Page 77 of Highland Hearts Holiday Bookshop

“Matchmaking isn’t an easy business. Moira wouldn’thave trusted you with it if she didn’t think you could do it.”

“But isn’t the magick supposed to help? I should be able to make matches left and right so long as I keep using the magick. I should be able to match even the most difficult of cases.”

“Like fixing your own love life?” Esther asked, teasing.

“Oh, please. I haven’t done that.”

“You haven’t? You have the tools at your disposal. I’m not going to deny that Alexander was smitten with you quickly, but I did wonder if you’d helped it along a wee bit,” Esther said.

“I—”

“Aye, Rosie.” Alexander’s voice cut across the shop, and I jumped as I realized he was standing across the room, his eyes burning a hole through me. “Did you fix yours then?”

“I never…” I said, standing, worry coursing through me at the ravaged look in Alexander’s eyes. He looked like a wounded animal ready to flee.

“Esther, can you give us a moment?” Alexander asked, his voice low. Tension filled me, and I felt like I was a tightrope walker balancing on a very narrow rope.

“Fine.” Esther gathered her coat and her tote, tucking her box of markers and notebook inside it. “Don’t be stupid, boy.”

Alexander didn’t answer her, just continued to stare at me like he’d never seen me before.

“Alexander, please, letme explain.”

“You’re a matchmaker?” Alexander looked around the bookshop. “This is all a front?”

“It’s not a front. It’s really a bookstore, but it seems Moira was running a small matchmaking business out of it. One that I inherited.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this?”

“I haven’t gotten there yet, no.”

“Because of the magick?” Alexander raised an eyebrow at me, and I tried to think of how to explain magick to my logical, pragmatic, software engineer boyfriend.

“I guess so. It’s something I’m still learning. I had no idea, you see? People kept coming in and handing me twenty pounds, asking for the Highland Hearts Special. I had no idea what was going on. Until I found a letter from Moira that told me about the history of the shop and the magick that came with it.” I stepped nearer, wanting to touch him, hug him, to lean into all his warmth and have him tell me it would be okay. But he stayed back, closed off to me.

“The Highland Hearts Special?”

“Yes. The magick allows you to pair people based on their favorite book.”

Alexander closed his eyes, his face falling, and he nodded once to himself, as though confirming his worst fears.

“Which is why you asked me what my favorite book was.”

“What? No,no. I was just making conversation.” Iremembered now, asking him about his favorite book, but not for those reasons. I had just been interested.

“You know, it took me by surprise, I’ll admit.” Alexander shook his head and looked away, and the tone of his voice sent chills down the back of my neck. “Here I’d been more than happy to be alone. I was happy. Content in the life I’d built for myself. Happy with my peace, you ken?”

I nodded, my heart filling with dread.

“And then boom! There you are and, all of a sudden, I’m feeling things I haven’t felt in years. In years. Just out of nowhere. Bam! And you’re like an addiction. I think about you constantly and can’t get you out of my head. I was genuinely starting to fall for you.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I began to understand where he was going with this.

“Alexander, I didn’t?—”

“But it makes sense now. If what you say is real about this magick of yours, I was an easy enough mark, wasn’t I?”

My heart shattered.

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