Page 75 of Hexed & Hazy

Does she know about Rowan and me? How many people know?

I shake my head and force on a smile. “Come on in. Adobo is ready, we’re just waiting on the rice.”

“We’re waiting on your terrible timing,” Laurel quips. “Why don’t you ever make the rice on time?”

“I was a little busy with everything else.”

Rowan gifts me a soft smile. The way she looks at me is no different from usual, but it feels new, and my palms are sweaty as everyone finds their way to the dinner table. Ours is smaller than the Hawthornes’ and a little more crowded on a day like this, but the chaos is half the fun.

Laurel sits right between Rowan and me, and the smug smile she gives me tells me she probably knows what’s going on. Or at least, she suspects. If it’s not her psychic abilities cluing her in, I’d bet we have Juniper to thank for that. Of course, this is the one time Juni is a gossip.

Mom is the last to join us at the table. She places a hand over Stella’s and lets out a happy sigh. “It is so good to have everyone together.”

Stella’s lips twitch down, a slight expression change, but one I catch. “Sorry for not coming sooner.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” Mom sits up straighter and begins filling her plate. “Eat, eat. There’s no need to dwell on missed time when we’re all together. And thank you for joining us.” Her gaze lingers on Rowan.

My mom has never been all that interested in my love life. She met Scarlet and liked her—Scarlet was on her best behavior around her, thankfully—but I never brought any of my other exes around. There’s no way she knows what’s going on with Rowan… right?

“Happy to be here,” Rowan says, calm and casual, even though her cheeks are pink. She takes a bite of food and says nothing else, but her silence isn’t exactly unusual.

“It seems like you two have been spending a lot of time together,” Natalie says, looking between Rowan and me.

Mom perks up. “They have, haven’t they?”

I roll my eyes. “Change of subject. Please.”

Laurel grins. “But I love this subject.”

Typical. Rowan and I are surrounded by our little sisters, and of course, they’re torturing us. At least my mom doesn’t join in too badly.

It’s not until lunch is over and I’m doing the dishes that Mom pops up behind me, sets a hand on my shoulder, and says, “Be good to her, SJ.”

“I…” With a plop, I drop the plate into sudsy water and look into the living room, where Rowan is with my sisters.

She smooths a hand over her dark green skirt and looks out the window, as if she’s a million miles away. I’ve always loved how she looks when she’s daydreaming—her lips parted slightly, fingers weaving together, each breath slow.

If only I’d realized what this feeling in my chest—the warmth she always brings me—meant sooner.

Rowan and I spent lunch denying that we were anything more than friends, but I can’t lie to my mom anymore. She cares about Rowan, too.

“I’ll try,” I say. “Promise.”

When I finish the dishes, I send Rowan a text.

Me

I’m taking you out tonight.

I don’t hide that I’m staring, and seconds later, I catch her smiling at her phone.

I’ve done so much wrong in my life, at least in love. Ending things before they started. Ghosting. Pushing people away. But if I’m finally going to give Rowan and me a chance, I have to do this right. I have to take Rowan on an actual date—one outside of Starbrook, where no one we know can run into us and ask us questions.

Plus, there aren’t many date options here outside of the tavern and café. So, I do what I never do: think ahead, make a reservation, ask my sisters to hang out with Mom for the night, and fill my car with gas. As much as I’d like to spend more time with my sisters, their being around finally gives me an opportunity to have a night away. I’m going to take it.

The moment I see Rowan in her little black dress with the long-sleeved shirt under it, and those damn sheer tights, it’s all worth it.

For once, I’m the one driving her around—I don’t mean it to be the other way around, but her car is newer, and she doesn’t seem to mind taking the lead.