JJ wants the sidewalk to swallow him whole. “It’s, uh,” he says, and he clears his throat awkwardly, handing it to Cass. “It’s a pocket watch. I saw it and, um. Thought of you.”
The words sound even more mortifying out loud than they did in his head.He saw it and thought of Cass?How much more clichéd can he get?
Cass’s eyes widen a fraction. “Oh,” he says, and he delicately wraps the chain around his fingers, holding the watch face up to the light. “It’s—it’s nice.”
“You don’t have to wear it,” JJ blurts out. “It was just a stupid impulse buy.”
“No, shut up. I’m wearing it,” Cass says, and without further ado, he fastens the slide over his belt. He briefly holds the watch in his hand, checking the best angle to read it, before slipping it into his pocket and meeting JJ’s eyes. “Thank you, JJ.”
JJ’s traitorous stomach flutters. “No problem,” he says weakly, and he grabs Desi’s hand again, swallowing down the butterflies. “Anyway, you mentioned a vendor with toys, right? We should check that out.”
“Of course,” Cass says immediately, and he settles his hand on the small of JJ’s back this time. “Right this way.”
And, as Cass guides JJ and Desi through the crowd, JJ focuses on his breathing and tries to remind himself that none of this is real.
Much as part of him really wants it to be.
19
Cass gapes at JJ, appalled. “What do youmean,you’ve never triedchurros con chocolatebefore?”
JJ stands his ground. “Exactly what I said, Cass. I’ve never really had the occasion.”
“It’s not about anoccasion,lackey,” Cass says, exasperated. “It’s aboutdeliciousness.You are allowed to have nice things sometimes, you know.”
Up on JJ’s shoulders, Desi is swinging her head back and forth between them like she’s watching a tennis match. The late February weather isn’t quitecold,but it’s chilly enough that Cass bundled up almost as much as JJ—and wrestled Desi into some winter clothes, too. Even though demons don’t quite feel temperature the same way humans do, it’s never a bad idea to blend in with the masses.
Plus, JJ bought her an adorable hat with pompoms on it. His delighted expression when she opened the door wearing it sort of made Cass’s heart melt into a puddle.
“I have plenty of nice things,” JJ says defensively. “Just look at all the ice cream we’ve been getting lately!”
“But churros con chocolate are warm, so they’re objectively better for a day like today,” Cass argues. “And you’ve tried every other food truck in Redwater; how did you manage to miss Churrería? It’s right next to Samosa Spot, and Iknowhow much you love samosas.”
“I—” Wincing, JJ looks away. “I don’t know. Just never wanted to, I guess.”
For a few seconds, Cass squints at him, bewildered. JJ “just never wanted” one of the most famous desserts to ever come out of Europe? Why wouldn’t he?—?
And then, in a flash, Cass realizes it. He’s been patronizing Churrería for decades now—in fact, it’s one of the oldest food trucks in Redwater—but his initial motivation for going there was less because of the churros themselves and more because he wanted to support Ana and Julio.
Specifically, because he wanted to support a demon-owned business.
A curl of bitterness twists through Cass. Firmly, he forces it down. While he wants to be annoyed with JJ for being biased against Churrería just because of its owners, he also feels like he knows the hunter well enough by now to realize that his reasons usually aren’t so superficial. “You never wanted to?” he asks cautiously. “Or your friends never wanted to?”
For the briefest of moments, JJ’s eyes flicker over to meet Cass’s. “More the latter, I think,” he says, clearly choosing his words with care. “I don’t know what, um, my bosses would’ve said if they saw me there.”
The thread of tension in Cass’s chest relaxes. So JJ didn’t want to risk incurring the wrath of the Sanctum’s Council if another hunter saw him frequenting a demon-owned business. After all, a loyal lackey wouldn’t associate with demons, even if those demonsdomake really good food.
Does it ever bother you that they refer to you like you’re dogs?
Yeah. Yeah, it does bother me.
Although Cass is pretty sure that JJ’s loyalties are shakier than they used to be. He’s proud to think he might’ve played a role in that. “Well, your bosses won’t recognize you today,” he says pointedly, gesturing towards JJ’s glamoured appearance. “So how would you like to give ’em a go? I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
This time, JJ’s smile is pleased. “Yeah, I’d love that. Good call, Cass.”
“Churros!” Desi cheers, hugging the top of JJ’s head. “Just like Esteban and Lucia’s, right?”
Cass smiles as Lakeside comes into view ahead of them, sunlight glinting off the gently lapping waves. “Well, notjustlike them. Esteban and Lucia make Latin American–style churros, but Ana and Julio makeSpanish-style churros. They’re curly instead of straight, and they don’t have the cinnamon and sugar.”
