“No, you’re not. You forget that I can judge character and intent. And you’re upset.” She tried to get a deeper read on the vibes he was throwing off. “With me. You’re upset with me.”

“No, I’m not.”

She narrowed her eyes, opening herself fully to the valkyrie senses she so rarely used. “Yes, you are. But you’re mad at yourself too.”

He frowned.

She put her fork down. “Want to tell me why? Because I’m absolutely clueless on this one.” She wasn’t entirely sure why she cared about a man this damaged and frustrated, especially when she’d done her best to avoid things that upset her all her life. They had one more day together. That was it. Unless she got the job.

He stabbed a piece of steak. “It’s childish and unimportant.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be so bothered.”

He went still for a long moment, then lifted his gaze to meet hers. “You prefer my brother over me and I am petty enough to care. I understand it, but I also don’t wish to discuss it further.”

In the name of Freya, the man was jealous. Never in her life had a man expressed that emotion toward her. “What makes you think that?”

“You want him at dinner. You smiled at him. You—look, I said I don’t want to discuss it further. Please, let’s just eat.”

She laughed, unable to contain her amusement. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not.”

But the vibes coming off him were as green as a tree frog. “You are jealous. That’s sort of sweet, especially considering we’re just pretending to be a couple. Keep that up and Evangeline will definitely believe you.”

His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fork. “I am not jealous.”

“If you say so. I promise, I do not prefer your brother over you. I just thought he’d be a great distraction at dinner and would be able to help us if things get off course. Period. End of story. I’m sure he’s a nice enough sort, but he seems like he’d need a very different kind of woman than who I am. He also strikes me as more concerned with things like how his hair looks or if his manscaping is on point than when the next Haruki Murakami novel is coming out.”

Sebastian’s eyes brightened. “You read Murakami?”

“Yes. Do you?”

“Of course.”

His answer pleased her to no end. At least they could converse about books if nothing else.

The server returned. “How are we doing here? Everything all right? Can I get you anything?”

Sebastian shook his head. “I’m fine. What about you, Tessa?”

She smiled. “I’m good too.”

The server left and Sebastian physically relaxed. “I apologize. I wasn’t as upset at you as I was upset at myself. I should learn to accept certain things, but after this many centuries, I suppose I am who I am and there’s no hope for change.”

She smiled. “You hate change anyway.”

“There is that.”

“What would you change? If you could.”

He sat back. “I imagine being less uptight would be a good thing. Being more relaxed about details, that sort of thing.”

“But you handle the money for the town. I can’t imagine being less relaxed about that would be a good thing.”

He nodded, a small spark of happiness lighting his eyes. “No, it wouldn’t.”

“Anything else?”

“I could be less critical.”

She shrugged. “So you have high standards.”

“Evangeline finds my academic pursuits tedious.”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Then why change for a woman who hasn’t been a real part of your life in nearly three hundred years? And can I just say, some women find intellect very sexy.”

The light in his eyes went from happy to wicked and became a genuine, silvery glow. A vampire thing, she imagined. He leaned forward. “Are you one of those women?”

She lifted one shoulder, aware that she was being coy for perhaps the first time in her life. It surprised her that it was something she was even capable of doing. “I am a librarian. We certainly don’t dislike brains.”

His gaze tapered but a smirk crooked his mouth. “Are you sure you’re not a zombie?”

She snorted, a horribly unladylike sound, but the funniness of his comment was multiplied by the fact that he was actually making a joke. “Worried about your gray matter now?”

He laughed with her. “Maybe. Should I invest in some sort of metal helmet?”

“Or just go with tin foil. That could be a good look for you.”

“I doubt that.”

They grinned and stared at each other and in that moment, something passed between them. A sense of togetherness. Of camaraderie. And mutual respect.

He drank the last of his whiskey. “I must apologize to you again for thinking you incapable of becoming my better half. I clearly judged you based on appearance alone and that was foolish. This dinner won’t be easy, but I believe everything will come out in the end as it should.”

“What if Evangeline continues to take you for granted? Will you still take her back?”

His happiness faded. “As we are technically still married, I suppose I have no choice.”

“But you do. You can always say no. Appeal to the council.”

“It’s not that simple. It never has been.”