Page 42 of The Pumpkin Spice Spell
Lilith gasps dramatically, clutching her chest like a scandalized Victorian aunt. “Oh my stars! Is this what happens when I leave you children alone for one night?”
“Mom,” I groan, burying my face in my hands.
Tate chuckles low in his throat, rubbing a hand over his face, his voice rough with sleep. “Morning, Lilith.”
“Morning, indeed,” she says, grinning like the cat who caught the canary. “Looks like someone had a very cozy night.”
I want to disappear into the floor. Tate just shakes his head, amused, as if he’s not remotely fazed. Which, of course, only makes my pulse race harder.
And as Lilith bustles off toward the kitchen, humming smugly, Tate’s gaze lingers on me, warm and unreadable. We don’t speak, but something passes between us again. Something wordless. Something that feels like it’s just beginning.
Chapter 14
Tate
The sound of tires crunching on the drive makes me glance out the kitchen window. Junie’s already out of the truck before Finn can call to her to wait, bounding toward the front steps like a sparkle hurricane.
“Tate! We brought pizza and garlic balls!” she sing-songs, proudly hoisting a grease-stained bag with napkins falling out of it like a trophy.
Finn climbs out slowly, holding a stack of Marco’s pizza boxes with a bag swinging from each arm, and he corrects Junie. “We got garlicknots,too. Marco threw them in. Said he wanted us to taste-test the new seasoning blend.”
“Marco is a saint,” I mutter, stepping back to let them in and helping Finn with the pizzas.
Junie makes a beeline for the back porch. “I’m gonna look for the mermaids!”
“What mermaids—” I stop myself. No use arguing with magic.
“She’s fully committed to the idea that one lives under the dock,” Finn says, setting the bags down on the kitchen counter. “Apparently, it has a glitter tail and a bad attitude.”
I laugh and open up the bag of garlic knots, and taste one.
“She’s also convinced she saw one off the dock last week.” Finn grins as he watches her peer over the railing toward the harbor. “I told her it was a seal. She told me seals don’t wear sparkly bras.”
“Fair point,” I mutter, chewing. “These are good. Thanks.”
He points a garlic knot at me. “If only we could live in a magical world like Junie.”
I snort. “Like half this town,” I reply, popping open the pizza box. Steam rises. Pepperoni and sausage, thick crust, bubbling cheese. My stomach growls loudly enough to echo throughout the kitchen.
Finn slides a plate toward me. “Eat up. know Marco’s is a local legend.”
He’s not wrong. We lean against the counter, chewing in silence for a few minutes like men who have truly earned this moment.
“This house still giving you hell?” Finn asks, gesturing around with a knot.
I glance at the cracked molding near the ceiling and the old cabinets that creak. “Yeah. But I’m not doing much to it. Just cleaning it up. I’m going to take Remy up on that job offer. Maybe see if he’s got one of those cabins still open.”
Finn swipes his mouth with a napkin. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“I've always loved this house,” he says as he looks around at all of the old woodwork.
The house was built in the early 1900s. My parents kept it maintained but did little updating through the years.
I shrug and take another bite. “House’s gonna be someone else’s problem soon.”
He’s quiet for a minute, just studying the ceiling beams like he’s seeing potential no one else has.
