Page 24 of Kiss and Spell
“Sure. I can stay for a little while.”
His pout disappeared and that smile of his returned in full force. Her knees weakened, but she held strong. Ursula’s phone buzzed rapidly. Someone left her a voice mail, so it must be important.
“I’ve got to check this message. Give me a moment, then I’m all yours.”
The words sounded strange leaving her mouth. She hadn’t been anyone’s anything for a while, but she liked being here with Xavier. He nodded; his eyes twinkled with anticipation.
“I’ll go get us a bottle,” he said with a bow. “The space is yours, Madame.”
She waited until he left the nook space, then took her phone out. The voice mail icon in the corner stood out. Ursula typed in her code, then pressed the speaker button. Mama’s voice came on the line. “Hey, darling! Someone wanted to say hi!”
There was a rustling on the line as if the phone was being traded from person to person.
“Hey, cuz. It’s Sirena. I called before, but it was from a new number. I don’t blame you for not answering, those robocalls are a hot mess. I wanted to say hey. My email got hacked, but Auntie gave me your contact info. A few cousins are getting together for drinks at the next full moon to celebrate. You know how we do. Text me. Don’t be a stranger. Love you. Bye.”
Ursula played it again. One phrase stood out to her. You know how we do. Yes. She did. Once, when Mama was on location for a Lifetime TV movie, Ursula had stayed with her cousins Lucy, Sirena, and Callie at their house. They stayed up late watching SNICK, eating cheesy snacks, and brewing beauty potions for the next morning. Ursula brought her crystals, Lucy read their tea leaves, Callie read their palms, and Sirena made chocolate milk.
They’d snuck into the kitchen to get the good syrup from the fridge and the full-fat milk. Sirena stirred the chocolate and whipped it up exactly seven times, until it was nice and frothy. They’d stood in the light of the fridge, being quiet so they wouldn’t wake the adults.
“Look at the bubbles,” Sirena had ordered them. “They’ll form into a letter. Whatever letter appears in the milk will be the first letter of the name of your true love.”
“No way!” Ursula peered at the bubbles in her cup. “I don’t see anything.”
“I can see it! It’s an L or it might be a Y,” Callie chirped.
“No,” Lucy said. She glanced into the glass and grinned. “It’s the letter—”
They all jumped when the kitchen light snapped on, and Auntie Vanessa stood, sleepy-eyed and in her nightgown. They were busted.
Auntie rubbed her forehead and gave them a stare. “Please tell me you weren’t making a mess in this kitchen.”
They guiltily looked around at the syrup stains, spilled milk, and chocolate-covered spoons on the counter.
“We were just having fun. Ma, you know how we do,” Sirena said. She wiggled her fingers as though she was trying to coax her mama back to bed. From the you-really-think-I-was-born-yesterday look on her face, Auntie wasn’t falling for it.
“I know,” Auntie Vanessa said affectionately but firmly. “Y’all can do what you do tomorrow. Clean up this mess, then go back to bed. Now.”
The party was over. They cleaned up and shuffled off to bed, falling asleep once their heads hit the pillows. Ursula never got to ask Lucy what letter she saw in the kitchen and forgot all about it when she woke up. Mama picked Ursula up the next night and she didn’t sleep over at their house for a long time afterward.
What if fate had given her a hint all those years ago?
Suddenly, she was overcome with the desire to know the letter. That meant she’d have to screw up her courage to talk to the same cousin she’d threatened to hex. Yeah. The only way Ursula could face Lucy and her cousins was if she properly honored their magic. To do that, she needed to sincerely transform herself from the inside out, starting with her heart. Ursula needed to make it strong enough to not only love another, but also herself. She’d ignored it like a plant she’d abandoned, left to wither on the windowsill.
That meant she had to give it light and space to grow. She couldn’t hide in her upstairs apartment and lock herself away with her crystals. Ursula pressed her palm to her chest.
She looked toward the doorway where Xavier had departed from mere minutes ago. He had this glowing light he carried within him, a light that drew her close. Maybe it was truly fate that brought Xavier into her life. Maybe she was destined to use her charms and spells to aid this sweet, awkward prince his perfect kiss. If she couldn’t get her happily-ever-after yet, then she was going to help him find his.
Maybe once she did complete this act, then her heart would find the courage to bloom into something magnificent.
Chapter Eight
Can someone please turn down the sun?” Xavier hunched over in his seat, pressed his head against the coolness of the table, and wished for a bathtub filled with caffeine. Everything from his hairline to his fingernails pounded and ached. How much pink wine did he have to drink last night? Where were his glasses? Why was he covered in thick rose gold glitter? Outside on the patio this morning, birds chirped in nearby trees; the sky was a shade of baby blue with fluffy clouds. Insects buzzed overhead and flew down toward the sparkling lake in the close distance. He groaned. It was a true shame that he felt so terrible on a lovely day.
“Why does it all hurt?” he whined.
Whitney’s voice came out crystalline and bemused. “Beloved, I believe you’re hungover. Where did you put your glasses?”
“I don’t recall. This is awful,” Xavier said painfully. “I never got this hungover in the Realm.”