Page 73 of The Sasquatch and the Hairdresser

“To follow on what Skylar was saying, can’t you also tap into another part of the ley line to create these barriers?” I ask.

“Exactly, babe,” Skylar says, nodding at me.

Astraea gets a rather conflicted look on her face, her eyes going distant. “I can’t go into a lot of details, but when the monarch of the Fae Realm and I had a final falling-out years ago, we signed a treaty that does not allow either of us, as leaders of our realms, to tap into the ley lines we created in this one. We are beings who are already inherently superpowered, so to speak. Our abilities are more limited outside of our own realms, but we learned the hard way that using similar levels of magic in this realm can only lead to disaster, especially if there’s any kind of feuding going on. The Terran Realm is more… fragile than some of the other realms.”

“Like Spiderman teaches us, with great power comes great responsibility,” Jayden whispers.

“But you still have some magical abilities here,” Skylar says. “We’ve seen you in action.”

Astraea nods. “Of course. But it’s only a fraction of the power I possess when in my own realm. Or when I can tap into a magical source—like a ley line.”

Max gasps. “Girl! You mean you’d go full on Dark Galadriel if you dip into the ley line here?” He whistles. “I mean, you’re just as gorgeous as Cate Blanchette, and she was still hot but also majorly terrifying in that scene. I don’t think I want to see Dark Astraea, no offense.”

Her lips twitch. “None taken. And hell yeah, Cate Blanchett is majorly hot. If only she were single…”

“Well, now that we’ve got that cleared up,” Kassiel interjects. “Shall we get back to Skylar’s smart suggestion?”

Skylar clears his throat and studies everyone. “So, I’m not sure the best way to go about finding the kind of mage we need, but I figured we could have Astraea place another one of her magical ads with A.S.S.E.S. The one that led me here made sure I found it. You’ve got the mojo to do that still, right?”

“Indeed, I do.” Astraea drops her feet off the table and jumps up. “Now we’re talking. I’ll snare this unicorn mage come hell or high water,” she declares, then strides out of the room.

Baxter’s nostrils flare. “It’s a fool’s errand. We’ll never find someone with that kind of ability.”

“We won’t know until we try,” I say. “Skylar’s idea is super smart and definitely worth a shot.”

I’ve got to defend my brilliant boyfriend, especially when Baxter’s being so unlike his usual self. Nevertheless, I’m worried about my friend. I should bake him a bundt cake and take it over to his house soon. The red velvet recipe Max gave me always loosens him up, so I can get him talking and make sure he’s okay, plus offer help if he needs it.

Skylar smiles and nudges his chair closer to mine so he can rest his head against my arm.

Sylvia strokes her beard. “But Baxter, you and I know someone who fits the bill perfectly.”

“No,” Baxter growls in warning.

She waggles an eyebrow. “Quit being as stubborn as a mule. Besides, you may not have a choice in this. If he comes across the ad, then I suspect he’ll be coming whether you like it or not.”

Baxter scowls.

I clear my throat. “Ahem. While Astraea’s working on tracking down a mage, why don’t we get back to our earlier discussion,” I say, trying to diffuse the mounting tension in the room. Skylar hugs me and I smile down at him. “Tell us more about your other ideas for promoting businesses in town.”

He beams. “More tourists. Mystic Hollow’s businesses will benefit from more outsiders visiting throughout the year, and I don’t think it would be too hard to attract more folks here. In fact, our best move might be to start by advertising to other Sanctuary Havens. Folks in those towns might want to come check us out and feel safe doing so. Win-win.”

“Now that’s inspired,” Kassiel says, nodding along. “We should have been doing that all along.”

I puff my chest out in pride. “Skylar’s super smart. He’s so knowledgeable when it comes to these kinds of things. We can learn a lot from him.”

Skylar snickers. “Thanks, but you might be a bit biased. What with being my boyfriend and all.”

“I stand by what I said,” I reply resolutely.

He chuckles and continues. “Apart from all the fun events the town already hosts and the great local businesses we have, there’s a special charm to Mystic Hollow that I don’t think anyone can deny. Plus, we’ve also got a number of celebrities living here—Ryder St. James and Dr. Wildethorne, for instance—who could host in-town events like book signings or talks. We’re not doing a lot to capitalize on the draw they’d have.”

See, I was right. Skylar is so darn clever, and a shrewd businessman. I’m so lucky he wants to be with me.

“I can speak for my hulkalicious darling. Targan would also be more than happy to lecture on his latest work and sign books for folks. He’d bring in a different crowd than Ryder, but he’s very well known,” Max says, pride radiating from every pore.

“I’m pretty sure Ryder would be up for something related to his books too,” I offer. “Doing stuff like that on his home turf, his safe space, will probably be way more appealing than going on more book tours.”

No worry about dealing with stalkers like he had to last time either. I think that put an end to any future book tours for Ryder.