Page 17 of Love is Trash in Hallow's Cove

“O-oh. Right. Got it.”

“See you later, Hayley,” Jake says with one last smile, before heading off towards his shop, leaving me reeling.

Jake

Fuck, where the fuck do I get tacos? There’s no restaurant nearby that serves them, and I sure as shit don’t know how to cook them. I should’ve told Hayley we’d need to do something different, but I was so shocked by my own boldness to ask her to have dinner with me that my brain wasn’t functioning properly.

Does she think this is a date? I don’t know if I came off like a weirdo who likes to stare at a dumpster platonically with my neighbor, or if my romantic interest was clear. The former is honestly a lot more in my comfort zone, even though I definitely meant it as a date.

Shit, I can’t have my first date with my mate be sitting by the trash and giving her unpalatable homemade tacos. I’m making a mess of things again. She gave me a chance and bought my lie about why I acted so strange when we first met, so I need to figure out something that will make the stakeout more romantic.

The problem is, I don’t know what the hell she’d like. I know on an instinctual level that Hayley is amazing, and I’m stunned by how lovely she is, but I don’t know anything about her. What do beautiful human women with cotton candy hair and adorable outfits and perfect smiles like? Other than tacos.

I need advice. I need the perspective of someone who doesn’t think a raccoon stakeout is a normal date activity.

I watch out the front door of the shop, scanning the street to make sure that Hayley hasn’t left thebodega again, then tug a hoodie on and put the hood up before heading outside and darting across the street to Gargoyle’s Horde.

I wave to my gargoyle friend Gabe as I rush inside, though he won’t wave back since he’s stone during the day, then scan the busy shop for Gwen. I see a flash of her brown hair and move to her side, almost knocking over a display of minifigures in my hurry.

“Whoa, Jake!” Gwen exclaims as she turns and finds me right behind her.

“Sorry for startling you, but I need to talk,” I pant, out of breath from running over here. Which is kinda sad given it’s diagonally across Main Street from my shop. Damn, I need to go for more runs.

I wonder if Hayley enjoys running. If not, we could figure out something else to do together. Like hiking in the woods. Or going to the ice rink. Or hell, get one of those dance aerobics videos and stay at home and exercise. She’d look so good in tight leggings and a sports bra. Fuck, maybe that’s a bad idea because I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of her. Though, sex is a workout sometimes.

“Okay… Did you come over to tell me you’re missing D&D tonight?” Gwen prompts, making me realize I’ve been on a mental tangent for too long and she’s waiting for me to continue.

“No. Well, yes, but that’s not…” I swallow down my agitation and try to focus on why I’m here. I feel bad about not making it to our gaming session, but making a good impression on my mate is a lot more important right now. “You’re a human. What kind of things do you like?”

Gwen gives me an incredulous look. It’s the same one I get across the table when my wizard casts an unusual spell during a battle instead of something practical like a fire bolt. “Jake, you’ve known me for years. You know what I like.”

“On a date,” I clarify, and watch as the bemusement shifts to surprise, then excitement.

“Did you ask a human on a date?” Her eyes widen and her smile grows even broader. “It’s the cute girl that moved into the bodega! Betsy’s niece. Oh my gosh, you asked her out?”

“I’m the one who needs questions answered!” I huff, gesticulating in frustration and almost knocking over the minis again. Gwen winces at the near miss, and I step further away from them. “But yes, it’s Hayley. We’re going to have a dumpster stakeout and tacos. Except, I’m a terrible cook and no one in town sells them."

Gwen’s brow furrows. “What’s a dumpster stakeout?”

“It’s a terrible idea for a date, that’s what it is. But when she mentioned the raccoon being back and wanting my help to keep it away from the dumpster, I panicked. I can’t mess this up, Gwen.” My words tumble out of me at an increasingly fast pace, and I reach out and take her hands into mine. “Please help me. I don’t want to fuck it up because I’m… because I’m me and she’s… perfect.”

“Oh, Jake,” Gwen says softly, squeezing my hands back. “If someone is the right person for you, they’ll like you because of your eccentricities, not in spite of them. Beyourself. Trying to start a relationship as anyone else will only end poorly. If Hayley thinks you’re too weird, then—”

I shake my head. Gwen’s sentiment is sweet, but not exactly helpful right now. “She’s my mate,” I blurt.

Gwen gasps, her brows shooting up to her hairline. “Oh! Oh wow, okay. That, uh, hmm… that’s trickier.” A beat passes as she processes the rest of what I said. “Wait, you were doing a stakeout for a raccoon?” Gwen pulls her hands back and crosses her arms over her chest. “She doesn’t know what you are?”

“I’ve already fucked it up too much! It’s hopeless. Sorry for bothering you, I’m going to go cancel and then hide forever—”

I turn and take one step away, but Gwen grabs my arm and uses her surprisingly strong grip to hold me in place. “Nope. You’re not running away from this. You’re going to make this the best damn dumpster stakeout and dinner date ever.”

“I am?” I blink at her determined tone.

“Yes.” She leads me over to the checkout counter and starts scribbling on a sticky note. “Go get these things from the bodega and bring them back.”

My stomach flips at the mention of going into the bodega. “But what if she’s in there?”

“Then you say hello and tell her you’re getting supplies for tonight. She’ll be impressed that you’re going to the effort of cooking for her.”

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