Page 30 of A Touch Charmed

“He did.” Thora hugged it to her and my chest expanded.

“He was always a sweet one.” Selene gave me a secret smile. “I won over the love of my life thanks to the festival games. There’s magic in them.”

Ella wrapped her arms around Selene’s waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. I had no doubt love created its own kind of magic, and Selene and Ella had it in spades. They asked if they could keep Thora’s bear for her until we were ready to leave, to free up her hands for other things. Because meddling old ladies had their own kind of magic too.

Brooke had a tarot and tea leaf booth close by and came over to say hi. She held out her hand to Thora. “We’ve never officially met, but I’m one of the twelve, too. Cancer.”

“Aries.” Thora shook her hand. “Who are you matched with?”

“We don’t know for sure.” Brooke cringed. “But it’s most likely Cole Latham.”

Thora clicked her tongue in sympathy. “I’m sorry.”

“Damn, you two.” I didn’t necessarily disagree with them, but still felt obligated to defend my best friend’s brother. “Cole isn’t that bad.”

They both gave me an unamused look.

“I asked him to sign off on using a portion of Latham land to extend the festival grounds, and he told me that my poor planning wasn’t his fucking problem,” Thora said. “I would’ve been cool with a simple no. Donovan ended up giving me the okay anyway.”

“When I gave out flowers for the May Day parade, he looked at me like I’d handed him a bomb, then he crushed it in his fist and threw it in the trash. While he stared at me the whole time,” Brooke said. “Who does something like that?”

“Okay, I get it. Cole is a dick.” I tried, but the dude created his own reputation. “Sorry, Brooke.”

“It’s whatever.” She waved it off. “He won’t even admit he felt the first earthquake, so I’m at a standstill. Wes said he’s working on it.”

I didn’t know Cole well. No one did really. But I did know he couldn’t be pushed or forced into doing what someone else wanted. He needed to be maneuvered into thinking it had been his idea all along. I just hoped he got there long before we needed him.

By mid-afternoon, the crowd had doubled. That’s when the best featured acts started. We wandered over to the various sideshows, all of which had stages that had been built by me. I never got tired of seeing my work on display like this. Knowing I contributed something meaningful to my home’s most important event gave me a bone-deep sense of satisfaction.

Thora wanted to see Violet’s mermaid show, so I got us tickets and we headed inside the red-and-yellow-striped tent.

“This is so cool.” Thora gripped my arm and leaned into me as we took our seats on a wooden bench. “I didn’t know Violet did this every year.”

“It helps promote her family’s business.”

Violet’s parents owned a scuba shop that also sold bait and fishing equipment. I was a regular of theirs. They had quality stuff, but it wasn’t as flashy as some of the other businesses on the island, and even more seasonal, so they struggled a bit in the winters.

As a result, most residents went out of their way to buy things from the Fischers that they didn’t necessarily need. For all the gossipy bullshit that happened on the island, one of the things I loved about living in a small town was that we took care of our own.

Donovan popped his head in, probably making the rounds on quality control, since Wes had taken the week off and Cole couldn’t be trusted not to scare off the general population. Thora waved to him and gestured him over. They used to hang out in high school, even though Donovan was a year behind her, and Seth had been in her grade. He was probably the only person Thora had been friends with that I actually liked, but I never told her that. She was protective of the people she considered friends. Even if they didn’t deserve it.

“Well, well. Isn’t this cozy?” Donovan gave us both a shit-eating grin as he pulled on the end of his beard. “Starting to feel like old times around here.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I gestured for him to move to the side. “Feel free to give us shit while sitting down. Your giant head is blocking our view.”

He took a seat next to Thora and leaned over to whisper something in her ear that had her cheeks turning red. She elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed.

I shook my head as I smiled at my feet. Damn, it felt good to be out with her like this. Almost like we were a couple again, even though she’d probably be horrified if I told her that. Still. I was content to let it feel like it all the same.

The lights dimmed and the curtain opened to a single spotlight on a giant tank of water up on stage. Resting her elbows on the edge, Violet gave a bright smile and waved to the crowd, who oohed and aahed over her setup. She wore a jewel-toned green tail and hot pink shells. She had enormous blue eyes the color of a clear summer sky and delicate features that made her look like she’d been plucked right from the screen of a princess movie.

She took a deep breath, then flipped backward into the water. The tank had been set up like an aquarium, with bright neon pebbles at the bottom and a plaster castle she could swim in and out of. She did a series of complicated turns and swirls in the water.

The crowd was mesmerized, as if they were watching an underwater ballet. She swam into the castle, then emerged with a handful of water bottles with the logo of her parents’ shop on them, which she tossed into the crowd when she came up for air.

She took another deep breath and dove back down. I turned to ask Thora if she was enjoying the show, but ended up catching sight of Donovan’s expression on her other side.

It was the same one Wes had every time he looked at Audrey.

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