“I’m not blackmailing anyone, but even if I was, I’d be an idiot to go after Caius,” Quentin said. He might have the money to pay up, but he also had the power to squash Quentin like a bug, and that was even before finding out he was a witch. He could probably do much worse than Quentin even imagined. It burned him up a little that someone like that could have everything—money, power, and magic, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Quentin blinked, caught off guard by her question. “Do I cook?” he said. “Yeah, kinda. It’s just me, so I don’t go overboard or anything. Why?”
Tessa was still getting used to the fact that magic was real, but she felt pretty lucky that her newfound brother had it. He was really the only person in town she thought could help her and Quentin with their problem. And if he couldn't, hopefully he'd know someone who could. She grinned at Quentin across the table. "You should invite me over for dinner then. I would offer to cook, but I'm holed up in a hotel room and all I've got is a coffee machine and an iron. I guess I could make grilled cheese with it, but it might get soggy with the steam setting."
“Ew, no, don’t do that,” Quentin said, both cringing and laughing softly. He hadn’t really thought about the fact that staying in a hotel long term also meant that she was eating out for all of her meals. That had to be expensive and not practical in the long term. “You’re welcome to join me, though I’ve got no idea what’s in my kitchen at the moment, so I can’t promise a gourmet meal or anything.” He was suddenly wondering about the state of his kitchen, and then his house in general. It felt like forever since he’d had a guest over. It just wasn’t something he often had time for. There was work and very little else.
It did suck, having to buy every meal to go or have it delivered, but Caius's paying for her room eased up some of those funds. Even so, if she planned on staying for a while, Tessa knew she needed to start thinking about getting a job of some kind. She didn't want to mooch off of Caius forever and she certainly knew better than to ask her dad for any financial help. "We don't have to do it tonight," she pointed out with a grin. "I can give you time to buy something delicious to feed me. Besides, I want to see where you live and your place is as exciting as I imagine it to be."