Page 99 of Kiss and Spell

Lucy, wearing a loose sunflower dress, showed no signs of nerves. She looked Ursula over with a wide smile. “I’m loving the whole faerie witch princess vibe. It’s very romantic.”

Ursula glanced down at the outfit. Her stomach clenched. “Is it too much?”

Sirena made a face. “You’re meeting a fae prince at a ball to declare your love for him. It’s just enough.”

Ursula grumbled quietly. Did she have to pick the most bridal-looking outfit?

When she walked out of the dressing room at Betty’s Boutique, Whitney and Mama had clapped and cooed over her. And when she looked in the store’s mirror, she’d felt everything—the excitement, the joy, the love—she wished she had felt on her canceled wedding day. The empire-waist cream gown with woven crystals and ribbon made her feel as if she was going to dance the night away with a prince. Her prince.

She hoped that he joined her tonight.

Ursula opened her phone, scrolled back to Diane’s old text, and read it. The course of true love never did run smooth.

She laughed to herself. True love waited for her at the end of this rough road, but she was ready to receive Xavier. Her heart was eager to hold him close.

“What time is it?” Ursula focused on the digital clock on the nightstand. Her stomach clenched again. Did time decide to take an energy drink? Because it was racing by too fast.

“Don’t focus on that. Worry about your crown being crooked.” Lucy straightened her crown. She gave her a hopeful grin. “Lovely.”

Ursula looked to her other cousin. “Sirena? Can I have the time?”

Sirena held up her phone and the time appeared on the screen. It was almost time to head down to the ballroom.

“This is just like Ever After with Drew Barrymore waiting for her prince to arrive,” Sirena said with a wistful, almost romantic sigh.

Ursula frowned. “Wasn’t he late?”

“The hero still showed up,” Lucy said. “He also kissed her.”

“Listen, Drew got her prince. You’ll get yours,” Sirena said. She touched her long-chained pendant, twirling it between her fingers. Ursula narrowed her eyes. Sirena, a stickler for not wearing dangling jewelry in the kitchen, didn’t do necklaces. She’d ask about it later when she wasn’t feeling like a jitterbug.

Ursula needed her eternally optimistic cousin to throw some confetti on her or give her a Boss Lady pep talk. “Where’s Callie?”

Sirena mumbled something under her breath about down payments and roommates.

Lucy turned to Ursula. “She’s apartment hunting. Her commute’s too much, so she’s moving to Meadowdale for the next year.”

Ursula slid a look over to Lucy. “And you’re moving out with Alex.”

Lucy smiled but didn’t say anything.

“The cheese stands alone,” Sirena said. Her eyes were filled with a deep longing.

She thrust a half-filled plastic cup into Ursula’s hand. Ursula was hit with a cloying tropical scent and winced. “What’s that?”

“It’s for courage,” Sirena said with a wink.

“No, she’s not meeting her Prince Charming smelling like a drunk coconut.” Lucy took the cup from Ursula and drank it in one gulp. She hissed and patted her chest. “Ugh, sis. You always had a heavy pour.” Lucy cleared her throat. She glanced over to the clock and nodded. “It’s time. If you’re on time, that means you’re late.”

Nerves got the best of Ursula. Words tumbled out of her mouth. “What if he doesn’t—”

Lucy held up a hand. “No. We’re not inviting that negativity right now.”

“But I have to consider it.” Ursula played with the ribbon dangling from her dress sleeve. What if he doesn’t show up?

Lucy held her by the shoulders and met her eyes. “If he’s foolish enough to pass up on a boss witch like you, then we’re going to take you home, feed you cookie dough ice cream, and tell you how much we love you.”

Ursula blinked back her tears. Those words were exactly what she needed to hear. She was ready to go to the ball.

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