Page 33 of Brews and Banishments
Daisy blushed. “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since I first met Gary.”
“Really?” Tessa asked. “I thought you went on a few dates over the years.”
Daisy shrugged, twisting her hair around her finger nervously. “They weren’t anything serious,” she mumbled.
“So Ethan’s already serious, huh?” Tessa giggled, bumping her shoulder into Daisy’s.
Daisy let her head fall into her hands, unable to stop the embarrassment from showing.
“Relax, flowers,” Tessa cooed, running her hand over Daisy’s back. “I was only teasing. Is your date with Ethan really getting you this wound up?”
“The dates I’ve had after Gary felt forced, if that makes sense,” Daisy finally said. “I was never ready, and it was never right. I pushed myself when I wasn’t actually meant to jump. But now,” she paused, the smile finding her lips before she could catch it, “I feel something real for Ethan, Tess. It is so real for me, and it could all be because of that spell.”
Tessa frowned. “The spell?”
“What if he came back and asked me out on a date because I wanted it to happen?”
“Well, now,” Tessa shook her head, “we have no way of knowing that.”
Daisy shot up from the bed. “So shouldn’t I cancel the date until we know for certain?”
“Blessed be,no,Daisy!” Tessa exclaimed. “Are you truly that insecure about yourself?”
Daisy glared. “I am not insecure. This is a real concern.”
Tessa shook her head again as she crossed her legs. Her gaze was that of a disappointed mother. “Why can’t you just enjoy this?”
“If Ethan doesn’t really like me, why should I force him to go?” Daisy asked.
“It doesn’t have to be that negative, Daisy,” Tessa replied, her voice even and collected. “There’s nothing unusual about beingnervous. Every woman and every girl gets nervous before their first dates. Don’t be ashamed of it.”
Daisy felt her embarrassment settle, but she stared into the closet still, the nerves growing stronger.
“What if it turns out to all be real?”
Daisy frowned. “What?”
“The date,” Tessa replied. “Your feelingsandEthan’s feelings. What happens then? Wouldn’t you want to enjoy your night?”
The words sunk into her. Daisy pressed her lips together. Sometimes, without realizing it, Tessa managed to still surprise her. She knew very well that Tessa would grow to be a flourishing empath, but besides that and all the magic in the world, she proved herself to be a brilliant friend.
Despite that, Daisy felt the worry wade over her once more. If the reason behind Ethan asking her out did coincide with the potion, it would mean that his interest in her would simply disappear. Things would return to the way they were before, or worse. Daisy swallowed down the stress, not wanting to disappoint Tessa any further. Daisy couldn’t find the strength to conjure up another argument, even if she wanted to. Instead, she waded back to the bed and took a seat beside her best friend.
“You’re right,” she finally said.
Tessa fist-bumped the air, the victory evident on her face. “Shall we go back to outfit picking, then? There’s still the hair and makeup, you know.”
Daisy laughed, ready to tell her to carry on, when the phone started to ring. Holding her hand up to Tessa, Daisy raced out the room, tightening her hold on her warm bathrobe, and slid in front of the phone. She snatched it off the receiver right before the last ring finished.
“Hello?” she greeted, entirely breathless.
“Daisy! It’s Grandma!”
Daisy’s shoulders fell in relief. “Grandma Lotta,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear from you.”
“Whatever’s the matter?” she huffed into the phone. “You sound winded! What’s going on?”
“Nothing to worry about, Grandma,” Daisy quickly said, leaning her shoulder against the wall. “I only wanted to hear your voice. It’s been quite the week for me here.”
