Page 20 of Witchful Thinking
He glanced over at Lucy. Her knee pressed against the gondola door. A crowd had gathered below. His overactive brain went into overdrive. When was the last time this ride was serviced? His chest tightened.
He forced a light tone into his voice. “Be careful. Those doors are tricky.”
She said nothing but yanked back. The tightness eased a fraction within him. He avoided leaning on the door as well. Everything would be better if they were on the ground.
“Do you think they’ll call another fire department?” She looked down at the commotion. Her face was pinched in with worry. “I do love a man with a nice big truck.”
When he didn’t say anything, Lucy added, “Don’t even get me started on his hose.” She waggled her brow.
Empathy washed through him. Some things never changed. Lucy always made terrible puns and jokes when she got nervous. If she was making dick jokes, then she was really freaking out on the inside. During their junior trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, while riding the gut-dropping Buccaneer Pirate Ship, she’d told more dirty jokes than a Netflix comedy special.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said gently.
Lucy exhaled, and her shoulders eased. “Do you think we’ll make the evening news? The Freya Grove Press might show up.”
They needed a distraction to pass the time since they didn’t know when they’d be rescued. His mind rattled through a quick list of games. “Let’s play a game.”
“Like what?” she asked. “I left my Scrabble board at home.”
One popped into his head. Alex snapped his fingers once he got it. “Two truths and a lie. Have you played before?”
Lucy gave Alex an “Are you kidding me?” face of disbelief. “I teach. Icebreakers are a job requirement. Don’t get it twisted.” She raised her brow questioningly, the same way she might have done with a smart-mouthed student who asked if they still had to do any homework for her class. He held back a smile. He liked getting a glimpse of the teacher she’d become. It wasn’t too hard to imagine her standing in front of a classroom in a sweater covered in stars and wearing an eclectic dress that would make Lucy look like a much more fashionable Ms. Frizzle.
Admiration bloomed within him.
“Let’s talk about rules. You share three facts about yourself. Two must be true, but one must be a lie,” Lucy rattled off. Alex gave her a look. “Don’t act surprised. I’ve played this game enough that people tell either all lies or all truths. Whoever finds the most lies wins. Let’s talk about the prize. Winner takes all.”
His attention dipped to her mouth. The merfolk in him dared him to be bold. “It depends on what you want.”
“I know what I want.” Her voice trailed off. She ran her tongue slowly over the line of her lips, then smiled fully. Heat rose in his chest, and a soft ache stayed there. Damn, he forgot how her smile made him feel. It was as if the sun had popped out from behind gray clouds and warmed his skin. Her smile turned mischievous. “I want a large sausage and spinach pizza from Rapunzel’s.”
“Wow.” Alex blinked, then laughed to himself. That pizza order was their usual pie—they’d shared it whenever they were studying for an important test. “I didn’t know Rapunzel’s was still around. Do they still have their Tower special? With the lemonade and iced tea drink?”
“Of course.” Lucy held out her hand. “Bet?”
Alex took it and held her hand. “Bet.”
For the second time in twenty-four hours, he’d touched Lucy. Each time he touched her, it felt like pure sweetness was being shot into his veins, making him feel like he was on a sugar high. He understood, just from her touch, why candy was so addictive. It made you instantly blissful. When he left this town, he was going to leave craving every part of her.
He noticed a smudge of powdered sugar on her lips and clenched his fists to keep from cleaning it off with his thumb. Yup, he was in his own personal romantic comedy hell. He pulled back, then gestured to his mouth. “You’ve got some sugar here.”
It was better to remove temptation.
“Oh.” Lucy wiped it off, then licked her fingers clean. Alex watched, dazed, heat rising in his chest. Too late, he thought. She is the temptation.
“Okay. You start,” Alex said.
Lucy tapped her chin. “My mom and I have the same middle name. My uncle taught me how to drive. My parents didn’t let me date until I was seventeen.”
“The second one is a lie,” he said after a short pause.
Lucy laughed. “You’re good. Dad taught me how to drive. Mom and I both share a middle name.”
“Ruth?” he blurted out.
Lucy tilted her head. Her face lit up. “I told you?”
“You told me during that econ assignment. We had to fill out that fake paperwork for our fake house.”