Page 14 of Hexes and Exes

“Are you okay?” Ava stares at me as I’ve grown horns. Her light brown hair is down today and tumbles over her shoulder. How have I never noticed that it looks like silk? I wonder how soft it would be to touch?

I blink as if that will clear my mind. Mother help me, was there something else in that elixir last night?

“I’m fine,” I snap, setting my coffee on my desk and shrugging out of my coat.

“Great.” Ava sets her laptop on the table in front of the couch, slaps her thighs, and stands up. She’s always wearing such baggy clothes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much of her body. Her jeans hug every curve.

I throw my coat over the back of my chair and loosen my tie. How hot is the fucking hotel today? Do we have the heat set to pits of hell?

A soft sound, similar to a meow, comes from the corner of the room.

“What was that?” I cock my head and stare at the other side of the room. There’s a large potted plant in the corner, next to two chairs.

“What was what?” Ava looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

“That sound.” I wander over to the plant and peer into the dirt.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ava gives me a curious look. “I hope you’re hungry, because Caroline has been working on getting samples ready for us.”

Caroline is the resort's head chef. When did Ava have the time to set all this up?

“I have to admit I was not super psyched about planning this whole thing, but I’ve heard how good Caroline is. I can’t wait to taste her food. Plus, I’ve put some calls out to do some dessert tasting. So we have that to look forward to.”

“Are you planning a wedding or a coven event?”

Ava’s face falls, but then she rolls her shoulders back and narrows her eyes at me. “Listen, if I have to be forced into doing this, then I am going to kick ass and do an incredible job. If that means I get to eat some amazing food in the process, then you better believe I’m going to seize the opportunity. Besides, I’ll probably never get married. Let me just live vicariously through this process and try not to be such a dick all the time.” Ava huffs, giving me her back. She stomps out of the office without another word.

For some stupid reason, I jog after her like a little puppy dog.

“Why don’t you think you'll never get married?”

Ava is waving at one of the front desk clerks. The smile falls off her face the moment I ask my question.

“Is it just because you broke up with that guy not that long ago? There are more fish in the sea, Vandenberg.” I nod at one of the housekeeping staff as Ava stomps through the lobby.

“Can you stop talking before I lose my appetite? There’s a lot of food waiting to be shoved in my mouth and I want to be able to enjoy it.”

An image of me shoving something else in her mouth momentarily snatches my attention, and I trip over a rug. Ava side-eyes me with a raised brow, but I pretend nothing happened.

“You’re attractive enough. Why do you think you won’t get married?” I’m not sure what devil possesses me to say that, but it’s too late to take it back.

Ava spins on her heel to face me at the entrance to the kitchen. Her finger presses against my mouth and I freeze. A drop of warmth slides down my body, as if her finger was dipped in honey and touched my tongue. The muted colors caused by the numbing potion spark to life around us, the amber color of her eyes, the soft pink of her lips.

“Stop talking.” She snatches away her hand and takes a deep breath before pushing into the kitchen. I hear a muttered “attractive enough,” followed by a snort. My eyes track her hips as she moves through the doors. I really shouldn't be looking at her ass. The more steps she puts between us, the more the numbness creeps back in. That’s right. I’m hardly more than a shell of a man who’s either filled with rage or completely empty.

I follow Ava into the kitchen where incredible scents wash over me. Caroline is a world-renowned chef who’s been with the resort for five years. It took a lot of incentive to get her to come work for the resort, but she’s a witch. Ultimately, she wanted to be part of a town full of magic. I’m not sure she had any ideawhat kind of a shitshow Mystic Hollows would turn out to be, but we definitely lucked out getting her here.

The kitchen is still bustling with the morning rush. The restaurant is only open for dinner, but guests often get room service if they don’t avail themselves of the cafe for coffee and pastries for breakfast. Despite being a taskmaster in her kitchen, Caroline reluctantly lets people into her domain when necessary. She’s like an annoyed big sister who has to put up with pesky siblings. Except I’m her boss, so she’s literally paid to deal with me. Not that I interfere with things. She knows what she’s doing. I just pay her salary and enjoy her food.

“Finally. The food’s growing cold.” Caroline barks and I look at my watch. I’ve only been inside the hotel for twenty minutes, tops.

In her late forties, her blonde hair has started to turn gray, but it’s hard to tell because it’s so close to her original color. It’s cut in a short, no-nonsense way, but it’s always covered in a yellow bandana whenever she’s in the kitchen. Most of the time out of the kitchen as well.

“Apologies. We didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” I say.

“So sorry! You know how chatty this one gets. I couldn’t get him to shut up.” Ava jerks her thumb in my direction and Caroline winks at her. How has she already wrapped Caroline around her finger? “We’re so excited to taste your food.” As if planned, Ava’s stomach lets out a noisy growl.

Caroline tsks. “You poor thing. Let’s get you fed.”

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