.

“Well, anyway, I’m not sure when my trial shift will be, but Mani said she wanted to get someone in soon, so hopefully it won’t be long. And I’ll get paid for it.”

“Good. What’re you going to do with your earnings? Are you going to buy that dress you’ve been eyeing up?”

I thought longingly about the dress I’d noticed in a shop window on the way to Deep Brew. It was a deep green dress with long sleeves and a high collar with a tiny black ribbon.

“I don’t think I’ll earn enough for that in one shift,” I told Violet.

“You’ll get the job,” she said confidently. “Don’t think of it as a trial shift. Act like you’ve already got the job.” She lowered her voice. “That’s what I had to do when I got here. Fake it ’til you make it.”

I chuckled, then noticed the guy behind the counter waving a paper bag in my direction. “I will. I have to go, Auntie. I’ve just ordered some food.”