Chapter 1 Rosie #2
When the man says something that makes her head tip back with a laugh, her coffee cup tips forward, almost spilling. On instinct, my finger shifts, pink glitter leaving, and I make sure the lid stays on so they can continue on their walk without a mess.
Simple tasks, like the door slamming shut on Michael or turning a page, are simple, practical magic and don’t require a spoken spell.
(A very beneficial skill to have when you’re reading a good book and don’t feel like holding it up, by the way.) More specific desires, like bursting a pumpkin or summoning a ghost, require clear instructions and crafted intent.
I’m thinking about whether I have five white candles when Sammy Frank walks out of Mrs. Vick’s Stationery Depot and runs toward me.
“Rosie! Rosie!” she calls, the cream and lavender bag from the store jostling as she moves my way.
“Look!” She holds out her hand to show me the giant rock on her ring finger.
“Can you believe it? Colby proposed!” She’s nearly jumping up and down, and I give her a tight smile, biting back the bitterness.
“No! Wow! Congrats!” I knew her boyfriend of nine months would pop the question because that’s another way my magic works.
Every Mayfield woman has a magic specialty.
My mother was a wonder with fabrics and ran a tailoring business where she would put spells on the clothes to make her customers feel their best. My sister Violet owns a bakery, where a simple scone can help turn your mood around in an instant.
She was always begging Mom to let her bake from a young age.
Poppy owns the flower shop in town, where her arrangements always provide the recipient with exactly what they need.
I have vivid memories of Poppy spending hours outside, tending to the gardens at our childhood home, or simply lying in the grass.
My specialty is helping people find their one true love.
I own a romance bookstore, helping my unwitting customers to find the love of their life.
When someone comes into Meet Cute Magic looking for their next romance read, so long as they’re ready for love and their heart shines with good intentions, I walk over and help them find the perfect book, charmed with true love magic.
Then, the first person they date after reading that story becomes their soulmate.
Ten months ago, Sammy came in for the first book in the If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series.
She stayed up late to finish it and came in to get the next book in the series the very next day, only to meet Colby right after she stepped out of my store, who then spilled his coffee all over her front.
He took her out on their first date that night to apologize, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
She comes in once a month or so now, updating me on their status and buying a few books.
I should be glad that my magic can procure someone else a happily ever after.
But it’s just not fair.
“I know it’s soon, but when you know, you know, right?” Sammy says.
I nod and bite my tongue. It’s not her fault I’m living in misery.
“You’ll have to come to the wedding, of course. You were there from the start!”
I cheer her on, all the while dying a little inside. My gift is most painful when it benefits someone from town. When that happens, I have to watch them fall in love in real time, excited and overjoyed for them, but all the while hurting because why not me?
“Of course! Come in soon, you can tell me all about your plans! I gotta go, though; I think I left my curling iron on!” I say with a fake wince, giving her a wave.
“Of course, of course! You know, you’ve gotta be next, girl!” she yells after me, meaning well but twisting the knife. I wave, my back already to her as I hustle on home, suddenly unable to fight back a wave of emotions that aren’t just righteous anger and frustration.
I’ve spent every day since I was ten reading romances where everyone lives happily ever after.
I’ve read about thousands of people falling in love in extravagant adventures and in gentle, subtle ways.
I’ve read about love in the real world and in fantasy, in the past, present, and future.
I’ve laughed and cried and swooned over words on pages, and I have patiently waited for it to be my turn.
But I refuse to wait any longer. I’ve made up my mind: I’m going to break this curse.
Now, as I step onto Main Street, where my shop and home are, I’m trying to remember if I have enough salt to make a circle for a summoning.
My heart races. What if something goes wrong?
Should I call my sisters for backup, even if they’re going to be totally against this plan?
Maybe I should sleep on it and think this through—
I cut myself off, shake my head, and take a deep breath, clearing my mind of the negative thoughts and replacing them with more pleasant and positive ones.
I am the maker of my own destiny, I remind myself. I am going to break this motherfucking curse if it kills me.
“Hey, Jack,” I say to my grumpy neighbor across the way as I approach my teal-painted bookstore with my apartment on top.
I’m out of breath, eager to get home and begin my plan before I lose steam.
Still, I pause to take in his new window display.
Jack Haggerty owns the Gaming Den, directly across the narrow cobblestone road from Meet Cute Magic, but it has the complete opposite aesthetic.
Where I’ve painted the facade of my building, added fairy lights along every surface, and constantly change my festive window displays to fit my mood or the season, Jack’s gaming store is painted a dark gray with green accents, and he rarely changes his front window decor.
He sells video games and whatever accessories go with that, as well as various collectibles and trading card games, all things I know absolutely nothing about.
The new display features a black backdrop with a cut-out image of a wizard pointing a wand at the ceiling, accompanied by a swirl of gray spelling out “Check out our new arrivals!” with a few video games lined up below on a seemingly floating shelf.
Jack stares at me as he closes his mailbox out front, a bundle of envelopes in his hands. “Your display looks super cute!” I say. His jaw goes tight as he slides his dark-rimmed glasses up his nose before pushing his messy chocolate-brown hair back and crossing his arms.
“This isn’t cute. This is the Third Warlock of the Night Realm.” I give him wide eyes and fight the urge to ask who that is.
I’ve never met anyone who is as easily riled as Jack Haggerty, and to be honest I love nothing more than watching his face get all red and annoyed. Fortunately for him, tonight I’m on a mission, so I can’t devote any additional time to annoying him.
Maybe tomorrow.
“Whatever you say, Jack Attack. Have a great night!” I say with an exuberant wave.
“It’s just Jack,” he grumbles to my back, but I’m already at the store and opening my front door, shutting it behind me.
Nothing ever happens in sleepy Heartwood Hollow, so I don’t normally lock my doors, but tonight, I don’t want to risk anyone interrupting me.
When the door slams behind me, I lock both the deadbolt and the chain before murmuring a locking spell to keep my sisters out, turning the lights off in my bookstore and moving upstairs to my small apartment to begin.