Page 61 of Enchanted to Meet You

“What?” I asked, alarmed. “What is it?”

“What he’s doing,” she said. “That thing with his hands?”

“And his tongue,” I added. “And his—”

“Yeah,” she said, quickly. “That. That isn’t because of a spell, Jess.”

“It isn’t? What do you think it is, then? Reiki? Hypnosis?” I gasped. “Wait. You don’t think—notcrystals?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Worse.”

“Why?” I asked, already dreading the answer. “What is it?”

She grinned at me. “You like him.”

Jessica

To make a friend of anyone, simply go and bake a bun:

Butter, cream, sugar, and flour worked together for an hour

If mixed with yeast, then left to bake the heart of anyone will take.

Goody Fletcher,Book of Useful Household Tips

It was completely ridiculous of Dina to suggest that the reason my skin felt as if it were bursting into flame—in a good way—every time Derrick Winters touched me was because Ilikedhim.

I know all about the love hormone oxytocin and how it works. I was there that day we learned about it in tenth-grade health class.

What was happening with Derrick was something else.

But I was fine with letting Dina think what she liked. All she’d ever wanted was for me to find the same kind of domestic bliss with someone that she had with Mark.

But how could I tell Dina that—especially after what had gone down with Billy—I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted for myself?

Then again, I didn’t know what I wanted for myself.

But it certainly seemed like everyone else in town thought they knew what was best for me.

This became pretty obvious after Dina and Mark had left, and Derrick and I finally got to that shower (and what followed after, which was just as interesting as what had gone on between us last night). I was in my sewing room, finishing up some hems on a few gowns for the ball, when Derrick called up the stairs to me.

“Jess?”

He was already hard at work on the wireless home security system he’d run out to pick up from Home Depot. Not surprisingly, the man knew how to work a drill. I kept going downstairs on the pretense of getting more tea when really I was sneaking glimpses of him. I was going to be so overcaffeinated by the time I showed up at the shop, my customers were going to be afraid. And so were Gabby and Esther. The two of them had already texted that they wanted to come by after online school.

Gabby:I can pick out a dress and also start training to work there! And you can start mentoring Esther!

I texted back:

Great. See you both this afternoon.

Wait until Esther found out what Ireallyintended to mentor her in.

I trotted down the stairs to see what Derrick wanted. I pretended like I didn’t notice how good his arms looked in his short-sleeved T as he held my drill.

“A woman just pulled up in front of your house.” Derrick waspeering suspiciously out the window he was attaching sensors to. “Do you know her?”

I followed the direction of his gaze. Despite the gloomy start to the morning, it had turned into a beautiful fall day, the sky a cloudless blue against which the autumn leaves were blazing red and gold. A flock of birds, a little late in heading south for the winter, formed a perfect V in the distance.