Page 64 of Meet Cute Magic

“And?” I ask.

“And,” he says, using a hand to smooth some of my hair back. He does that a lot, pushing hair behind my ear or my shoulder, like he’s worried it’s in my face, worried it’s bothering me. I used to wear it back when I was working to avoid just that, but I’ve found lately I’m letting it go more and more. “Before she got an answer, a small redheaded witch rushed through the doors and attacked me because she guessed the ending of her book correctly.”

I blink, trying to remember the day. I remember the book because I’d been telling him about it a few days earlier. It was the mystery and suspense romance I’d been reading after his event. When I finished the book on a slow day at the shop, I realized I’d been right and instantly needed to tell Jack about it. I flipped my sign to closed and nearly sprinted across the way to tell him.

When I work through the memory a bit, I do remember him talking to… someone, but I was so excited that I couldn’t focus on anything other than telling him. And then his arm was around my waist, and he was tugging me into his side and pressing a kiss to my hair, giving me a soft, good job, babe, so I was a bit distracted.

But apparently, he was standing there with Jeanette. And she was asking him about their friends with benefits situation, only for me to flaunt my own in her face.

Oh, god, that was so uncool of me. But also, a small, very petty part of me giggles and steeples her fingers maniacally. I push her aside and put on my logical thinking hat.

“So what, you’re going to go in and flirt with her and sneak a peek at her appointment book?”

“Pretty much.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I’m skeptical. This is Jack we’re dealing with, after all. “Wanna go now?”

I stare at him for another beat before shrugging reluctantly. “Sure.”

He stares at me again, then smiles wide before pulling my face into his, kissing me.

“Hey, Jeanette,” he says as he walks into the barber shop, well over an hour later, after we went to his place so he could change his shirt and got… distracted on the couch. I stare at my phone with rapt attention. I spelled both of our phones, so his is recording their interaction and displaying it on mine, but his screen looks totally normal. I can also tap on mine to see different angles of the shop. That way, I can watch without being there and screenshot the appointment book when she hopefully shows it to him.

I said it was because I wanted to make it easier to see the datebook so I could take note of what we needed, and he could stay focused and play the game. But now, I’m not sure why I insisted on it. Partly, I think, because I wanted to watch Jack turn on his apparent inner flirt, but a part of me, the jealous part that has been far too loud and possessive as of late, insisted as a form of self-torture.

“Hey there, Jack. Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jeanette’s voice perks up when she notices him walk in, and my jaw goes tight. I’m sitting across the street on a bench, and I can kind of see them moving through the big glass windows, but not much. On my screen, I watch Jeanette put her elbows on the counter and lean forward. From this angle, I can’t see it, but I just know her healthy cleavage is spilling out over the low top she’s wearing. I tap on the screen to get a different angle, to watch Jack instead.

“Oh, you know. Need a haircut soon.” A beat passes, and Jack gives her a wide smile. My pulse is pounding, which is weird because I don’t care who Jack smiles at. Of course not.

That would be outside the scope of our just-friends agreement.

“I think it looks good.” Her hand reaches out and touches his hair, coming into view. Her voice is soft and sweet, and I can see it, for a moment, Jeanette and Jack. Hell, even their names sound good together.

Maybe after the dust settles, I’ll tell Jack to go for it, to try something with Jeanette.

After the curse is broken and I find my true love, it won’t bother me as much, of course.

“You’re sweet,” he says. “What do you think I should do?”

“You’ve got a strong jaw, so you can handle just about anything, Jack. You know that. Plus, you’re so handsome.”

“An honor from a gorgeous woman like you.” A giggle comes from her, and my jaw tightens, so I should probably worry about my teeth’s health. Instead, I force my grip to loosen on my phone and take a deep breath.

This is a part of our quest.

More importantly, this is not real, what Jack and I have. It’s probably just the lingering impacts of the kiss bond or just the fact that he’s the person I’ve spent the most time around. I never did get around to researching the side effects, much less asking my sisters more about it. I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea, after all.

“Anyway, do you think Kate could fit me in in the next couple of days?” She grimaces like she’s unsure.

“Oh, I don’t know, she’s pretty busy.”

“Can you check to see if there’s a spot you can fit in a friend?” His voice is smooth and confident, and for a moment, I have to double-check that it’s Jack.

“Friends?” she asks with awe in the word.

Oh my god. He is so good at this. So good, if I didn’t know him at all, I’d probably think he was a cocky asshole. And for a moment, I can’t help but wonder why he’s never tried to use it on me. Has he really always been so uninterested in me, only accepting our agreement after a magical bond and because it’s convenient? Acid churns in my stomach with the words.

“Aren’t we friends? You came to my place recently to ask if we could go out for coffee, right?” Bad move, because his smile falters just a bit.

“And then Rosie Mayfield came in.” She says my name with malice, and I roll my eyes. Despite what I said to Jack, I’m pretty sure she’s hated me since I won prom queen my junior year when she was a senior.