Page 41 of Practically Magic

“Wow, such a gentleman.”

“I just don’t want to get shut down by the health department,” he retorts, but I notice the start of a smile. “What a weirdo,” he mutters as he’s walking away, but I notice he keeps rubbing his thumb where I touched him.

“Him?” Laney mouths.

I shake my head. Zach? Absolutely not. We are definitely not—we’ve never—nothing at all.

“You’re blushing,” Laney points out.

“Because Ryan Elliott just asked me to Colton’s party.”

Laney gapes at me. “Excuse me, what?”

“Which should be impossible, because my sister put a love curse to make me invisible to boys—”

“WHAT!” Laney shrieks.

Oh, right. I guess I sorta didn’t have time to tell her about all that, between the ghosts and the vampires and the werewolves.

“Don’t worry, I yelled at her—”

“I’m not worried about her. I’m worried about this town! How are you going to cast a ritual with Colton if you’re cursed?”

“Colton invited me to his party,” I say stubbornly. “And Harry’s spell has a loophole for my true love. So maybe that’s proof that he’s my true love, after all. Like, if he’s not impacted by Harry’s spell, that means—”

“Kat?” comes a voice. “Is that you?”

I almost don’t recognize Justin Tremble. Since he stopped working at Haunted House of Hamburgers, he’s buzzed his hair and started wearing guyliner. Maybe he finally started that band he was always talking about.

“Justin?” My question is swallowed up by his bicep as he pulls me into a hug.

“Wow, you look so . . . grown-up,” he says. “Wow. I can’t believe I never noticed how gorgeous your eyes are.”

Okay, this is getting weird. Still, I can’t fight the butterflies. “My eyes?” I ask, sounding breathless. “They’re nothing special—”

His hand lands on my jaw, hinging it back up so I’m forced to look him in the eye. “Nonsense. I could drown in those, and I’d die happy.” He smiles, his thumb stroking along my neck.

I shiver, and not just because he’s super-hot and he’s caressing my face like he’s maybe about to kiss me. For a girl who’s never been kissed, it’s been a strange hour. Almost makes me hopeful I’ll get my first kiss this century.

This is wrong. One crush reappearing was unlikely. Two? That’s downright impossible. Uncanny.

In fact, it feels like . . . magic.

“Justin,” I squeak out. “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything, my love.” And then he smiles, dreamily. “Sorry, that just slipped out. But I’m so glad it did. Because I do—love you.”

Laney’s jaw falls so far open that I have to close it manually or she’s going to catch flies.

“Can you go get me some . . . more whipped cream?” I ask. When he glances in confusion at the canister, I fake a smile. “Empty, unfortunately. But I think the Stop & Shop up off the Post Road has my favorite. Do you mind?”

He reaches forward and squeezes my nose. “Oh boy,” I say, his pinched fingers making me sound like a Muppet.

“Anything for my love,” he says.

“Don’t hurry back,” I call after him.

“What was that about?” Laney asks.