Page 19 of Witchful Thinking

Lucy considered Alex. His dress shirt was wrinkled. His eyes looked unfocused and sleepy, as if he’d recently woken up from a nap. The image of Alex curled up in an unmade bed flashed before her, causing a thrill inside. Look anywhere else. Mermen could dazzle, but she wasn’t going to be dazzled by him. She’d been there, done that, and written the vague Facebook message about heartbreak. She should’ve stayed home with Shadow. Her hand pressed against the cool mesh of the gondola ride. The sun was quickly setting over the ocean. For a moment it seemed like an illusion as if the sun was a swimmer going for a dip into the cool waves.

“How long is this ride?” she asked.

He rubbed his brow with his thumb. “I don’t know.”

“Make a guess. Please.”

“Five minutes, give or take.”

Just make it five minutes, and then you can go home, where you can drink your tea and cuddle with your grumpy cat. The Ferris wheel rocked and moved like a slow wave. It went around in one loop, dipping down and then rising into the sky. The gondola shook back and forth, forcing her to sit and face Alex. His attention remained on her, lingering on her eyes, then scanned all over her body. Had someone turned on the heat? She double-checked her outfit to make sure a button hadn’t popped open, showing off the goods. Lucy threw a hand over herself. Four minutes left. Mentally, she listed her favorite herbs and plants and their uses. A is for aloe vera, used for sunburn. B is for basil, great on a pizza—

“I thought you liked it fast.”

Say what? Lucy’s eyebrows practically flew off. She peered at Alex expectantly.

“I thought you liked fast rides,” Alex restated with a smirk. “You once told me that if you wanted to go slow, you’d get off and walk.”

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. Ugh. Of course he’d remember that little detail about her.

“I usually don’t ride the Ferris wheel.”

Alex stared at her, waiting for an explanation. Fine. Let him hear her tale of singledom.

“I’m a single rider,” she explained. Alex nodded wisely. The ride attendant usually didn’t let a single rider on without making a big fuss and screaming out for another passenger. Lucy looked at the empty seat next to him. Unless he was dating the Invisible Woman, it seemed that he was alone. Well, okay then.

“I guess they changed the rules.”

Lucy folded her arms. “What level is your thrill ride?”

“I like fast, then slow,” Alex said, a bit of bass in his voice. “I get a chance to catch my breath and feel it all. I like to take my time.”

Lucy ran a hand over her outfit to quell the feeling. His words caused an excited shudder throughout her body. I bet he does. Everything felt a little tingly. Three minutes left.

“Good to know,” she murmured. Silence stretched on between them. Back in high school, she would’ve given up peanut butter cups for a year just to get stuck in a gondola with Alex. Back then their future was as blank as pages in a new journal. Now time and distance had filled in those once-open pages and made them strangers to each other. The Ferris wheel came around again. It went for a third loop, but this time it went much, much slower. The gondola lurched forward, then back, and then it came to a sudden stop. Lucy held on to her seat, her heart hammering in her throat. She forced herself not to look down at the tiny people below. The entire ride didn’t move. Lucy pressed her back against the seat, and her head moved back and forth. She didn’t like heights. She sure didn’t like being on malfunctioning rides. She was under a spell that she didn’t yet know how to control.

The universe had answered.

You wanted excitement.

You got excitement.

Chapter Seven

If Alex’s life were a movie, it would be a romantic comedy.

He’d met the girl, lost the girl, and now he found himself right back inher life.

He’d watched enough rom-coms with previous girlfriends, friends, and female cousins that he knew how to recognize the beats. The lovelorn main character who almost had it all. The lovestruck love interest who wanted forever after. The wacky relative or friend who made obvious commentary. This moment, being trapped on a broken-down ride, had to be a meet-cute for the ages. Nancy Meyers couldn’t have written a better meet-cute. Alex tried to imagine what pop song hit would play over this moment, the two romantic leads trapped together. All the Ferris wheels at the shore, and Lucy Caraway had gotten in his gondola. She, in a luscious tumble, had thrown herself onboard, and for one moment all he could do was watch Lucy. Sweet Atlantic Ocean. The sundress she wore, covered in moon phases, hugged her body. He even caught a glimpse of her cleavage before he snapped his attention back to her face. Still beautiful. Always lovely.

They made eye contact. He’d forced himself to say some clever wacky-ass line.

Play it cool. Freak out inside. The wiggle of her painted toes in old leather sandals completed the “witch at the fair” look. Once the ride got stuck and stopped, it was clear this night wouldn’t end easily. If he knew the gods were suddenly granting wishes, he should’ve asked for the limited-edition sneakers he’d waited on line two hours for. That the coveted pair of medium gray-white and dark-gray shoes with a pigeon patch sold out the moment he got to the shop door proved only one thing: You can’t always get what you want.

Flashing sirens pulled him back to here and now. A Freya Grove fire truck barreled down Main Street, turning in to the festival entrance, its lights and sirens squealing. Zeke was probably working the truck tonight. Guilt hit him right in the ribs. Maybe he should’ve gone out for a drink with Zeke. Alex let out a harsh laugh. You weren’t even supposed to be here tonight. He recalled the events that had led him to the gondola. After eating two huge slices of birthday cake, he’d retreated to his hotel. He hadn’t changed clothes, sleeping in them instead. He couldn’t bring himself to go to 1324 Summerfield Street. The keys remained in his pocket. Horatio sent him a text message asking if he wanted to go over and check out the place, but he didn’t respond. Just for one more day, he didn’t want to deal with the house nightmare waiting for him. He scrolled his feed, stopping when he noticed Nahla had updated her profile with a new picture. She, in her baker’s jacket, stood arms outstretched in front of a food truck decorated with dancing cartoon desserts. Nahla’s face was split into a wide grin. He read the caption underneath.

Coming to a city near you! We’re debuting Nahla’s Nibbles truck this summer! Get a bite to eat of something sweet.

See, she seems happier without you. Alex tore his attention away from the picture. He had seen the carnival lights from his room. For one night he wanted to feel a little less alone.

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