The tension of the moment dissolved into quiet giggles in response, and I had to admire the effortless way Dex could change the whole mood of a moment. He seemed to have control not only of his own emotions but the emotions of other humans as well. He made being mortal look easy. Reg was right about that.

Dex took my hand as the four of us poured into the coffee shop and occupied our usual table. I liked the feel of his hand in mine, but there was an extra weight to it now. What right did I have to hold his hand when I was part of a plan to upend his life? I had been avoiding Dex all week, but maybe that wasn’t enough. I wondered if I should be pushing him away like Reg was pushing Poe. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to let go.

I squeezed his hand.

Not yet.

Sydney dumped out the bag of our supplies, taking stock of the remaining flyers.

“More flyers?” Lina asked from behind the counter.

Sophia snatched up a stack and placed them on the counter. “To replace the old ones,” she said. “Can we put a couple in the window too?”

Lina slid the top flyer off the pile, her lips pursing almost imperceptibly. I lowered my gaze before I could see the disapproving look on her face. I knew that disapproval was for the council, but I felt her judgment all the same.

“You can put one in the window,” she said.

“Thanks!” Sophia snatched the one in Lina’s hand and grabbed a roll of tape from our pile of supplies.

“Just one, Miss Carlone!” Lina called. “I don’t need you cluttering up my windows.”

“Because clutter is so not her thing,” Sydney said under her breath, eyes shifting over the photos covering every wall.

I tried to smile in response, but I could feel my lips pulled tight.

Dexter touched my knee. “You okay?”

The warmth in his voice, the tenderness in his eyes. He might not carry around a big old bag of feelings all the time like some humans, but he had them.

“I’m fine,” I said, taking his hand from my knee and clasping it in my own.

“Ew,” Sydney complained. “Public displays of affection make me queasy. That’s my cue to leave.”

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked, climbing into Dexter’s lap.

He wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair. “Yeah, what are you talking about? There’s no PDA going on here.”

Sydney made a gagging motion and gathered up the spilled contents of the bag. “Soph and I will unload the rest of these. You two just . . . try not to slobber on each other too much, okay? People eat in this establishment.”