Page 76 of Hexed & Hazy

I want to, just this once, open the door for her as she slips inside. She rolls her eyes at me, but I know her well enough to see the tiny smile at the corner of her lips.

And the first date nerves? They’re definitely here, right on schedule. The entire ride—just about twenty minutes—is spent with us chatting, as comfortable as ever, but the butterflies won’t leave my stomach. They intensify when we arrive, and I take her hand, keeping our fingers laced as we take the paved path to the restaurant.

“This place is overpriced,” Rowan says, narrowing her eyes at the building.

“Only the best for you.” I squeeze her hand. “No complaining, all right? When it’s your turn to pick date night, you can plan whatever you want.”

“I’m not complaining.” She nudges my shoulder with hers.

Our back-and-forth sets me at ease, and by the time I approach the hostess, I’m smiling bigger, a little less forced.

Because the hex is gone. Rowan and I are going to make something real, and I’m never going to give anyone a reason to hex me again. I’m going to be a good boyfriend, for once. For her.

I clear my throat. “Reservation for two. Bautista.”

“Of course. Right this way.”

I exchange an excited smile with Rowan as we follow her into the corner of the restaurant that is… not quite the romantic view I was hoping for. In fact, it’s right next to the restroom.

I look around as Rowan takes her seat, and I grimace.

Be good to her. That’s what my mom said, and I’m trying, but something feels wrong. If my mom could see this, she would sigh and shake her head at me. I can practically envision it.

“Do you have anything else?” I whisper to the hostess, seconds from begging. “Anything more romantic?”

She offers me a smile that I know is more polite than genuine; I’ve worked in customer service long enough. “We’re fully booked tonight. Sorry. Is there anything else I can get you?”

Damn it. I shake my head and sit down. “That’s all. Thanks.”

Not the best start to the evening. Rowan is looking right into the kitchen; the bathrooms are a few feet away. What happened to the fountain view I saw online? The view of the beach?

I swear, I’ve never been this kind of person—never been so high-maintenance—but I want everything to go right. And this isn’t what I had planned.

Rowan’s hand lands on mine, grounding me. “Stop.”

My jaw drops. “Stop what?”

“I don’t know, but whatever you’re doing… relax. You can completely ruin this first date, and I’ll still come back for seconds.”

Is it hot in here, or is it just me? I laugh nervously and nod, rubbing my thumb against her fingers. “Sorry. I’ve just… You know my love life was kind of weird⁠—”

“That was before,” she says, never looking away from me. “This is now.”

“I know, and now is good, but I—well, you never know. Right?”

Something could still go wrong. I have to convince myself it’s not—that it’s just because I made the reservation so late, or maybe because I don’t have extra money to slip to the hostess. Why am I so worked up over a table, anyway?

I inhale slowly, preparing to do a vibe reset.

“This is our fifth anniversary,” someone next to us hisses—a woman, probably a few years older than us. The man at the table is much older. “Are you seriously going to be on your phone the entire time?”

“I was just checking⁠—”

“I don’t care what you’re checking.”

I grimace at Rowan, but she doesn’t return the expression.

All right, so the table sucks, and the overall ambiance isn’t the best. This is fine. We can work with this. Vibe reset. She’s being optimistic, and I can be as well.