Hannah smiled. He’d slowly started coming around over their time away from town. She knew the altercation with Tyler still bothered him on a basic level, but he was obviously trying to put it behind him.
“I’m full of them,” she teased, grinning as she dipped a chip in salsa. “Can I ask you something?”
He froze, his taco halfway to his mouth. “Is it going to hurt?” he asked finally.
She shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. It’s a serious question. It’s also a fairly invasive question.”
He hesitated and then nodded. “I guess you’ve earned it.”
“Because I was the hero today?”
He found her grin adorable. “Because I want us to be open and honest with each other. I would prefer no secrets, although I know that’s not feasible.”
Her forehead creased. “You don’t think it’s feasible to have a relationship without secrets?”
“No.”
“Oh.” She felt mildly uncomfortable. “I ... happen to believe the opposite.”
He studied her for a moment, confused, and then realization dawned. “I should probably rephrase that,” he countered. “I don’t believe in keeping big secrets. There are little secrets, though, that nobody needs to know.”
She wasn’t always suspicious by nature — her ex-fiancé made her that way — but she couldn’t stop herself from drilling deep now. “I’m going to need a ‘for instance.’”
He smiled, genuinely amused. “For instance, I’m afraid of spiders. Normally I would never volunteer that, but it appears we’re bonding this afternoon, so I’m willing to admit it just this once. Also, when I’m not feeling well, I like old episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard. I cannot explain it. Those are not things I would ever admit to under normal circumstances.”
Hannah felt the fist that had been momentarily gripping her heart relax. “Oh.” Her lips curved. “I get what you’re saying. They’re not really secrets as much as small things that might never come up.”
“Yes.”
She cocked her head, considering. “I guess I’m okay with that. I never really thought about it before but that makes sense. Big secrets, though ... .” She trailed off, momentarily losing interest in her food. “I’m probably never going to be okay with big secrets,” she admitted, her voice small. “After Michael and all the cheating ... .” She felt like a terrible person for bringing it up. She trusted Cooper — probably more than she ever thought possible — but pockets of worry remained.
Rather than be offended, Cooper shrugged. “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I get where you’re coming from. I have the same issues because of Astra. I mean ... they’re not exactly the same issues, but they’re on par.”
Surprisingly, Hannah found the admission made her feel better. “She betrayed you.”
“She betrayed all of us,” he clarified. “Her betrayal of Abigail was the worst, though. Abigail trusted her and Astra abused that trust.”
Hannah was stirred by his outrage on her grandmother’s behalf. “You love Abigail a lot, don’t you?”
He nodded without hesitation. “I was lost for a bit when I started here. She helped me, basically demanded that I climb out of my shell and start paying attention to others. She was like a mother to me in a weird way. I could tell her anything and she never judged me.”
Even though she knew she should be touched, Hannah frowned. “She was like a mother to you? Does that make you my uncle?”
“Ha, ha.” He flicked her ear, causing her to fake yelp and laugh. “You know what I mean. She stood by me when I was struggling and I’ll forever be thankful for that. She trusted Astra, which in hindsight seems like it should’ve been a terrible idea, but Astra acted differently at first. We all trusted her.”
“And now?” Hannah queried. “Do you trust what Astra told us today?”
“Actually, I do.” He was rueful. “I don’t trust her to stand by us if the going gets tough — she even said she’s likely to lay low rather than help because she doesn’t want to be drawn in — but I believe what she said today. It makes sense when you break it down. The coven would make an enticing target for the furies. They wouldn’t even have to get their hands dirty if they sent Astra after us.”
“And it sounds like Stormy would be a willing participant,” Hannah mused.
“Yeah. We need to figure out a way to neutralize her before she gets too big for her britches,” Cooper agreed.
The saying made Hannah laugh. “My grandfather on my father’s side used to say that.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you saying I talk like an old man?”
“Kind of.”
“Well ... I’m fine with that.” He popped a nacho into his mouth and regarded her. “Is that what you wanted to ask? About Astra, I mean.”
“Actually, no.” Hannah wiped off her hands on a napkin and debated how she wanted to broach the subject. “The thing with Tyler earlier,” she started.
He froze, his shoulders going ramrod straight. “I’m not homophobic,” he gritted out. “I didn’t mean what I said to him. I’m ... ashamed ... those words came out of my mouth.”
“Oh, I know that,” Hannah said hurriedly, her heart giving a little lurch. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Not like that. It was more ... the actual fighting.”
That wasn’t the tack he was expecting. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want you to get upset,” she offered hurriedly. “I just have a question and it might come into play with the other furies so I’m going to ask, but I really need you not to yell or be hurt.”
“I’m officially intrigued.” He tried to play it off, but he was a nervous wreck. “Lay it on me.”
“Okay.” She sucked in a breath. “You’re trained to be able to disable a man quickly. You told me that yourself. It’s from your time in the military.”
“Yeah.” His face looked as if it was carved out of granite. “If you’re asking if I could’ve killed Tyler, the answer is yes. Why do you think I’m so upset?”
“Slow your roll.” Hannah’s
