Page 67 of Enchanted to Meet You

“Yeah. Sorry. I’ve never moved anything that heavy before. I’m surprised it even worked. Either that window was stuck harder than I thought, or...” She trailed off with a shrug. “I don’t know.”

Derrick knew. Derrick knew exactly why it had worked. The reason it had worked was sitting next to him, holding her cat close, and stroking the thoroughly unimpressed feline.

The Chosen One. The Chosen One had found her Bringer of Light.

And Esther had brought the light, all right.

Derrick felt like he needed a drink—a strong one, and not coffee, either. He had never in his life seen someone with powers as strong as Esther’s.

And she was only a kid.

Jessica

Offerings should be made to the Mother Goddess during the time of reaping to show thy thankfulness for a successful harvest.

Goody Fletcher,Book of Useful Household Tips

Derrick wanted a drink. I told him there was no better place to get one than Tuesday Night Trivia at the Brewport.

“That isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” he growled.

“Look, I don’t want to go, either,” I said as I locked Pye up into my house, an act he was expressing his outrage against by meowing loudly behind the front door. “But I never miss Tuesday Night Trivia, so if I don’t show up, it’s going to look weird—like something is up.”

“You mean like you just got a new boyfriend and you want to stay home so he can ravage you?”

“Um...” I paused before dropping my keys into my bag. Maybe I was making the wrong decision. “I wasn’t aware that was an option.”

“It is. It would be safer and therefore more sensible. Also vastly more pleasurable.”

He still seemed a bit shaken by what he’d seen back at the shop. Not the part where I’d found the absolute perfect dress for Gabby—the part where Esther had performed her telekinesis.

That had shaken me, too, though not as much as it seemed to have shaken him, since I’d seen her do it before.

“I agree,” I said. “But Esther’s going to be there. Her parents own the place and are making her work at the hostess station. Don’t you think we should go and keep an eye on her? Especially since Rosalie and Billy might be there.”

He looked almost physically pained. “Might be?”

“They’re on a team, yeah,” I said. “They don’t always show up. I wouldn’t expect them to this week, with all the Tricentennial stuff going on. But if they do, do we really want them around Esther without us being there to keep an eye on—?”

“Trivia it is.” He held out his arm to escort me down my porch steps.

I smiled and laid my hand upon his arm, like he was a gentleman and I was a lady. “Thank you, kind sir.”

“But I’d rather stay home tonight and ravage you.”

My pulse quickened. So much for him being a gentleman.

“Obviously I’d prefer that, too,” I said. “But I think we’ll have plenty of time for that after Trivia. Should we walk? It’s a nice night, and the restaurant’s not that far—”

Derrick cast an aggrieved look in the direction of his rental car. “Walking is fine by me.”

We had to go almost half a block before I could no longer hear the sound of Pye’s piteous wailing at being left inside on such a cool, clear night.

“So do you feel a little better about our chances of beating this thing—whatever it is—now that you’ve seen what Esther can do?” I asked as we turned onto the coastal road. Though I couldn’tyet see them, the sound of the waves grew louder. And the night air, which I’d thought pleasantly cool before, grew colder.

“I don’t know what to feel now,” Derrick said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

I laughed—but more with uneasiness than anything else. “Oh, come on. You must have. You’ve traveled all over the world doing this, haven’t you? Surely—”