Page 4 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
My cousin wrapped me in her arms and sighed. “You two were super close, Lee. I know it hurt you the most when he up and left, but I think you owe it to yourself to hear him out.”
* * *
That night, I tossed and turned so much, my familiar, a black cat named Rita Moreno—yes, she’d named herself after the gorgeous actress—sashayed over my face and out of my bedroom. Giving up on sleep, I got up and dressed for the day.
My morning run was doing little to clear my head. Images of Grayson McCune had filled my mind with each strike of my heel to the pavement. Him as a kid, then a teen, and now the grown man who had heated my insides with merely a glance.
It scared me to wonder if he was the reason I’d refused to settle for anyone. Our childhood friendship had spurred a teenage crush, so his departure had not only devastated the part of me that had viewed him as my best friend but also the part of me that had wanted more.
The butterflies flying around my belly had refused to give it a break since the moment I’d seen him. How could I settle for someone like Kenny, who couldn’t set off a mere spark let alone the tsunami of flutters Grayson caused?
Not that adult Grayson wanted anything more than my forgiveness and to repair our friendship.
“I’ll see you all on Monday at six a.m. sharp, by the bleachers,” I announced and dismissed the group of teens who’d shown up to my room. The running club members nodded, and a murmur of agreement filled the air as they filed out of my classroom.
Barely two seconds after the door closed behind the group, a knock sounded and Kenny’s face popped inside. “Got a minute?”
I bit back a groan. “I’m on my way out.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Ugh! I wanted to yell at him that I didn’twanthim walking me out, but instead I curled my hands into fists and released them as I sucked in a deep breath. “How can I help you, Kenny?”
“Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“McCune is back?”
The tone of his words caught me off guard, and I stumbled. “Grayson is back. Do you have a problem with that?”
He shrugged. “I mean, not really, as long as he stays out of trouble.”
My feet quit moving, and my head tilted upward with anger. “Trouble? You think Grayson is going to cause trouble?”
For the first time since he’d started pursuing me, Kenny’s eyes rounded with uncertainty. “I—I um, I guess I just meant I hope the time away has helped him not become like his father.”
White-hot rage filled me, and I closed the distance between us. Our chests nearly touched as I glared at him. “Listen to me clearly because I won’t repeat myself. Grayson is and has never beenanythinglike his father.”
“I didn’t think you two had stayed in touch,” the son of a gun said.
My nostrils flared. “Grayson. Is. Nothing. Like. His. Father. Am I clear?”
Kenny’s eyes narrowed, and when his mouth moved to speak, I turned on my heels and got the H-E double hockey sticks out of dodge. Fury propelled me forward, and before I knew it, I appeared in the bakery behind the cases.
Confusion filled me as I slowly turned, taking in Cami, her cases of treats, and the doorway that led to her kitchen.
“Whoa.” Cami squealed as she swatted at the smoke I’d created, a tray of delicious sweets bobbing in her other hand.
I grabbed a warm guava-filled donut from the tray and took a big bite, growling deep in my throat as the strange tingling dissipated from my limbs. Although I’d inherited being a witch from my mother, I’d never mastered the ability to teleport, like every other witch I’d ever met. Apparently today decided to change that. I was merely glad the Goddess decided my favorite place would be my first destination.
“I didn’t think you could teleport,” Cami said.
“I can’t…” I said around another bite of gooey happiness. My heart raced in my chest as nervous excitement bubbled within me after my first teleport. When fear tickled the edges of my mind with questions about why now and if it was a one-time thing, my throat tightened.
Cami loaded a case with the treats as she chuckled. “Could have fooled me.”
“Not sure how I…” I pounded on my chest and coughed when a piece of dough activated my gag reflex.
