Page 33 of Hexes From Exes

“Hey,” he said, leaning in to kiss her in greeting. Stephanie returned the gesture, motioning him to come in and shutting the door behind him. It was the first time they were hanging out in private. Their other dates involved the movies, dinner, even a light show at the zoo with a symphony and wine pairing. Stephanie normally had hesitations about inviting men to her place, she instead would go to theirs first, but it felt easier with Cooper. She felt like she could trust him.

“Wow, it’s colorful in here,” he said, his eyes roving over her place.

“Yeah, green’s my favorite color. It apparently doesn’t do well for marketing, so I avoided it for the brand, and that leaves my home as the only place I get to be creative.”

Cooper nodded, his face unreadable. Rick loves how colorful it is, Stephanie thought.

“You hungry?” she asked, heading toward the kitchen.

“Starving,” he said, taking a seat at her island bar.

She pulled one of the beers out of the fridge and handed it to him, opening the containers for the food buffet style on the island. “This is one of my favorite local places,” she admitted. “The owner is from Tucson, but his parents were Chinese immigrants. He makes the best Chinese food in Phoenix, I swear.”

“Oh, you didn’t cook?” Cooper asked.

Stephanie shook her head. “No, I didn’t really have time. This just got here, but if it’s not warm enough I can microwave it.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Cooper said, serving himself the fried rice.

Stephanie piled some beef onto her plate and chow mien, taking a seat next to him. “It’s good, right?” Stephanie said hopefully, eyeing Cooper up as he ate.

“Yeah, it’s great for takeout,” he agreed.

The night moved smoothly from there. Cooper helped her wash up the dishes and load the dishwasher. He laughed about her awkward speech at the conference when she mentioned the smattered applause she got.

“Did you find someone to go with you?” he asked.

She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “Yeah, my friend Rick.”

“Rick?” Cooper asked, an edge to his voice. “You brought a guy with you?”

Stephanie nearly laughed at that. How could she explain Rick to him? He wasn’t a guy. Guys were human. He was a demon sent by her exes to curse her for god knows what. He was also fun to be around, easy to talk to, and looked damn good in a suit.

“Yeah, he’s a friend. He’s only in town for a little bit, I figured he’d like to get out of the house and dress up a little.” It was the easiest way to explain Rick, she supposed, as someone just in town for a bit. And they were friends, weren’t they? Despite the business transaction nature of their relationship, she’d certainly spent more time with Rick than anyone else lately. Hell, he’d fallen asleep on the very couch they were sitting on. Twice!

“Huh,” Cooper said, sitting back, clearly upset.

“I didn’t realize it would bother you. When you said you couldn’t make it and told me to invite someone else…” She trailed off.

“Yeah, I didn’t mean another guy. Don’t you have a girlfriend you could have taken? Someone from work?” he pressed.

She shrugged. “I suppose I could have. He just seemed the most reasonable choice.” She opened her mouth to apologize, then shut it. She wasn’t going to apologize for taking Rick, she decided. He’d just have to get over it. She also realized she couldn’t think of a single friend she would have taken in Rick’s place. Did she even have friends outside of work?

“Why?” Cooper asked.

“Why what?” Stephanie replied.

“Why did he seem the most reasonable choice?” he pressed.

Stephanie didn’t have the answer to that. Rick was who she’d message through the day whenever she thought of something. After horrible dates, he was the best person to rehash the details with. Plus, learning about his life in Anathamea was fascinating to her. Despite being a demon, he was really pretty sweet and a good listener. He remembered everyone’s names and how they were related to her life. It was endearing. She knew the conference wasn’t going to go well, between running into Fred and the nature of her presentation. Having Rick’s comforting presence there helped give her the courage to step on stage.

“I don’t know, maybe because he wouldn’t read too much into it? He’s just a friend,” she said, though it felt heavy on her tongue. Rick was quick to remind her of the business nature of their interactions. It was illegal for his kind to form relationships with humans. Not only would it be ridiculous to have a demon-human relationship, it would be dangerous for him. He wouldn’t read anything into her invitation because any relationship between them couldn’t happen, no matter her personal feelings on the matter.

What even were her personal feelings on the matter?

“Hmm. Well, I’d like to meet this Rick and make my own decision about him,” Cooper said.

Stephanie raised her eyebrows. “Are you trying to…approve of my friends?” she asked. “Like I said, he’s just in town for a little bit.”