Page 46 of Kiss and Spell
There was a long pause. Xavier made a small sound of understanding.
“So, I guess you’ve never had your heart broken or been disappointed by love,” he said.
Tell him. She sighed in exasperation, resigned to revealing all. He’d been honest with her; it was only right that she did the same with him. Let the internet tell the story. “Search me.”
He scanned her lazily from top to bottom. A thrill of heat went through her. “Um, where do you want me to start?”
Ursula huffed. “No, search me online.”
Xavier took his phone from his pocket. She watched as he typed her name into a search engine and clicked on the Freya Grove Press article about her. A wave of nausea went through her.
After five minutes, he said, “Sweet cosmos.” That phrase was filled with disbelief and a hint of something else. Was it horror?
Ursula winced. “Keep reading. It’s not done yet.”
Xavier read quietly for another few minutes before turning off his phone and returning it to his pocket. Now he knew she was the Big-Hearted Bride. Jilted. Leftover. Unloved. Ursula watched the steam curl skyward from her mug. Maybe Xavier had a point. She’d been a wishing fool, one who’d ignored all the signs that she was making a huge mistake. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears; her entire body grew cold with humiliation. She pressed her hand to the mug to try to warm herself.
“Is this why you got nominated for the Sweetheart award?” he asked.
She only nodded, unable to look up from her tea.
“Sula, love. Look at me.”
She blinked and looked up, stunned. He called me Sula. The shadow of fury that swept over his features stole her breath.
“I’m going to say this once.” His voice hardened. “He’s a whole fool. He should be on his knees begging your forgiveness. If you asked me to marry you—” He took a steadying breath as if trying to tamp down his anger. “I’d crawl through broken glass just to be there on time.”
His words hit and echoed within her soul. She knew he’d move heaven and earth to stand there with her. I believe you.
He watched her carefully. “Did you know he was going to run?”
“No,” Ursula said. “If I had seen him run in my visions, I would have tried to convince him to… I don’t know. Stay. I would’ve done everything within my power to make… my wish come true. Instead, I ended up having the town’s biggest block party.”
“You helped those people without a second thought,” he said.
Ursula ducked her head. “It seemed like the best thing to do.”
There was awe in his voice when he spoke. “Even after everything that’s happened, you still believe in love.”
“I believe,” she whispered. She let go of the mug and shrugged. “I guess that makes me the real fool.”
Xavier jumped up suddenly. “No, never. It makes you… brave.” He went over to the kitchen. His attention darted all over as he scanned the space.
“Madame, where are your knives?” There was an urgency in his movements that gave Ursula pause.
“Um, they’re in the second drawer. Are you making a sandwich?”
Xavier laughed. “I’ll make you one next time.”
He found the correct drawer, opened it, and took out one of the dull butter knives. Ursula used them to spread hazelnut topping on her toast. The handle was decorated with a faded green vine design. Nana bought her that cutlery set for her birthday. Her eyebrows lifted when he turned to her with a wide, excited grin.
Ursula sat up in her seat. Was he hungry? “If you want some peanut butter, it’s in the cabinet.”
“No, Madame.” The butter knife remained in his hand. “Since I don’t have a sword, I thought this might be a suitable replacement.”
She rubbed her forehead, leaning a little away to gather her thoughts. Was he feeling all right? Maybe I should call Whitney. Xavier stood before Ursula, holding the butter knife blade away from her but close enough that he could touch her shoulder. She dropped her hand to her lap.
“I’ll stand so you don’t have to kneel,” he said.