“Hey, uh, is there any way you might see to not tell Ivy about … that?” he asked.

I smiled at the unease in his voice. “It’ll cost you, fang-boy.”

A small noise escaped him and he turned, his eyes wide in mock concern. “I’m in the position to offer you a super-sized shake for your silence,” he intoned, and I stifled a shiver at the play menace he had put in it. Yeah, color me stupid. But I was alive, and he had kept me safe.

“Make it chocolate,” I said, “and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Kisten’s smile widened, and he gripped the wheel with more surety.

I settled back into the heated leather cushions, stifling the small, oh-so-small, thought of concern. What. Like I was going to tell Ivy anyway?

Fifteen

The crunch of ice and salt was loud as Kisten escorted me to my door. His car was parked at the curb in a puddle of light, diffuse from the falling snow. I rose up the steps, wondering what would happen in the next five minutes. It was a platonic date, but it was a date. That he might kiss me had me nervous.

I turned as I reached the door, smiling. Kisten stood beside me in his long wool coat and shiny shoes, looking good with his hair falling over his eyes. The sifting snow was beautiful, and it was gathering on his shoulders. The ugliness of the night’s trouble drifted in and out of my thoughts. “I had a good time,” I said, wanting to forget it. “Mickey-d’s was fun.”

Kisten’s head drooped and a small chuckle escaped him. “I’ve never pretended to be health inspectors to get a free meal before. How did you know what to do?”

I winced. “I, uh, flipped burgers during high school until I dropped a charm into the fry vat.” His eyebrows rose and I added, “I got fired. I don’t know what the big deal was. Nobody got hurt, and the woman looked better with straight hair.”

He laughed, turning it into a cough. “You dropped a potion in the fry vat?”

“It was an accident. The manager had to pay for a day at a spa, and I got pushed off the broomstick. All she needed was a salt bath to break the spell, but she was going to sue.”

“I can’t imagine why …” Kisten rocked to his toes and down, his hands behind his back as he looked up through the snow at the steeple. “I’m glad you had a good time. I did, too.” He took a step back, and I went still. “I’ll stop by sometime tomorrow night to pick up my coat.”

“Hey, um, Kisten?” I said, not knowing why. “Do you … want a cup of coffee?”

He came to a graceful halt with one foot on the next step down. Turning back, he smiled, his pleased expression reaching all the way to his eyes. “Only if you let me make it.”