Page 36 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

I sigh in relief. “Thank goodness. I’m so glad.”

By now we’ve left the main strip of beach near the center of downtown and the trees on the forest side of the path are beginning to grow dense and dark. For me, this isn’t worrying. I’m perfectly at ease when it comes to forests. But I know others sometimes find this forest intimidating.

“I brought a flashlight for you if you’d like to use it,” I tell him. “My people have what I guess some would call night vision, so I can see just fine, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Skylar is quiet for long enough that I almost start to worry I might have said something wrong until he clears his throat.

“Ahem. Well, I wouldn’t need the flashlight if we held hands. You just, uh, need to make sure I don’t trip.”

Talk about hitting a bull’s-eye straight to my poor heart.

Somehow, I manage to nod my head.

The Cure’s “Friday, I’m in Love” starts playing in my mind, bringing me back to that day we first met. By the Light, Skylar has me so befuddled I worry I might be the one to trip—right over my own feet.

I let out a startled squeak when he slips his small but firm hand in mine. A zing of awareness races up my arm and spreads out in a rush of warmth throughout my body.

“How’s this?” he asks, his voice gruff.

“G-good,” I manage to stutter out.

“Cool.”

I try not to hyperventilate.

We’re holding hands. Like in all the books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched.

And it’s even more glorious than I imagined.

I’m starting to realize why characters in musicals burst into song and dance out of nowhere.

Right now, if I could dance and sing like Fred Astaire, I’d take Skylar in my arms and serenade him with “Cheek to Cheek” while waltzing down the lake trail.

“Do you think whatever’s going on with these naked gnomes could be connected to the wonky magic situation?” Skylar asks, jolting me out of my rose-colored reverie.

“That’s an excellent question. I can’t say for sure, but if the magic can make apples start singing, who knows what it might be doing to other flora and fauna?”

It’s quite worrying, to say the least. Many folks in town forage for berries, herbs, and mushrooms in the woods. Others have their own vegetable gardens, just like me. If the magic is affecting locally grown fruits and vegetables, we could have a huge problem on our hands. Thankfully, the main harvest time has passed, but magic can be unpredictable, so we’ll need to be on our guard.

A short time later, I spot what appears to be a bonfire on the beach.

As we get closer, I can only gape in stupefaction. Two dozen naked gnomes dance around the fire, waving glowsticks in the air, accompanied by several of their friends on drums and fiddles.

“Holy shit,” Skylar whispers. “It’s like a gnome version of Burning Man down there.”

“What?”

Skylar waves his free hand distractedly. “It’s a festival, more like a week-long rave, out in the desert. I dated a guy once who was super into it. Not my scene though.”

My heart clenches at his mention of someone from his past. I know Skylar has dated, and it would be absurd for me to have issues with that.

Thinking about it with such logic, I can only assume I’m a tiny bit… jealous.

It’s ridiculous and not like me at all, but I can’t deny it. I want Skylar to think about only me, not other men. If he’ll let me, I’ll help him forget every other man who didn’t deserve him.

Oh dear Goddess, I’m already in love with him, aren’t I? This is what all the stories mean when they talk about people becoming fools for love.

But there isn’t anyone I’d rather be lovestruck by than Skylar Wright.