“It would be hard to forget. The blender you were working on betrayed you.”
That was my magic. But yeah.
“Probably because I was a bit hungover.” Quickly she explained the circumstances—about Raquel and Darryl and the bachelorette party. “It’s not that I wanted a future with him, but he spent two years telling me how much of a free spirit he was. A few months later, he proposes to someone else? Yikes.”
Titus had been eating silently, listening. “Are you…not over him?”
“I was never under him,” Danica said quickly. “I mean, I was, but—”
“Why don’t I stop you there? I’m asking if your heart still belongs to him and that’s why you were upset to hear he’s marrying someone else.”
She laughed. “Oh hell no. It’s a hundred percent a smudge on my pride.”
“Okay, but you were frowning hard just now, when I asked what was bothering you. And if you’re still thinking about this—”
“Mostly, I wish I wasn’t this petty. A truly enlightened person would’ve skipped the bachelorette party entirely.”
“Whereas you went and drank too much to prove how little you care,” he guessed.
“You already know me so well.” That was alarming.
Titus smiled, an expression so sweet that it made her breath catch. That look was irresistible; she wanted to kiss the hell out of him. Instead, she held eye contact a little too long, felt heat in her cheeks, and ducked her head to finish her sandwich in embarrassed bites.
“I’d like to know you better,” he said, low.
Yes. No.
That was a wonderful, terrible idea. All the reasons she shouldn’t go further raced through her head. Gram’s disapproval and Clem’s disappointment, not to mention risking her magic… Then she recalled how the coven seemed to support some low-key rebound action. Don’t I deserve a reward? Something just for me.
Her mouth went off like a fire alarm. “I’d love that. What did you have in mind?”
Titus shotgunned the green juice as if it were tequila to give him liquid courage, and then he said in a rush, “Would you go out with me? On a proper date.”
“How proper are we talking? Do I need a corset? Stockings with lines on the back?”
His nervous look eased into genuine amusement. “Wear whatever you want. The important bit is that you agree to have dinner with me. Or a movie. Or bowling. Or—”
“Dinner and bowling,” she cut in.
Oh crap, I’m really doing this. Why aren’t you from a witch family? But even knowing that this had to end couldn’t keep Danica from wading into dangerous waters. The heart had no common sense at all.
“Friday night?”
That was in two days, long enough for her to fret over the decision but not back out. Hell, it’s one date. I should worry less and live in the moment.
Belatedly, she realized Titus was waiting for a response. “Yes, I think I’m free. I’ll text you my address. How was the juice?”
“Good,” he said so quickly that she suspected he hadn’t tasted it at all, just swallowed it like medicine.
She peeled the orange she had brought with her today, focused on keeping the skin in one piece. She had read that if she did this, it would make her lucky in love. The peeling ripped before she got it off entirely, and she tried not to take it as a dire omen.
“Here.” Danica split the orange into segments and passed him a few. Their fingers brushed, and the same sensation from the day before sizzled through her.
His eyes went hot as he slid the orange slice into his mouth, gazing at her with the sort of longing she’d only read about. Unable to help herself, Danica licked her lips, and Titus closed his eyes briefly, as if she presented too much temptation.
Hello, chemistry.
“Thanks.” Clearing his throat, he produced a Tupperware container and offered it to her. “The dessert I promised.”
Ridiculously excited, she removed the top and beheld the most beautiful apple tarts ever. The slices were folded into puff pastry to resemble a rose. The light dusting of glittering sugar gave them a magical glimmer, like something out of a fairy tale. She hesitated to devour such delicate beauty. Maybe it was ridiculous, but she snapped a picture with her phone, wanting to treasure this memory. In the end she couldn’t resist—and it was all buttery sweetness, brightened with the bite of the apple and an underlying fruity spice she couldn’t place.
Dammit. Now I want to kiss him even more.
“These are the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever received,” she said softly.
***
It’s too soon. It’s definitely too soon.
But watching Danica eat the tart he’d baked especially for her, savoring each tiny, delectable bite, Titus desperately wanted a taste as well, right from her soft mouth. Before he could stop this terrible decision, he was leaning in. And oh God, she came toward him as well, head angled, and her eyes were closing.
She’s so pretty.
From out of nowhere, a cat leaped between them, making a horrendous yowl. It was a huge ginger, bristling like mad, claws out, and Titus scrambled away. “What the hell? Where did you come from?”
Danica sneezed. “Go home, Goliath. Stop stalking me.”
“You know this cat?” It seemed like a weird thing for her to say to her own pet.
“Unfortunately, yes. He’s utterly obsessed with me, and I’m allergic.” As she spoke, the orange tabby crawled on her lap and glared at Titus with fierce green eyes, hissing when he reached out a hand to rub the cat’s head.
“Is he a stray?” Even as he asked that, he guessed not because the animal had glossy fur and was extremely clean and well fed. And on second look, he was also wearing a black collar with a tag on it. “Silly question, never mind.”
“He belongs to a lady who lives on my street.”
“And you said he’s stalking you?” That was weird and hilarious but entirely appropriate, considering his own levels of interest so early on. Titus already had something in common with this lovesick cat.
“I mean, what would you call it? He’s constantly running away from home. Goliath shows up on my porch like four times a week, and now he’s chased me all the way downtown. His house is almost a mile away!” She lifted the cat to stare into his eyes. “Stop it, okay? Hazel will be super worried about you, you jerk!”
Titus couldn’t help it. He cracked up over her calling the cat a jerk right to his face. Many cats were jerks, but he’d never witnessed a scene quite like this because the cat almost seemed to understand her. His head went down, and his tail curled in. The formerly aggro feline went boneless with disappointment, it seemed like.