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“A cheesy Christmas movie it is,” Brynn declared, grabbing the remote and pulling up a movie. “Too bad we don’t have any of Tatum’s peppermint truffles. I’d kill for one right now.”
“We’re not talking about killing, either,” Miley said quickly.
“I’d cry for one,” Brynn corrected.
“No need to cry. Rafael has his own stock of candy in here.” I opened the fridge, pulling out the box still sitting where he’d left it. The sight of it made my throat swell.
I brought the box over to the couch while the popcorn popped, then whipped up the toppings and drizzled them over it, one by one. Without waiting for it to cool, I brought a bowl of the messy treat to the couch.
“Now, I can die happy,” Miley mumbled around a mouthful of popcorn.
“We’re not talking about death,” Brynn reminded her, through her own mouthful.
I tucked my legs under the blankets with the girls’, content not to move for the rest of the day. I knew I’d need to have a conversation with Rafael, but it could wait. “A human, demon, and vampire walked into a bar…”
Miley snorted, and Brynn laughed.
We started the movie, and it felt almost like the old times, when we were all broke and struggling to get our business started.
Almost like the old times…
But better.
Despite everything that had happened, I knew that if I could go back to the day Rafael stumbled into my coffee shop, I would do everything exactly the same way I already had.
And that scared the shit out of me.
twenty-three
TATUM
I fellasleep on the couch without talking to Rafael. I woke up a little when I heard him come in to check on me, and I felt him brush my hair off my face before he murmured that we would talk in the morning. He left me where I was with a soft kiss to my cheek that earned a sleepy smile as I closed my eyes again.
The next morning, Miley seemed distant as Brynn made the three of us breakfast. There were a few texts on my phone from Zander that said he’d been doing research about vampires, and had learned that new vamps needed a lot of blood while they were transitioning. Apparently, he had picked up the ice chest and would drop off more blood that day.
I didn’t let myself overthink the situation, or consider what I was suspicious about.
If Miles or Zander wanted a mate, they would figure it out themselves. Me getting involved was a bad idea, especially considering it could wreck the peace between my friend group and the Villin brothers.
Brynn was tired of being cooped up, so she headed to her shop with August on her tail—and the Villins’ security detail onhistail, if I had to guess.
Miles put together a list of all the candy we needed to restock for each of the shops and finish to make our upcoming orders. The damn thing was a doozy. I had a lot of hours in the kitchen ahead of me.
But, a glance at Miley told me I wouldn’t be cooking in Rafael’s kitchen.
She was staring out at the mountains, holding a blanket to her chest.
She needed space, and time to process.
So, it was time to make myself scarce.
I sent her screenshots of Zander’s texts so she knew everything he’d told me. Then I changed my clothes, hugged her, and grabbed the lanyard that held my keys, before heading out.
As soon as I stepped into the short hallway between our doors and the elevator, I halted.
Rafael was leaned up against the wall, his hands tucked in the pockets of his joggers. His hair was a mess and his t-shirt was rumpled, but his lips still curved upward when he saw me. “Hey, Tater-tot.”
Shit, my heart actually skipped a beat. “Hey, Riffraff.”
