Page 62 of A Witch in Notting Hill

Stop it, Willow.I shook out my shoulders and turned my attention back to the pendulum, trying desperately to get myself back on track. I’d lost the past few weeks to daydreams of Oliver—I couldn’t lose this, too.

The pendulum hung proudly in its glass box, still as a statue, reflecting the dim light around the room like sunbeams. The Orientation spell was one I knew by heart, as my grandmother taught it to me and Ivy when we were finally old enough to go out and about in the city on our own.

Only, back then, we used to use Granny Annie’s old locket or tattered flags on hot dog carts instead of centuries-old pendulums behind museum glass. Still, the phrase was familiar on my tongue. All I had to do was channel all my energy into making the pendulum move. Make the pendulum and the universe believe I meant what I said, believe I had the conviction necessary to cast a spell. Was confident in my craft. Focused. Intentional.

Swing, swing,

Lead the way.

Point to where

I’m not astray.

North, south,

East, or west,

Show me a sign

And I’ll do the rest.

The pendulum drifted only slightly, like there’d been little more than a gentle breeze. I mumbled the words again, with my eyes closed, envisioning the pendulum swinging hard in whatever direction I was meant to go. I knew this spell. This was an easy spell. There was no reason for this not to work.

Unless . . . there was.

When I opened my eyes, the pendulum was in the far corner of the box. Only, as Oliver moved on the other side of the glass, pacing the floor with his head down, the pendulum moved with him. Followed him. Swung slowly back and forth as he walked, tracing his path.

Come on,I mumbled, willing it to work with me.Show me the sign.

All at once Oliver stopped... and the pendulum stopped.You’ve got to be kidding me.

I whispered the spell again, trying for even more conviction. Eyes closed, seeing the pendulum pointing the way, showing me the direction of the river, leading me one step closer to transforming Vera back into a person. Said it two more times for good measure. Begged, even.

When I opened my eyes again, it was pointing straight ahead. Northwest. Nearly horizontal. Right at the center of Oliver’s back.

In college, I took a psychology course and learned about confirmation bias. Learned what it means to look for information that supports existing beliefs. And I couldn’t stop wondering if that was what was happening here. Was the pendulum actually pointing to Oliver, or did I want the pendulum to be pointing to Oliver? Surely it could have been swinging back and forth in the direction of a flowing river, couldn’t it?

Only, the thought alone rang the gong of disappointment so hard it rattled through my skull. Something in this building must have altered my brain chemistry, because there was no way I wasactuallyhoping the universe was giving me a sign that Oliver Hadley was the way to go.

It didn’t matter that he was gorgeous, and thoughtful, and protective, and that just being near him made me feel like anything could happen, magic or otherwise. What mattered was that we were from entirely different worlds and his didn’t include magic beyond his day job, and that about said it all.

Though I couldn’t even lie to myself and pretend that I hadn’t watched the pendulum trace his path with a dangerous bubble of hope in my chest. But reality came crashing in as soon as Lolaturned around, and the pendulum dropped right back to its resting position.

She tapped on the glass, then made awrap it upmotion with her index finger. It looked like Minho and Oliver were talking to someone, undoubtedly stalling, so I had to get out of there. Last I saw, the pendulum was pointing northwest, so that would be our guide.

Overthinking would be the kiss of death, and we had to keep moving. I didn’t have time to wonder whether the universe wanted me to step further into the orbit of an incompatible man. No matter how gorgeous, how contemplative and brooding. No matter what my name sounded like in his accent; no matter how he looked at me through his dark lashes like we were the only two people in any room.

No matter how much I wanted to.

“Did you get what you needed?” Lola asked as soon as I rounded the corner. “The lads are causing a bit of a scene trying to stall and I think we need to leg it out of here before things get any worse.”

“We’re going northwest,” I confirmed. “But right now, we’re just going anywhere but here. That guy doesn’t look happy, and I don’t trust Oliver with someone looking at him like that.”

“Bloody hell,” Lola said, looking back at the guy and Oliver, now chest to chest like two idiots in this quirky museum. “Let’s make a break for it.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me in the direction of Oliver and Min, calling “Excuse me, sorry, excuse me, sorry,” to the people we brushed by in our hurry to get out.

“Time to go,” she said, intercepting the men at the top of the stairs and ushering them toward the door.

“Not with the mouth on this bloke,” Oliver was saying, shaking his arm free from Lola’s grip.