Page 15 of Rafael

Rafael shook his head. “Of course not. Magic isn’t real. It doesn’t exist. You can’t put your hands on it. Touch it. Feel it.”

Gisele crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you breathe air, Mr. Romero?”

His brow twisted. “We all do,” he said.

“Can you touch it or feel it?” Gisele asked.

Rafael frowned. “No.”

“Neither can I,” Gisele said. “Does it make any less real? Can we live without it?”

“No,” Rafael said. “But that’s different. We have to have oxygen to breathe and live.”

“Just like magic, you can’t feel it or touch it.” She smiled. “But you believe it exists. Who is to say magic doesn’t exist? Maybe all you need to do is believe that it exists.”

Rafael’s brow dipped lower. “How do you know if your potions work? Have you witnessed the effects your potions have on your customers?

She nodded. “I have.”

“And do they work?” Rafael asked.

“For the most part.” Gisele lifted one of the bottles from the shelf. “This mixture is one I concoct to help people with depression.”

Rafael cocked an eyebrow. “Did it cure a customer’s depression?”

“Not so much cured, but it helped that person to feel better about herself. I encouraged her to volunteer at the animal shelter. She swears the potion worked.” Gisele’s lips twisted. “I think the dog she adopted is the real reason she’s no longer depressed.”

“Remy tells me that people buy into your voodoo because your grandmother is the Bayou Voodoo Queen.”

Gisele cocked an eyebrow. “And that doesn’t scare you?”

“I find it fascinating.”

“Not unnerving?”

He shook his head. “Not at all.”

“You aren’t afraid I’ll put a hex on you and turn you into a cockroach?”

Rafael laughed. “You’d do that?”

Her narrowed. “If you hurt my cousin again, I might consider it.”

His smile faded. “I don’t know what your cousin told you, but I have no intention of having a relationship with her. Not now, or ever. I tried telling her several times, but she wouldn’t let it go.”

“You broke her heart,” Gisele accused.

“I don’t know how.” Rafael shoved a hand through his hair. “I only danced with her once at the Crawdad Hole, and she thinks I’m in love with her. I’m not. I’m sorry if I hurt her feelings, but I’m not interested in her.”

For a long moment, Gisele held his gaze as if assessing his words. Finally, she shrugged. “Bianca is young and impressionable—and she’s beautiful. She’s used to every guy falling all over themselves proclaiming their love. She could be confused. But I saw you two kiss.”

“You sawherkissme.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hadn’t been able to get through to Bianca. Now, he was having difficulty getting through to Gisele. “I’d like to put the entire incident behind me.” He held up a hand like he was swearing on a witness stand. “I promise that I’m not going after your cousin. Though she is attractive, she’s not my type.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Rafael wished he hadn’t said it.

Gisele lifted her chin and stared down her nose at him. “And what would your type be?”

He didn’t speak at once, wanting to choose his words carefully. “I prefer a woman who is more mature and isn’t clingy. Someone who knows who she is and what she wants out of life. A woman who doesn’t need a man to define her. And she needs to be passionate.”

Gisele snorted.

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