Witchy Sour(48)

Chapter 13



Strolling around The Isle with a handsome man dressed in a suit, his dark hair wind-blown, and the fresh, sharp scent of him wafting in the breeze, was more than enjoyable. I hooked my arm through his, and he didn’t push it away. Hand holding was off the table apparently, but elbow-hooking was fair game.

“It’s polite,” Ranger X argued, gesturing toward our intertwined arms. “It’s not date-like, it’s just manners.”

“Exactly. And we all know you have great manners.”

He stopped walking right then and hooked that arm even further through mine until it slid all the way around my lower back. He bent me backward, dipping me so low that my hair dusted the sand on the ground, while his arms held me tight and his breath tickled my exposed neck. He held me like that for several moments, the distance between our lips taunting a kiss, the sugary scent of cotton candy lingering in the air.

“I have wonderful manners,” he said eventually. “You haven’t even seen the start of it.”

My breath came out faster than normal, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. However, I was tipped so far upside down that the blood rushed to my head and I suddenly felt dizzy. His words, his closeness, all of it was too much. I tapped his shoulder and said in a squeaky voice, “Excuse me? Head rush.”

With a reluctant gaze, he righted me and once more, we continued on our stroll around the outskirts of The Isle. The way things were going, this non-date was beginning to feel very much like a real date.

Walking arm in arm with a man who drew the gazes of everyone we passed, sharing the sticky sweetness of pink and blue cotton candy on a stick, trying my best not to swipe away the tiny, flyaway cloud of sugar that’d landed low on his cheek—all of it was wonderful. Together we spent the night wandering about, as if time was of no essence and morning was a distant worry of a distant day.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” X said as we reached the end of Main Street near the B&B. The families had all but disappeared. The shop owners had packed up their wares and closed their doors. One or two of them made eye contact with us as they swept off the stoops of their stores, their soft, knowing gazes telling me that they all thought this was real, too.

“You’re welcome for forcing you to have fun,” I teased. “You should try it more often sometime!”

“What about tomorrow?”

I stopped walking as he turned to face me.

“Is that too forward?”

“I work tomorrow,” I said. “You work. We have so much going on. The Magic of Mixology is still missing, there are men in cloaks seeping into this town left and right, and I don’t know what to make out of any of it. Plus, I now have this whole thing with Gus to figure out. And Poppy’s vitamins. Not to mention the fact that I can’t stop thinking about the man to whom I served The Elixir today. Where is he? What’s happening to him?”

By the time I finished speaking, my voice came in flurried waves, my chest rising and falling like the water lapping at The Isle’s shores. Suddenly my heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest, and the whole thing—everything—it was too much. Crouching down, I put my head in my hands and collapsed into the smallest ball possible right in the middle of the street.

Only a split second passed before X was right down there with me, pulling my hands away from my face.

“Hey, stop,” he said gently. “Everything you just listed is something we need to think about. Together. I’m on the case, as are ten other Rangers who are highly qualified and very skilled. Gus—I know you have concerns about him—but up until now, he’s been nothing but helpful to you from what I can see.”

“Minus his grouchiness,” I said, the smallest of smiles peeking through my lips. “That’s not always helpful.”

Ranger X gave a low laugh. “Of course, but that’s the nature of the beast. You take what you can get from Gus and let those snarky spells pass. My observations probably don’t mean much. I haven’t spent nearly as much time with him as you have, but he’s seemed happier lately.”

“Maybe because he finally has a date?”

“Or maybe...because you finally arrived.”

“Me?”

“He’s been waiting for you most of his adult life. Think of it from his point of view: He’s aging, and he has a lot of knowledge in that brain. Though he’ll never be a Mixologist, he can help you become a great one. Not only great, but the best. He sees something in you, and for a teacher, there is no greater joy than finding a student with the willingness to learn, the capacity to do great things, and the natural ability to succeed. Those three things are a rare combination, and Lily, you exude them in spades.”