Page 47 of Witchful Thinking
Alex loosened his arms from around her. Lucy stepped back. He’d won. But what would it cost him?
***
“I didn’t know merfolk liked cake that much!” Sirena said, settling down on the fainting couch. She took a long, dramatic sip from her iced tea, giving Lucy a saucy look. Callie said nothing but stirred her tea while holding back a laugh. They’d gathered for iced tea and gossip, and to discuss the aftermath of the cakewalk drama. Once Lucy summarized the entire event, her sisters gave her twin glares of amazement.
“How do I fix this?” Lucy asked.
“I think it’s romantic,” Callie cooed, pressing a hand to her heart, fluttering her eyelashes. “It’s like he said ‘Hey, world, this is my cake, and this is my woman. Back off.’”
Lucy clutched her iced tea, staring down at the ice cubes. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
The Grove was buzzing with the news of Alex’s outrageous cake bid. She’d made a quick friend in Poe, the owner of the yet-to-be-opened Rain or Shine Bookstore, but found herself intrigued by Theodore Duval, Poe’s co-owner and friend. He also was a guest professor at Meadowdale College. Lucy had been on the verge of asking him out for drinks when Alex came over with a stormy expression. He’d picked up the pen, scribbled a number, and thrown the cakewalk into chaos.
“You’ve crushed on Alex forever. It was only a matter of time before you two do something or do each other,” Sirena said. She lifted her eyebrow for emphasis.
Lucy groaned. It didn’t make any sense. She cast a wish spell and then suddenly her high school crush was into her big-time. She shook her head. Something had to be done about the wish before it wrecked her life and heart. “Has a package come in yet?”
“Nope. No book,” Callie said. “I checked the mail.”
This moment wasn’t real. It was the wish at work, sprinkling excitement in her life like sprinkles on a cupcake. Speaking of which, Poe had already texted the time and date for the next Delectables group meeting. Apparently, next month’s theme was blueberries. She would think about baking later.
“Can we please talk about something else?” Lucy asked. “Si, how did your investor meeting go?”
“Eh. My investor got nervous. Apparently, she didn’t like the whole witchy thing.” Sirena threw her hands up.
“You’ll get it next time, Si,” Callie said.
“I’m scaring everyone off with my vibe. I can’t get an investor. I can’t get a date. No one’s put a bid on my cake in a long time. I wish I had someone to bid on my cake,” Sirena mused.
“Felix hasn’t put in his bid yet,” Callie said sweetly.
“I’m getting really confused. We are talking about sex, right?” Lucy asked, her head still spinning from yesterday’s events.
“Keep up, Lucy! Of course, we’re taking about doing the deed. The horizonal tango. Knocking boots. Making—”
“Thank you for clarifying,” Sirena said loudly, interrupting Callie’s growing list of euphemisms. She turned to Lucy with a concerned look. “Have you spoken to Alex yet?”
Lucy shook her head. They hadn’t talked, but his touch had stayed with her all night long. He texted and she answered. When she wasn’t texting Alex, she was also texting Theo. A small wiggle of guilt nestled in her chest. She shouldn’t feel guilty about texting another guy, but there’d been an obvious spark between her and Alex at the cakewalk. He’d picked her. He’d bid on her cake, claimed her cake even when there were plenty of interested buyers.
He didn’t do it because he felt sorry for her but because he wanted to show the Grove that…she paused. She mattered to him.
He’d held her tightly to keep her from taking back his bid, and they’d gotten tangled up as one. Even though she could’ve easily gotten out of his grasp, they’d stayed in their embrace. Then, there was the issue of the vision she had on the boardwalk. It changed how she saw her friendship with Alex. If Ursula hadn’t threatened to hex Alex, then things might have ended up differently.
She might have asked Alex to stay the summer with her before she left for college. Instead, she invited him to her graduation party, which he immediately turned down, and he left town that night. Past and present emotions were mixing together, creating a sense of chaos inside her.
Lucy took another sip, crunching the ice cubes she caught in her mouth. There wasn’t enough tea to make her forget all the nasty things she’d thought about doing to Alex. She’d had a fevered dream about Alex, their limbs tangled together, but they were buck-ass naked in her bed. She’d run her tongue up and down his body, devouring him like a melting ice cream cone. He’d returned the favor repeatedly. Slowly. Sweetly.
“Did he like your cake?” Callie asked, invading her dirty thoughts.
“Hm?” Lucy responded. Callie and Sirena stared at her, waiting for a response.
Lucy clutched her tea. “He’s never had my cake.”
“He bid on your cake. He must really like cake.” Callie slid Sirena a sly look.
“Can we please stop using the word ‘cake’?” Lucy snapped, rubbing her temple.
The front door opened and closed. Ursula entered the room in her usual professional wear. She greeted Callie and Sirena but gave Lucy a nod. Ursula’s lips were puckered so tight that it looked as if she’d eaten not just one lemon but an entire lemon tree.