"Happy birthday, princess." (Patreon)

Roth held her hand as they followed the hostess through the restaurant. As the hostess headed for the tables lined up against the windows that took advantage of the spectacular view, Jasmine frowned when she noted all of them were occupied. When the hostess stopped beside a table where a lone woman sat, Jasmine slowed and squeezed Roth’s hand.

“You didn’t tell me we were eating with someone,” she murmured, trying not to be annoyed.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Roth murmured.

“Surprise me?” she echoed.

The hostess looked back, realized they hadn’t followed and clasped her hands behind her back, clearly unsure how to proceed. The woman sitting at the table didn’t look perturbed. She was grinning as if she knew something Jasmine didn’t. She looked vaguely familiar, but Jasmine couldn’t place her. She was an older woman with a dark, wavy bob liberally streaked with gray and was playing with her glasses that dangled from a thin gold chain around her neck. Jasmine estimated she was in her mid sixties. She was dressed a lot more casually than everyone else in the restaurant, not that that seemed to bother her at all. She looked completely at ease and was beaming at Jasmine as if they were old friends even though Jasmine was sure she’d never spoken to this woman in her life. Despite her confusion, Jasmine found her lips curving in response.

“Do I know her?” she murmured.

“You don’t recognize her?”

The indulgent humor in his tone made her sink her nails into the back of his hand even as she started forward again because they looked rude.

“You aren’t going to clue me in?” she growled out of the corner of her mouth as they neared.

She was several feet from the table when it hit her like a ton of bricks. She stopped dead in her tracks and gawked.

Roth chuckled and kissed her temple. "Happy birthday, princess."

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

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