by T. A. Foster
“Perfect.” I smiled at him. I could hear Cooper whimpering on the other side of the door. “I probably should take him for a walk or something.” My eyes darted to the door separating us from Cooper.
Our flight from Las Vegas departed the desert early morning. By the time we took the short cab ride to my house, it was mid-afternoon in Sullen’s Grove. Jack said he wanted to make sure I arrived home safely. He wasn’t worried about my abandoned car in his gravel driveway. I could always pick it up from his place later.
“Right. Of course. It does sound like he wants to get out. See you at seven.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek. I inhaled the wonderful Jack scent and bit my lip to keep tears from welling in my eyes. He squeezed my hand and let it fall back in place by my side. He kept looking over his shoulder at me before finally climbing in the taxi. As if Jack’s reluctance to leave was holding the cab in place, the driver sat fiddling with his odometer for a few moments. The wheels inched forward and the driver taxied Jack back to his house.
My heart ached as I watched him drive away. I turned the door handle, and I was greeted by a happy dog. He stood at my side, his tail rapidly wagging. “Oh, Cooper.” I burst into tears and draped my arms around his stocky neck.
A couple of hours later, I heard the doorbell chimes ring in the hall. “On my way!” I shouted from my bedroom.
I had barely had time to unpack or wipe the tears from my red, puffy face. I didn’t think everything would happen so fast.
“Ivy, oh, you look terrible.” Holly squeezed me tightly then let me go to assess the damage.
“I don’t want to do this. I don’t know if I can do this.” The tears started again, and I searched my pockets for a tissue.
She patted my back. “Are you sure it was a Foresight? Maybe you’re confusing a bad dream and you’re overreacting.” My petite cousin was as bubbly as always. She sought a silver lining in every situation.
I rolled my eyes at her, and dabbed the tissue at my nose. “Don’t you think I want it to be something else? I’ve thought about every possible scenario. It was a Foresight. I’m positive. There’s only one way to reverse it. I totally screwed up the last one.”
“There was no way for you to know that. You were a kid. Until you have your first Foresight, you can’t tell the difference between it and a dream. Maybe this one was a dream, a bad dream. You haven’t had that many.”
I shook my head, disagreeing with Holly’s assessment. I wiped a stream of tears away. My fingers were tinged with a coating of mascara.
She wrapped a hand around my shoulders. “Ok, waterworks, you’ll get through this. It’s not like you have to say good-bye to Jack.”
“Not say good-bye? He won’t know anything about me. He won’t look at me that way again or touch me or kiss me.”
“Girl, timing is everything. It’s not your time yet.” Holly had loved me like a sister since we were children. I needed her here for more than her magic.
“You’re right. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Just not now.” The words didn’t bring me comfort. My heart was ripping in two.
She smiled. “You ready to do this?”
I shook my head. I would never be ready. “Let’s get it over with. Take me to Jack’s house.”
Lights peeked through the closed shutters of the brick ranch. I thought I saw him walk past one of the windows. I inhaled sharply. Holly squeezed my hand.
“You can do this. You have to do it. For Jack.”
I returned the squeeze. “For Jack.”
Holly followed me up the path to the weathered door. I pushed the doorbell and waited for Jack to answer.
“Whoa, hey, Ivy, what are you doing here? I’m headed to pick you up in a few minutes.”
My eyes, blurred by aggravating tears, took in the incredibly gorgeous man in front of me. He was wearing charcoal pants, a tailored black sport coat, a crisp, white shirt still unbuttoned. His tie was draped around his neck in anticipation for a knot. A tie, I couldn’t believe he was going to wear a tie on our first date. His cologne wafted in my direction. Another deep sigh. You can do this, Ivy. You have to do this.
“You look great, Jack.” He smiled at me. “Can we come in?” I pointed to Holly, who had ducked behind me but was now peeking out. “This is my cousin, Holly.”
He looked confused. “Um, yeah. Sure. Come on in. Nice to meet you.”
He reached his hand out to shake Holly’s. She walked into the foyer and spun around to take his hand. She held it firmly in front of her and placed her other hand on top, sealing his hand between her tiny clasp.
She looked like a pixie next to Jack’s tall frame. “Jack, Ivy has told me so much about you.” She held him in place with her double-hand hold.
He shot me another confused look. “Really? I’m sorry. I don’t know you.” He paused. “Yet. Do you all want to sit down?”
Holly didn’t budge. “I heard about your adventure in Las Vegas. Ivy told me all about the Proxy and the diamonds. Sounds like quite an ordeal you two went through together.”
Jack shook his head but kept shooting glances in my direction. I wanted to explain, but that would make this so much worse. He would fight it if he knew.
Holly continued. “Do you remember what you saw last night in the mansion?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Ok, can you tell me about it?” She searched his eyes for a response.
Jack looked at me and I assured him with a nod to keep talking.
“Well, we were there to take down a Proxy who threatened our families. She was old, really old. And Ivy stopped her. You should have seen her.” His eyes lit up as he retold last night’s events to Holly. “Wait, I think Ivy was there. And there were two guys or maybe one guy.” He stopped, and with his free hand, he pulled on his tie until it was no longer around his neck. “Ok, let me start over. I can get this right.”
“Go ahead, Jack. Take your time with the story. I’d love to hear every little bit.” Holly’s voice was smooth and calm.
He started over. “We went to the house to see, um…to take…you know, I don’t really remember. It’s a little fuzzy. I must have had a few drinks there or something.”
He chuckled but seemed embarrassed. My heart sank as each memory Jack had of us evaporated into thin air.
“Well, why don’t you try telling me about yesterday? Did Ivy show you the seam? Did you see her Fade Spell?” Her hands rested on his.
“Oh yeah, that one. Ivy is amazing. See, she reached up…and then she…wait, what did you ask me?” Bewildered, Jack looked down at my tiny cousin.
Her voice remained steady. “Jack, why did you and Ivy go to Las Vegas?”
His brow furrowed, and I imagined angry thoughts of the letter were whisking through his mind.
“Because, we had to…huh…I’m sorry. Who are you again?” He turned in my direction and noticed me for the first time again tonight. “Ivy? What are you doing here?”
Holly looked over her shoulder at me. “Go ahead, Ivy. You can go. I’ll finish the rest and see you at your house.” She smiled warmly, but her eyes urged me to leave.
I hesitated in the doorway. Jack looked at me, unsure of why I was there and why I was leaving.
I whispered, “Bye, Jack.”
I closed the door behind me and heard Holly continue with her line of questions. Questions that one by one would erase each day and night Jack and I had spent together from his mind and his heart.
Holly appeared in my doorway carrying two large delivery bags. “Double chocolate cake and a double chocolate brownie with ice cream. Yum, right?”
“Is it over? Is it erased?” I was surrounded by tissues and I couldn’t stop fidgeting with my cell phone. I wanted to call him.
“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t want to do it either. You made the right decision. It was the best decision. But yeah, it’s over. Not a trace of the last few days in his memory bank.”
“So, what did he think happened the past few da
ys?” I ripped into the brownie bag and dug in the bottom for a fork.
“Jack went on a boring solo fishing trip. Skipped work and everything.” She winked at me.
“Well, that works.”
I thought about Jack in our imaginary cabin. He probably sat on the front porch and drank a beer or two after cleaning his day’s catch, at least that’s what he would remember doing.
“You weren’t kidding, girl. He is the best piece of eye candy I’ve seen. And how sweet, he was going to wear a tie on your first date. So sweet.” She had opened both of the desserts.
“Ugh! Holly, not helping.” I moaned.
“You know what you need?” She smiled.
“Besides chocolate?”
“Chocolate always helps broken hearts.” She giggled. “No, you need to get back out there. Time Spell. Find a story you and Jack can work on together.”
My witchy tingle surged for a second. “I can’t get him involved, Holly. No.”
“No? I don’t mean take him with you. I mean go find a story. A really good one and then spend every second you can with him working on it.” She bit into the cake then scooped up some of the brownie. “If you two are meant to be together, it can happen again. You said he already had feelings for you, but he just didn’t want to cross a line with you at work. Right? Those feelings are still there. I didn’t touch anything in his memory before he got that letter. Don’t give up on him. This time, just don’t tell him who you are.”
I lowered my eyes. “Right, he can’t know. He can’t ever know.” I sighed. “You know he was fine knowing about the magic. He didn’t care that I was a witch.”
“Really?”
“I think the first time he saw the orb it freaked him out.” I laughed.
Holly giggled. “Mike would probably jump out the window if I showed him the orb.”
“But after that, he was ok with it. He didn’t care. I actually think he kind of liked it.” I reached for the brownie.
“Yeah, I bet he thought it was hot.” Holly winked. “You, some spells, defeating the world’s evil—that would probably turn any guy on.”
“Why can’t we be together now? I don’t understand.” The tears brimmed at the corners of my eyes. I wanted to the crying to stop, but I was facing utter disappointment and heartbreak. Tears were part of the deal.
“Timing is everything, girl.” Holly stated it between bites of chocolate.
“Yep, timing is everything.”
I hugged my cousin good-bye and doused her in one hundred thank yous. We had devoured both chocolate desserts and a bottle of wine. Holly listened to every amazing detail of the last few days with Jack. If he couldn’t remember us, at least I could. I locked the door behind her, extinguished all the lights, and stumbled back to my room. I collapsed on my bed, a sniffling mess. I was tired of crying and tired of extracting every second of the precious Jack moments from the past few days. I needed to turn off my brain and my heart from thinking about him.
I watched Cooper twirl three times in his bed then collapse into a ball of sleep. I hoped sleep would find me like that. I blew my nose again with a wadded up tissue and pulled the duvet over my head.
The next morning, I searched my bed for my phone in a zombie-like state. It was ringing somewhere in the mountain of covers near my head. My hand hit it, and I pulled it out from the cave of blankets and pillows. I swiped the screen and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
What time was it? My head ached from too much ugly crying. I wiggled around uncomfortably and remembered I was still wearing my jeans from last night. Sunrays filtered through my curtains. I didn’t even close the blinds last night before I fell asleep. I covered my eyes with my free palm. I heard Cooper’s snores drifting from the floor.
“Ivy, it’s Ann.” Her voice was crisp and direct.
I sat straight up. “Hi, Ann.” I gripped the phone and held my breath.
“Jack asked me to call you and see if you’re available in an hour. He would like to go over a storyboard with you. There’s an offer for a screenplay. It’s urgent he meet with you as soon as possible.”
“Jack? Me? An hour?” Relief flooded my body, followed by instant panic.
The mention of the screenplay offer didn’t register yet. What if he did remember something? What if Holly’s Eraser Spell didn’t completely work? That was unlikely. My cousin was good at what she did. Holly’s words from last night rang in my ear, “Ivy, if you two are meant to be together, it can happen again. Don’t give up on him.” She was right. She was so right. He might not remember the last few days, but I did. Every touch, whisper, and kiss was permanently burned into my memory.
“That is what I said, Ivy. Should I tell him the meeting is scheduled, or do you need a different time?”
I could hear her tapping her pen on the desk, waiting for my response. She sounded tense and more impatient than usual. Jack had probably given her a stack of to-do items since he returned to the office from his fictitious fishing trip. I pictured him in his office surrounded by stacks of papers, a cup of coffee, and one of my manuscripts in his hand.
I smiled. “Yes, yes. Please tell Jack I’ll see him in an hour.”
I hung up and tossed the phone on the empty pillow next to me. My head suddenly throbbed a little less, and the sunlight seemed much less invasive than it did thirty seconds ago. I had an hour to put together my best I-have-kissed-you-but-you-don’t-remember-it outfit. I laughed. I could probably figure something out.
After all, I’m not just a regular girl.
I’m a witch.
A Page from Ivy Grace’s Spell Journal
ECLIPSE**Seals the seam.
ERASE**A girl’s best way to clean a room and make sure there’s no trace she was ever there.
EXTINGUISH**Quickest and easiest way to turn out the lights, anything electrical really.
FADE**The only way I know how to make myself invisible. Also, involves lots of shimmering, a plus I think.
GLAMOUR**By far, the best spell ever! Makeup, hair, clothes, all in perfect order.
ILLUMINATE**Comes in handy when a girl needs a floating flashlight.
LOCALITY**This one I borrow from my brother. With a little help of a personal object, we can usually find someone’s location on a map.
OPEN**There are those times when you need to get in a locked door or drawer.
RADIANCE**When it’s time to get back in the real world, this sheds the awesome shimmer from the FADE SPELL.
REMEDY**Cool way to repair things I’ve broken (accidentally, of course).
REVEAL**Definitely, the only security system I really trust. The orangey glow particles let me know when someone has stopped by.
TWINKLE**Love this one! Throws the night sky on my ceiling wherever I am.
UNFOLD**Opens the seam.
VOILA**I borrow this from Mama every once in a while. It’s great in a hostess pinch! Sets the table, lights candles, might even pour a glass of wine.
Is Ivy modeled after someone?
Ivy isn’t modeled after one particular person. She was created out of a general love I have for strong central female characters. She has a little bit of every girl in her.
Why did you choose 1968 Las Vegas as the setting for Ivy’s first Time Spell?
I really wanted a time that would be glamorous, fun, and seductive. It took me a while to settle on the exact year, but after a recent trip to Las Vegas, I knew it was the right setting. Ivy travels back and forth between the old Vegas and the new glitzy Vegas we know today. I thought it was a fun setting to portray the contrasts of an ever-changing city.
Where does Ivy get her fashion sense?
Ivy has great fashion sense. She’s your typical twenty-something girl. She reads a lot of fashion magazines, watches entertainment shows, and on top of that, has her own ideas on what is the perfect outfit for each occasion.
Did you have more fun creating one character over another?
Of course, Ivy is my ab
solute favorite. However, putting her aside, probably Helen. I really enjoyed transforming her from a poised aristocrat into a deranged shell of her former self. I didn’t know it would be so much fun until I started writing the scene with her in the mansion.
What about Finn versus Jack? Do you have a favorite?
Both of those men have unreal, undeniable attractive qualities. I can’t choose between them. That’s one of the great things about creating them; I don’t have to pick just one.
Speaking of Finn and Jack, each man is quite different yet appealing in his own way. Why do you think Ivy is drawn to such different types?
Without revealing too much about how Ivy’s relationships will unfold and develop in the series, I can say Ivy has a unique connection with both Jack and Finn. She and Finn have a physical attraction that is hard for her to ignore, no matter how much she wants to. There is something alluring, mysterious, and a little dangerous about him that keeps her wanting more. Jack, on the other hand, is someone she has developed feelings for over time. They work closely together, and she is drawn to him not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally.
As the book closes, it seems like Ivy is ready for her next adventure. Can you tell us anything about what’s in store for her down the road?
Yes! The next book in the series, Cover Spell, follows Ivy to New Orleans, where she is working on the screenplay for Masquerade. Her growing magical abilities will be tested, as well as her heart. There’s a new guy in the picture along with someone from her past.
Reader Discussion Questions
Why does Ivy struggle so much with the magical side of her life?