Page 53 of How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend
Zach puts his hands up in surrender and purses his lips. It’s actually cute. I wish he didn’t though, because now I’m hyper-focusing on them. The soft texture. The taste of…nope. No. Not going there again. Story. Get back to the story.
“So yeah, the church where they found the bodies, the priest guy picked up on it and started preaching that it was Satancoming to kill the unrepentant, the sinful. Which is funny to me, because I swear Satan isn’t the bad guy in the Bible. That’s God. Like who else—”
“Demon dog,” Kaitlynn spurts. She knows my fascination with religion, especially the controversial parts that just don’t make sense to me. And oh shit, I didn’t even think about Zachary probably being Christian. I make a mental note to be more thoughtful.
Thanks, Kaity.
“Right, demon dog,” I say. “Supposedly the demon dog still haunts the cemetery and chases down the sinful when they pass by. Until they get to the bridge, of course.”
“Ah,” Zach sighs. “Interesting. I was thinking something way more scary, like them being stuck there forever, never to leave.”
“How would they tell the story if they were stuck there forever?” I ask.
“Not everyone would get stuck, right?” Zach argues. I guess that could happen. “Anyway, you didn’t explain why the dog couldn’t cross the bridge. Like, it’s a bridge. Dogs can cross bridges, and even if it couldn’t for some reason, they can swim. And it’s also a demon dog.”
“Oh, right!” I say, remembering what I’d forgotten to tell him. “Valle Crucis.”
“Uh…” Zachary squints at me. I can feel Kaitlynn staring at me.
“Valley of the Cross. Sorry, Valle Crucis. It literally means Valley of the Cross.” I fill in the main blank.
“Ah, okay.” Zachary nods. “And?”
I drop my head and sigh. I’m going to have to spell it out for him.
“Like holy place. And it’s a devil dog. So the devil can’t go to holy… You know what? Let me start over. The town gets its name from three rivers that intersect with each other, making a type of cross. So it’s like, supposedly holy water or something.” I think it’s called an archbishop’s cross. One of those with an extra line across it, but I personally have never seen it. Like, I’ve looked on the map and still don’t see it. “The main river runs under the bridge. So the idea is that it’s like a wall for the dog because it’s possessed, demonic, and the cross is all holy. So it can’t cross.”
“Now that’s a little cooler.” Zach nods. “Definitely would make for a crazy escape. Trying to get to the bridge before it gets you.”
“Yeah, and people say it’s so fast, it can keep up with cars too,” Kaitlynn chimes in.
I nod. She’s right. That’s what they say. “Of course, it’s all dog shit. See what I did there?”
Kaitlynn rolls her eyes, but I get a smile and laugh from Zachary. Take that, Kaity.
“Lame,” Zachary says, but I don’t care because he’s still laughing.
He’s adorable when he laughs. He gets dimples in his cheeks and they bunch up under his eyes and make him squint.
“You laughed though,” I clap back. “Guess you’re lame too, then.”
“Someone’s brave.” Kaitlynn side-eyes me as if Zachary isn’t sitting right in front of me,andI hadn’t kissed him just an hour ago,andI’m supposed to be dating his brother. Gods. I’m screwed.
“Maybe I am.” Zach grins coyly at me, ignoring Kaitlynn entirely.
It’s everything I can do not to let my eyes blast open wide, and I don’t think there is anything I could do that would stop my cheeks from blooming red. I can feel them already. It’s not what he said. It’s the way he said it, the way he looked at me. That head wobble and smooth cadence.
I’m so absolutely screwed.
“Did you hear that?” Kaitlynn interrupts my self-destruction.
“Hear what?” I ask. Don’t be trying to spook me now. I’ve had enough of that tonight.
The only thing I’ve heard the past half hour has been her and Zach, the crackling of the fire, the wind whistling through bare branches and pine needles. The occasional chirp and caw, and the growl of my stomach. I forgot to eat before we came up here. I should have known to bring a snack.
“Listen,” she says, and angles her head down, eyes bouncing from side to side.
“Okay now.” I push her arm playfully.
