by Scott, Lisa
He eliminated the protective bubble around him. “Thank you.”
“But we’re still angry at you for taking advantage of her,” Grace said.
He threw up his hands. “It was mutual, believe me.”
“So, you like her then?” Kat asked. “That was all real?”
Drake scratched his head. “I don’t know. I mean, it must have been. It certainly felt real. I just assumed it was the spell. I don’t understand how we both got so carried away.”
“I guess once both of you let your guard down, believing you had no choice but to fall in love, you did,” Grace said softly. She looked him up and down. “I can understand why she fell for you. There’s no denying you’re hot.”
He didn’t know if it was love—it couldn’t be, not so soon, right? Although, he’d known Vicky for years. He’d been obsessing over her for a long time. And he wanted to see her again. He’d never felt that kind of overwhelming passion in his life. And he’d be incredibly disappointed if he didn’t experience it again. With her. “Where do you think she went? I have to talk to her.”
“Who knows? She does have a matchmaking shift tonight. We’re supposed to meet her at the same bar as last night,” Kat told him.
“But what does it matter? You two could never be a couple. Your career is in direct opposition to hers,” Grace reminded him. “She takes her work very seriously.”
That was a very big sticking point. He valued his career as well, and he still had to face the Council. But it didn’t matter; he had to find her. “I’m going to walk around the neighborhood and look for her.”
He wandered the streets near her apartment, peering down alleys and behind dumpsters like she was a lost cat. Which reminded him he had to get back and take care of his. After an hour of searching with no luck, he went home and popped open a can of food for his critter.
Sitting on his couch, he scooped his kitty into his lap and rubbed his ears. Vicky could be anywhere. Hopefully, she’d show up at the bar for her shift. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run when she saw him.
***
He went to the bar early, so he wouldn’t miss her. But she didn’t show.
“We heard she called in sick,” Kat told him.
“And she asked for a leave of absence,” Grace said.
“Any idea where she is?” he asked.
“No. We’re trying to reach her, too. She’s not returning our calls,” Grace said. “None of our tracking spells have found her.”
“If you talk to her, please tell I need to see her,” Drake pleaded.
“We will. I’m starting to feel sorry for you,” Kat said. “You look miserable.”
“I feel miserable.”
***
Drake spent the weekend trying to find Vicky, but no luck. Then Monday morning greeted him with his hearing before the Council. What would they do to him? Suspend him? Demote him?
Dressed in his sharpest suit, he went to headquarters and waited to be called into council chambers. Often, he found himself sitting in on these disciplinary hearings. Now here he was, one of the accused. But his embarrassment was shadowed by his concern for Vicky. Where the hell was she? If anything had happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
Shortly after he arrived, he was summoned to the large room, which was not unlike human courts. He stood in front of the row of council members leering down at him. One of them stood and read the charges against him. “Drake Vanderly, you stand here today as an enforcer accused of fraternizing with a caster. Where is the caster in question?”
“I can give you an account of the events on my own,” he said, clearing his throat. “Because she hasn’t been seen since…the incident.”
That brought on some mumbling from the Council.
The witch leading the investigation cleared his throat. “We can’t proceed until we hear from her. Very well. You are suspended from your duties until we can conduct a full investigation. You are dismissed.”
Drake felt his shoulders slump. He’d been an enforcer since he left the Academy when he was twenty. Now he was out of work indefinitely?
He should be mad as hell at Vicky, but he wasn’t. He was worried. He had to talk to her friends to figure out where she might be.
***
“Before she moved to Boston when she was little, she lived on The Cape,” Kat told him over lunch at The Brimstone, a popular eatery for witches, hidden from human sight in Boston’s Back Bay.
“Does she go back often?” Drake asked.
“No, her parents moved to Florida. She might have distant relatives who live there. I don’t know for sure,” Grace explained. “I can’t imagine where she is.”
“What does she like to do? Where does she like to go?” Drake asked.
“She works a lot. When she’s not working, she goes out with us.”
Drake blew out a breath. “I think I’ll poke around The Cape. A lot of people run home when they’re upset.”
“What are your intentions, Drake?” Kat asked. “We care about her and don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Believe it or not, I care about her too. And I want to tell her so, in person.”
***
For the third night in a row, Vicky slept on the beach, staring at the stars. She’d charmed a tent to both hide her and keep her warm. It was translucent to her so she could see out but invisible to humans so they couldn’t see her when she was inside of it. This wasn’t a long-term solution, but time alone was helping heal the sting in her heart. It was also helping her forget the embarrassment of devouring Drake like a succubus when they hadn’t been cast under any spell at all.
What would she do next? Everyone in the Boston witching community must’ve heard by now what had happened. Perhaps she could move to another city? Find the best spell casters in town and change her appearance?
She curled up into a ball and wondered what spell she could cast to improve her situation. Coming up with nothing, she sent a wish to the stars that the answer would find her in the morning.
***
When the sun rose, she undid her tent spell and showered in the public changing rooms. She charmed herself a new sundress and wandered back to the beach where she returned stranded starfish to the sea.
“Always looking to make the world a better place, aren’t you?”
Drake!
She fumbled with her phone to cast a disappearing spell, but was too frazzled to do anything but make a blanket appear, like she might hide under it. “How did you find me?”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I had a hunch you might come home looking for some peace and quiet.” His eyes seemed soft, as if he were concerned.
She looked up at the sky. “Is everyone talking about us?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t care. I just wanted to find you and tell you I don’t regret what happened between us.”
She kicked at the sand. “I don’t even understand what happened between us. There was no spell,” she whispered. “There was no magic.”
He walked over to her and took her hand. “Felt like magic to me. It felt wonderful, and I’m going to be the unhappiest witch in the world if I never experience that again.”
She looked down at their fingers twined together. “I feel the same way. I think that’s the real reason I disappeared.” She gazed into his eyes. “I’ve spent so long thinking I hated you, when deep down, I had feelings for you. And not a childhood crush, either.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. Her insides melted and she leaned into him. “I have feelings for you. Lots of them,” he said.
She tried to hold back her huge smile but couldn’t. It fell when she remembered a huge sticking point. “There’s still the little problem of our jobs.”
“Technically, there’s not. I was suspended yesterday until the Council can hear from us both.”
“What are we going to tell them?” she asked.
“To change their stupid rules?”
“They’d never do that.” She sigh
ed. “Maybe I should stop matchmaking. Clearly, I’m getting a lot of things wrong lately.”
“You can’t quit,” he said.
“Why not?”
He dipped his mouth to her ear. “Because I want to cast a love spell with you. I want to see what it feels like, why you enjoy it so much.”
Her cheeks flushed and she stammered her words. “I’m not sure two people can do it at once.”
“Then we can find out together.” He kissed her cheek. “Let’s go home. Your friends are worried about you.”
They drove home in his car, since the beach was becoming too busy for a disappearing spell. Drake held Vicky’s hand and the warm feeling never left her heart. She wasn’t sure how things were going to work out, but she’d do whatever she had to in order to be with him.
She dozed off, and before she knew it, Drake had parked in front of her apartment. “Want to come in?” she asked.
“I’d like to, if that’s okay with you?”
She nodded and led him inside. He sat on the couch and took her in his arms. And it was like they’d been hit by the spell-that-wasn’t-a-spell all over again.
***
Later that night, Vicky called Kat and Grace to tell them she was back and was headed out to the bar.
“You’re matchmaking?” Kat asked, surprised.
“Yes, with Drake.”
“This I’ve got to see,” Kat said.
***
“It’s possible we might not find a match,” Vicky told Drake as they scanned the bar, looking for blue hues. “It doesn’t happen that often.”
“It’s not as easy as you think,” Grace told him.
“Be nice, Grace. He did go and find our girl,” Kat reminded her.
Grace grumbled, and Vicky knew it would be a while before she accepted that Drake was her boyfriend.
“What about those two over there?” Drake asked. He pointed to a couple in the corner already kissing. They were surrounded by the palest shade of blue.
“Good eye, darling. Now I think we need to make sure they stay together.” Vicky reached for her wand, grinning. She tapped in her spell then pointed it at the couple. “Ready?” she asked Drake.
Kat and Grace stepped back. “Just in case it doesn’t work out again,” Grace explained.
Vicky took Drake’s hand, and together they hit the send button. A beam of blue light shot out to the couple, while spasms of delight pulsed inside her. When she managed to look at Drake, the way his eyes were rolled back in his head told her he was experiencing the same feeling she was.
“So that’s why you do it,” he whispered huskily.
She kissed him. “Now you know.”
Kat cleared her throat. “I’m going to hit another bar and look for some couples in need. There are love spells waiting to be cast!”
“I’m coming, too!” Grace said, hurrying after her.
“They both really need to find a guy,” Vicky said. “I wish I could help.”
“Too bad you can’t cast spells on witches,” Drake said.
“That’s the problem with witches. Too many spells involved already.” Vicky thought for a moment, a plan brewing in her mind and a smile twitching on her lips. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Tell me about it later. We need to go home. That spell certainly has lingering effects.” He popped up an eyebrow and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the bar. They ran to her apartment.
***
“I’m resigning,” Drake told the Council. “So, there’s no reason to interview Vicky about the incident at the bar. I take full responsibility.”
“We weren’t going to fire you,” said one of the members.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m done being an enforcer.”
“I don’t understand,” said one of the members. “Why now?”
“Because I’ve changed my views. I think we should be helping the humans find love. I’m going to work with the matchmakers.”
Gasps filled the room. “You’re kidding, right?” someone asked.
Drake shook his head. He wasn’t going to mention that falling in love had a lot to do with his decision. And he certainly wasn’t going to confirm rumors of the love-spell rush.
***
The witching bar was packed for the first spell-free dating night. While Vicky greeted people and collected the admission fee, Drake worked as a bouncer, making sure everyone had dropped their appearance spells.
Kat and Grace coordinated the round of speed dating like humans did. At first, the witches were shy, not used to showing their true selves. But soon enough, they were laughing and chatting.
Vicky squeezed Drake’s hand. “It’s not quite the same as casting a love spell, but it’s almost as good.”
“Who says we can’t do both?” he whispered to her.
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“I say we sneak off and look for a couple of true-blues.”
“Drake! You’re a hex addict.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I am, and it’s all your fault.”
She held back a smile. “I noticed a wedding at a hotel down the street. Want to check it out?”
“Let’s go.”
Hand in hand, they dashed out of the bar and scooted down the street to the hotel. They cast invisibility spells on each other and slipped into the reception room. Purple flowers and balloons filled the room. Dinner was finished and people were starting to mingle. Vicky’s heart started thumping. “I see a few blue hues!”
Drake scanned the room. “That guy over there is more like turquoise. But the girl checking out the cake seems to match the color of the guy at the bar.”
Vicky fished her wand out of her purse to be sure. “They’re a match. Ready to do this?”
“I’ll always be ready to do this with you, Vicky.”
She grabbed her wand and prepared to make magic together.
The Ghost’s Guide to Dating
Julie sat at an empty table in the corner of the ballroom talking with her grandmother. Since Grandma was currently invisible to the rest of the world, Julie positioned her back to the crowd so no one would think she was chatting to herself. It was a little disconcerting to see Grandma in the same outfit she’d been wearing at her funeral, but the royal blue dress had been a favorite of hers, so that’s the dress she’d chosen to wear for eternity.
Julie moved a giant purple flower arrangement so Grandma could get a clear view of the desperation in her eyes. “Grandma, this is the fifth time this month. When I first started doing this, you told me only a few people needed help.”
Grandma waved a hand of dismissal. “Word has gotten around, and I have a lot of friends here in the afterlife. They all want to make sure their families find love. You’re their only hope.”
Julie pushed away her empty glass. “I doubt that. There are tons of dating sites and places for singles to meet.”
“Maybe so, but what if they’re not using them? What if they’re picking the wrong people?” Grandma motioned with her hands when she talked, a habit she’d had even before death. “Here’s the thing about dying: when a busybody kicks the bucket, they either go to the bright light, or roam the in-between realm for a while with all the time in the world to meddle.” Grandma shrugged. “I chose meddle.” Grandma squinted at Julie’s hair. “You really should trim your bangs.”
“I like them this way.” Julie blew her hair out of her eyes. “Why is it I’m the lucky one who can see all of you ghosts but no one else can?” If she was going to have a gift, why couldn’t it have been a roaring metabolism or naturally thick, blond hair?
“There are others, but not everyone is willing to help like you are, dear.”
“I don’t want to help either, but you guilted me into it, just like you got me to go to prom with your neighbor back when I was in high school. Dweeby Dwayne.” That had been an evening she wished she could forget. It was like Grandma possessed magic powers and could get Julie to do whatever she wanted.
“He’s making a boatload of money these days. I knew he was going to amount to something.” Grandma wagged a finger at her. “If only you’d listened to me. We’ve got matchmaking in our blood, you and I.”
“No, I don’t.” Julie shook her head. “I’m merely following directions from a bunch of pushy ghosts. And we really need to set up some boundaries here. You just show up whenever and wherever.”
Her smile fell. “Nice to see you, too, honey.” Grandma patted Julie’s hand, which left her skin tingling under her touch.
“Have you tried haunting Jacey?” Julie’s younger sister didn’t live far away.
“I did. I’ve tried haunting everyone I know. There are two matchmaking witches working the room tonight, but they couldn’t see me.”
“Excuse me? Witches? Where?”
“They’re invisible right now.”
Julie let out a long sigh. “Of course.”
“You’re the only living being I’ve found who can see me, Julie. And you can’t be angry with me for coming tonight. The couple you’re setting up both happen to be in this room right now, that’s why I’m pestering you here. Let me bring in Madge so she can point out her granddaughter and the guy she’s got in mind.”
“Okay. I’ll be here. Alone.”
“Be right back, darling.” And she disappeared.
Julie sighed. She’d paid good money for this new dress and now she wouldn’t have time to scope out her own date. Despite her parents’ nasty divorce, she still believed in love. Her sister, Jacey, had given up on it completely. Not that Julie was having any luck herself in that department. In the past few months that she’d been matchmaking for the dead, she hadn’t been on one date herself. Which, come to think of it, might be a good thing right now. If she did meet someone, they’d quickly dismiss her as crazy.
She probably would be soon enough if she continued to talk to ghosts.
Julie snagged a glass of water from the other side of the table. When her grandmother had first come to Julie as a ghost in her bedroom one night, Julie was initially scared, then convinced she was dead or had been drugged, then, after she understood what was happening, she was delighted to see her. They’d sat and talked until the sun came up.
But then Grandma kept showing up at all hours of the day and night. “Sorry, I don’t have a great concept of time anymore,” Grandma had said. “Cut the dead lady some slack.” She played the dead card all the time. Who could argue with that?