Page 22 of Wedded Witch

My brows shoot up in surprise. It’s not my family. It’s thegrumpymotel clerk, standing there with a nervous smile that seems so out of place on his previously tight-lipped face.

“Kel. What are you doing here?” My voice is cool, sharper than I intended, but I don’t care. He was rude to me, mean to the dog. I haven’t forgotten.

“Hi, Vi…I mean, Swyn. Yeah…umm…” he stammers, looking everywhere but at me, his eyes darting around like he’s searching for the right words. My irritation flares again. Is he here to apologise? He better be.

“I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me?”

I stare at him.Is this guy serious?For a moment, I can’t even process the words. Did he just ask me out? After how he acted earlier?

“You want to take me out?” I manage to choke out, louder than I planned. “Are you mental?”

I’m almost laughing at the absurdity, but there’s still too much frustration boiling under my skin. Just seeing him again after earlier has me riled up, and the audacity of him standing here – smiling – is just too much.

“Like, no, seriously, is something wrong with you? Some kind of defect? Split personality, maybe?” I can’t stop the words tumbling out. “You were a complete arsehole to me less than an hour ago!”

I cross my arms, bracing for him to defend himself, but he doesn’t. His face tightens, but he says nothing. It’s almost worse that he’s not arguing back.What is his deal?

Finally, he looks at me, really looks at me, and his eyes… soften.

“Swyn, look, I know I messed up earlier, okay? I was an idiot.” His voice drops, quieter now, and it throws me off.Why is he sounding so vulnerable?I want to stay angry, but it’s slipping away.

He steps closer and his cologne – that gorgeous leather scent from last night – washes over me. It’s much nicer than thetobacco scent I caught a whiff of earlier. Maybe he’d just been smoking?

“Just give me a chance. Let me make it up to you. I’ll take you out, show you I’m not always such a jerk. Honestly.”

My eyes narrow as I uncross my arms, fingers twitching. “You think buying me dinner is going to fix the fact that you treated me – and that poor dog – like dirt?”

“No.” He shakes his head quickly, almost desperately. “But I’ll try. Please.”

Please?This from the guy who barely grunted at me earlier? This is weird. His whole demeanour has changed, and I can’t tell if this is some twisted joke or if he’s genuinely trying to make things right.Maybe I just caught him at a bad time…

I sigh, curiosity getting the better of me, even as my brain screams at me to shut the door in his face. “Fine. One chance.”

He exhales sharply, and there’s a flicker of relief in his eyes. He tries to hide it, but I see it. “Great. There’s a diner across the street.”

I blink at him, then laugh, the sound dry and incredulous. “The diner you mentioned yesterday? Wow, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”

His mouth quirks up at the corner, and for a second, there’s a flash of something I wasn’t expecting – humour. It’s faint, but there’s something else there too. Regret, maybe? It’s hard to read, but it makes me pause.Why is he suddenly so different?

“There’s not a lot around here, in case you haven’t noticed,” he replies, shrugging.

I glance down the street. He’s right – this place is the definition of a ghost town. “Fine. When do you want to go?”

“We should probably head over before they stop serving.”

“Now?”

“No time like the present.”

I hesitate, but then nod. Thankfully, I’m already dressed in clean clothes after my shower, though part of me wishes I were in my pyjamas, so I could have had an excuse to say no.

“Let me grab my key.”

The door stays open as I turn back inside, grabbing my room key, my purse, and phone. When I return, Kel’s standing there, looking at me with that same hopeful expression. I lock the door and follow him out.

We cross the street in silence. I can’t help but stew in my thoughts.What is going on with him? One minute he’s cold and distant, and now… this.

The diner comes into view, still as quaint and charming as it was when I had breakfast today. The bell jingles as we walk in, and the scent of coffee and fried food wraps around me. It’s oddly comforting.

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