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Kay let out a whoosh of air. “I guess.” She gazed up at him. “Do you ever get tired of being different? Don’t you ever wish you could just be a normal person for a while?”
He did know what she was trying to ask him. After the graveyard incident, the Brannigan boys were not looked upon kindly, and it was a tough time for Damon especially since he’d been the kind of kid who really wanted people to like him. “I’ve felt that way before. It’s hard when you aren’t appreciated for who you are.” He wanted to tell her how muchheliked her for who she was and that being a witch made hermorein his eyes, not less. He wanted to say they belonged together and that she should ditch Tucker now. But he knew she needed time to stop wishing for someone she thought she wanted and realize that who she needed was just waiting for her to be ready. He looked around the room and saw that Tucker was near the end of his loop around the building and almost out of samples to try. “You should probably get back to your date.”
“Yeah.”
“It was nice seeing you, Kay. Take care.”
“I—” She smiled. “Thank you. For the chocolate, and for listening. Good luck with your show.”
He smiled back before she walked away. Initially it was because he’d gotten what he wanted, but then he realized the happiness he expected to feel over Kay and Tucker’s date failing wasn’t there. The moment was bittersweet instead, because he had felt Kay’s disappointment, and he wanted to fix things for her.
He was falling in love with the beautiful witch for whom he’d opened his heart. He saw her touch Tucker on the arm, and Damon’s skin tingled, wishing she were touching him instead. His feelings for Kay were scary and exciting and more than he’d imagined they would be. Damon felt as if he was being swept up in a swell of water bigger than he’d ever seen, and he hoped that when the wave broke, he’d be on the crest for the ride of his life.
9
Kay
The cottagebehind the Knight house was full of the scent of vanilla and cinnamon as Corinne and Kay baked a large batch of snickerdoodles. They were the best-selling item the twins made, and it seemed there wasn’t a day that went by without them getting an order. Kay knew why; the cookies were infused with a soothing spell that eased people’s pain despite whatever troubles or burdens lay heavy on their shoulders. She’d already popped one in her mouth earlier to help with the disappointment of her supposed date with Tucker. But even a snickerdoodle couldn’t take her mind off her foiled attempt at love, and she let out a heavy sigh.
“Still thinking about Tucker?” Bri was at the worktable on Amelia’s side of the cottage using her calligraphy skills to hand address wedding invitations for a bride.
“I don’t know how I could have been so off base,” Kay said. “It’s like I have no relationship radar at all.”
The oven door thudded shut when Corinne closed it. “Sometimes when we want something bad enough, we see things that aren’t there.”
“I guess. The thing is I wasn’t feeling desperate. I mean, sure, you and Amelia finding your forever love got me thinking, but I don’t think I was grabbing at the first thing that came along. It’s just that when Tucker showed up on the island again, I thought it might be a sign.”
Corinne said, “It’s not crazy that you thought Tucker returning might be a sign. Do you remember the love spell we did with Amelia in the attic when we were kids?”
Kay nodded. The spell they’d performed had been in the back of her mind when Tucker showed up again. She distinctly remembered how hot the attic had been the afternoon she’d asked for him to be the love of her life. Of course she also asked for a wizard with a purple silk-lined black cape. But she doubted that guy would show up in her life.
“Love spell?” Bri asked. “Sometimes I hate being so much younger. I missed out on all the good stuff you guys did.”
“You were there, too,” Corinne said. “We were in junior high. Amelia was trying to get James to fall in love with her so he’d ask her to the eighth-grade dance. I asked for Noah, and Kay asked for Tucker.”
Kay scraped the batter off a spoon and dropped it onto a cookie sheet with a plop. “Or a famous wizard with a silk cape. But I didn’t take the spell seriously.”
“I tried to,” Corinne said. “But honestly I didn’t think it would work either. Especially because you spilled Kay’s juice, Bri.”
“I did? I wonder who I wished for.”
“You were two,” Corinne said as Kay laughed. “You probably had a crush on a Teletubby.”
“Or one of the Wiggles,” Bri joked. “Please tell me I’m not going to end up with an Australian man twice my age.”
Kay chuckled. “I don’t know. That accent is kind of sexy.”
The door of the cottage opened, letting a cool breeze in as Amelia walked through it. “Who has a sexy accent?”
Corinne said, “We were talking about the love spell you made us do one summer in the attic.”
“Oh.” Amelia had the grace to look chagrined.
“Amelia tricked us, Bri,” Corinne said. “She told us the spell was for all of us, but it was only for her.”
Bri stared at the oldest Knight sister with wide eyes. “Oh my, god! You? The woman who is always lecturing me on how I shouldn’t bend the rules flat out broke one. Tsk. Tsk. You lied to us, Amelia Knight.”
“I didn’t exactly lie toyou, Bri. I’m not sure you even contributed your magic to the spell. Besides, it didn’t work. James still took Jessica to the eighth-grade dance instead of me.”
