Page 94 of Witchful Thinking
“If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask.”
A bright flare of desire sprang into his eyes. “I will do that.”
Alex wore a threadbare Home and Hearth T-shirt, dark-wash jeans, and boots, but he wore the outfit like a designer suit. He was no longer the merman eager to explore other horizons. There was a sense of contentment in his soul that she recognized in him. He’d traveled down to Washington, DC, to visit her during her residency, and they’d called, video-chatted, and texted all the time just to keep, as the elders say, “the home fire burning.”
Lucy returned to her home baker roots and continued to make treats for all the neighbors after her adventures in baking last summer. She kept in touch with the Delectables and even signed up for a culinary class. For Lucy’s thirtieth birthday, Callie and Sirena bought an online class pass to Interior Design Basics. She learned more about design trends, fabrics, and color theory. Anything was possible if she tried with a fearless spirit and a gutsy heart. She’d let go of fear and held this life she’d made with Alex.
What a difference a year made. Life was filled with possibilities rather than limitations. Her teacup runneth over with blessings. Now there wasn’t a day that they didn’t share their hopes and dreams. Lucy had shared the job posting with Alex. He applied the next day. Alex, when he wasn’t working on his gallery showing, taught photography classes at Meadowdale College to eager students looking to capture the world around them. He worked with Horatio to improve his social media presence and even helped him sign up for an Instagram profile to show off his renovations. Meanwhile, Lucy had recently finished up her work with the Library of Congress just last month. With her principal’s support, she took a teaching sabbatical from her school to attend the residency program. She spent the spring studying priceless documents, creating lessons, and getting back that creative spark she’d lost over the last two years.
She’d booked the earliest train home right after the farewell dinner.
Alex had been there at the train station holding a sign reading WELCOME HOME.
Yes, she was home. They stood up from the table, gathered their trash and tossed it into the nearest can. When Lucy held Alex, it was as if the ocean met the shore, and she was in the right place. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“How are the Caraway sisters?”
“Sirena practically sleeps at Ad Astra.” Lucy felt herself frown. “I barely see Callie.”
“Going back to college is no joke,” Alex said, pride in his voice. Even though he wasn’t blood yet, he treated her sisters and the Caraways as if they were his own. Aunt Niesha had adopted him as her nephew, and Uncle Leo made Alex his spades partner for every major holiday. Mom and Pop Dwyer spent Yuletide with them at the cottage.
Lucy sighed. Her gut rioted. “I’m proud, but I’m worried.”
Alex wrapped a hand around her shoulder, settling her fears. “She’s a Caraway, so she can do anything if she has magic on her side.”
The magic was always with them. If she wasn’t spending every other night at the cottage, then she was casting spells and helping her sisters whenever she saw them. They’d agreed to see the spell to the end, but things changed so rapidly. Sirena woke up before dawn to set up and prep the restaurant. Callie commuted to campus every other day, coming home well after dark, having opted to take night classes. They made time for tea, but their dreams and lives were taking them in new directions.
“I hope so, but something’s changed.” Lucy closed her eyes and breathed in the air. Everything pulsated with an invisible magic that was unknown. If people thought the Grove was strange, they hadn’t seen anything yet. She snapped her eyes open and peered at Alex.
He watched her, concerned. “What do you mean?”
“Our wishes changed everything. I can feel it,” Lucy said. “I don’t think we’ve seen everything yet.”
“Have you spoken to Ursula?”
Lucy shook her head sadly. They hadn’t spoken since the rehearsal dinner. She had been unable to reach Ursula through the power of her wish. Lucy thought about texting and calling, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. Time healed old hurts. She hoped. She wished.
“Hey.” Alex squeezed her hand. “I’m here when you want to talk.”
“Thank you, love. Today we’re celebrating you.”
“We’ve celebrated all day—in bed, on the table, in the kitchen.” Alex waggled his brow. “You know what I really want for my birthday?” He lowered his voice into a seductive whisper. Mercy. He held her flush against him. A familiar shiver of want went through her at his touch, and she wrapped her hands around his waist, settling into their embrace and shielding them from the world.
“I can imagine,” Lucy said.
Softly, his breath fanned her face. “A paper fortune from Madame Zora.”
Lucy groaned. She dropped her hands away from him. He gave a playful smile, then pointed over to the Madame Zora booth.
“That’s not what I was expecting, but okay.”
“I never got mine last year. I was too distracted by your beauty.”
“Always the merman.”
“I can’t help it.” Alex stood and held out his hand to her. They fit together, her missing puzzle piece. They strolled over to the booth. Alex kept looking around as if something exciting was about to happen. Maybe they were going to get kettle corn and lemonade. Lucy stood in front of the electric-light sign of Madame Zora’s Mystic Fortune Booth. Déjà vu rushed through her.
“Why don’t you go first?” Alex suggested. “It worked out so well last time.”