Page 17 of Love's a Witch
But I’d never hoped for it to be like this.
I had paused, uncertain what to do, and Sloane had kicked the ball forcefully against the wall. The ball had bounced, ricocheting wildly, and landed at my feet.
Picking it up, I’d waited as she’d stomped toward me, all teenage angst and stubborn beauty.
“You all right?” I’d asked, worried for her.
“Aye.” She’d grabbed the ball, and I held it a moment longer than necessary, wanting her to meet my eyes. When she’d finally looked up, I’d glimpsed worlds of pain in her depths, and I wanted to reach out, to hug her, to offer her some sort of solace. Yet I’d been just an awkward teenager, unversed in the ways of navigating troubled families.
“If you need…” I trailed off as she yanked the ball from my hands and stomped away.
I’d been privy to a private moment. It wasn’t my burden to share.
Frankly, all of the MacGregor sisters were beautiful, but it had always been Sloane that had caught my eye. Moody greenish eyes, lilting toward gray, a stubborn chin, and a mouth made for kissing.
Not that I’d ever tried. Our paths had only crossed a few times in childhood, but the girl she had been paled in comparison to the woman she’d bloomed into. I’d been stunned yesterday, having difficulty finding my words as she’d angrily waved her hands in front of my face.
Sloane MacGregor. My secret teenage crush had blossomed into one hell of a woman.
Not that it much mattered what I thought one way or the other. She needed to leave. Along with her family.
“Put it on my tab, mate.” I nodded out the window to the car that was currently being covered with snow.
“Och, it’s a dreich day, lad. I heard it’s the MacGregors we have to thank for this lovely weather,” Liam said, clearing my soup bowl.
“It’s not their fault.” I surprised myself by defending them. I needed them to go, didn’t I? It would be easier if the town was on my side. I’d worked too hard to bring Briarhaven back from the brink of desolation to have the sisters and their blood curse mess things up.
“Aye, it’s a right shite curse, isn’t it, then?” Liam mopped the bar with a towel, squinting out the window.
Shrugging, I left the pub, nodding at a few people on the way out. Tugging my wool cap from my pocket, I pulled it over my hair and zipped my coat against the wind, stomping through the snow that had accumulated on the path to the car park.
I could hear the starter clicking, indicating a dead battery, from across the lot. Sighing, I stopped outside the car and knocked on the window.
Screams rose from inside.
Despite myself, I laughed, and brushed the snow away from the window until Sloane’s glaring face appeared.
My heart tripped as I took in her scowl, the pretty curve of her lips.
The door cracked open, and Sloane leaned her head out.
“Car troubles, lass?” I asked, fully knowing there was, indeed, a problem.
“Nope.” Sloane sniffed and moved to close the door. I caught the frame with my hand and held it open, easily enough, and Sloane glared up at my hand.
“I could break your fingers if I slammed them in the door.”
“I would advise against doing so,” I suggested, leaning closer.
“Then take your hand off my door.”
“It’s clear you need help. Your battery is dead.”
“Yesterday you wanted to kick us out and today you want to help us?” Sloane arched a brow at me.
“Can’t leave town with a dead battery, can you now, lass? Go on, then, lift the bonnet for me.”
“Just let him do it, Sloane. It’s freezing,” Nova hissed from the back seat, and I leaned in farther to see Lyra and Nova, matching scowls on their faces.
