Page 42 of Cookbooks and Demons

But she couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept going over and over again what happened with Chris, buzzing like a hive of bees. While she tried to readjust her pillows to be more comfortable, a gentle knock came atthe door.

“Yes?” she called, really loathing to get up out of the warmth ofher bed.

There was a pause, then the door clicked open.

“I brought you the cheese course,” Rafferty said, softly like an apology through the crack.

“Oh, okay. Come in,” she invited, sitting back up in her bed abit more.

He pushed the door open, and she saw him carrying a tray. It looked like he had taken one of her cookie sheets and covered it with one of her nicer dishcloths. On one of her new plates was arranged four cheeses, as well as tiny slices of bread spread into an arc on one side. There were also three smaller dishes that she usually used for snacks: one filled with some sort of jam, the other had pear slices in it, and the third had several very tiny pickles. In one corner stood a half glass of white wine.

“What is this?” she asked as she stared at a tray with amazement.

“Like I said, the cheese course,” Rafferty replied, setting the tray before her on the bed where her legs were not so it would stay stable. Even though he was careful, the wine threatened to slosh anyway.

“But there is more than cheese here?” she said, rescuing the full glass of white wine before it tipped all over her bed. She took a heady sip and set it on her night table.

“The other flavors enhance the cheeses,” he explained and stepped back from her bed, taking a stance beside her with his hands folded in front like a proper waiter. The only problem was he wasn’t dressed like a proper waiter at all.

He was back in his human form. Otherwise, she wasn’t quite sure what to think as he was only wearing the black dress pants and his black button up shirt, but he hadn’t redone the buttons. His feet were bare. It was … quitea picture.

“You sure you’re not an incubus?” she quipped, feeling her cheeks blush.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“Are you trying to seduce me or something?” she asked. “You look like you’re getting ready for a romance novel cover photo shoot.”

He looked down at himself as if he hadn’t realized it and then shifted on his feet, looking unsure. “I… I don’t have any other clothes. I wouldn’t even be wearing this… but I don’t know. I guess it didn’t feel right to come in without a shirt on at all.” His fingers went to the buttons and did up a couple to pull the shirt closed. That was when she noticed he had torn a couple of them off inhis rush.

“What about your cooking clothes?” she asked, cocking her head and making herself focus onhis face.

“They don’t really exist,” he said. “They’re just created with the body as needed.”

Helena took a quick breath in. “Oh no! So you don’t have any other clothes unless you conjure them?”

“Yes,” he said. “They’re gone now. Basically vanished when I tookthem off.”

She realized that had to be true since while the shop clerk had brought them a bag for his other clothes, she had no memory of putting them in the bag, and they certainly hadn’t taken them with when they left the clothing store. She hadn’t evennoticed.

“Should I go take these off?”he asked.

“No! No, it’s fine. You look good,” then she noticed the twinkling in his eyes. “Oh shut up, you bastard, and sit down.” She indicated the other end of her bed opposite the tray. “You’re going to join me, right?”

“If you wish,” he said and did as he was bid, taking a spot on the other side.

“Okay, cheese course. So what do I do first?” she asked, adjusting the blankets around her legs and focusing all her attention ontothe tray.

Rafferty picked up a little card on the side and held it out to her. “They included this inthe box.”

“The Four Corners of France,” she read from the top. Beneath it were listed fourcheeses:

Northwest—Camembert de Normandie—a creamy cheeselike Brie

Southwest—Roquefort de Midi-Pyrenees—a pungent, semi-soft blue cheese

Southeast—Picodon de Rhone—A goat’s milk cheese that is dry and spicy, but smooth inthe center

Northeast—Gruyere de Comte—cow’s milk cheese, mild and slightly sweet

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