“Wine?”

“How many ways can I say yes?”

When the server came over, he ordered a bottle of pinot noir. He kept up the small talk until they’d ordered their meals and were halfway through their first glass of wine.

“Pandora, I need to talk to you about something.”

“That sounds serious.”

“It is. It’s about Kaley.”

She leaned in. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that. I’m just concerned that if things don’t go well between us, she’s the one who will end up getting hurt the most. After everything with her mother…” He shook his head. “She really likes you. And if I have to be the one to tell her that you’re not going to be around anymore, she’s going to hate me for a long time.”

“So you want me to tell her? If that happens?”

He looked up at her. How could a woman be so beautiful and kind and funny? It was unfair. “I want us to tell her together. No matter what happens between us, I have to protect her.”

Pandora smiled a little sadly. “That’s really sweet. You’re full of sweet tonight.”

He matched her smile. “Kaley’s my life, you know? I have to put her first.”

“I get it. And yes, we’ll tell her together.” She reached across the table and laced her fingers with his. “But maybe what we tell her won’t be bad news.”

He smiled. “Maybe not.”

And in that moment, he could imagine himself in this life, with this woman. What he’d do for work didn’t matter as much as what his heart needed. Love. Companionship. Intimacy. It had been a long time since he’d paid attention to his own wants and desires. Being a father made those sorts of things seem…selfish. But Pandora was good for Kaley too. She was damn good for both of them.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder… “What if I wasn’t a familiar?”

She tipped her head. “Then I don’t think you’d have ended up in this town.”

“But if I wasn’t. Do you think you’d still feel the same…attraction to me?”

“Yes. You’re so very much my kind of guy.” She closed her eyes and shivered. “As much as someone who doesn’t date has a kind of guy.” She took a sip of wine before continuing. “Look, since we’re laying things out, I like you a lot. And yes, I really like what you do for my magic, but I’ve lived my entire life with broken gifts. I was prepared to live the rest of it that way too. For me, my magic working is just a bonus of being around you. It’s not the reason.”

She swallowed and lifted her chin a little higher. “I’m falling for you, Cole. I know I am. It’s not something I can stop. Nor do I want to. I know the risks. All of them. But I’m still willing to give it a shot. I just wish…”

She looked away.

“What?”

She sighed. “That you weren’t so unsure about sticking around in Nocturne Falls. Couldn’t you give it a year? What would be so bad about making a life here? This place is perfect for Kaley.”

He thought about going back to North Carolina and his teaching job. About the stability it offered. About how far away it was from Pandora. About how dull life would be without her. He squeezed her hand. “I don’t make rash decisions. I measure everything out, weigh both sides and see what makes the most sense.”

Her face fell.

“Choosing to stay here doesn’t make the most sense.”

“I understand,” she whispered.

“Do you? Because I don’t. But you’re right.”

She looked at him, brow furrowed. “I am? About what?”

“About this place being the best for Kaley. It’s not going to be easy to find work, I know that, but—”

She sucked in a breath. “Are you saying you’re going to stay?”

“I’m saying I’m falling for you too. And I don’t want to go back to a life that doesn’t have you in it. If things don’t work out between us, then it is what it is, but right now, yes, I’m saying we’re going to stay.”

Pandora let out a little shriek, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, Cole. That’s wonderful. And, you know, that means that my magic should keep working, which means I really could be Kaley’s mentor.”

“I can’t think of anything she’d like more.”

“I want to tell her when we pick her up. But you have to be serious about staying.”

“I am. I swear it.”

She shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

“Well, after your sister threatened me in the flower shop today—”

“She did what?”

Cole filled Pandora in. Their meals arrived, and they spent the rest of the evening telling each other stories about their jobs and talking about the future and dreaming out loud. It wasn’t the sort of thing Cole had ever done, but with Pandora, he was all-in.

As the server cleared their plates, Cole laid his napkin on the table. “What do you say we get three desserts to go, then pick up Kaley from her friend’s house and eat them back at my place?”

“I’d love to. In fact, I’ll wait to tell her about the mentorship until we’re sitting at the table. Then the desserts can be part of our celebration.”

“She’ll love that.” He ordered, paid the check, and twenty minutes later, they had Kaley in the car and were pulling up to the house.