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His smile was serene. “Give you your heart’s desire. Now, I’m not sure if you saw the sign, but we’re closing early today.” He nodded toward the book. “Take good care of it. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
“But I wanted to buy the tourmaline.”
He handed Carter the gemstone. “Pay me for it next time.”
Before he could say anything, Carter was being ushered to the door.
“Thank you for visiting the store, and good luck.” Mr. McAffrey closed it and pulled down the blind.
Carter stared at the sign.Wait a minute. Wait one goddamn minute.
It had changed. The store hours had changed. He wassureof it.
He gazed at the book clutched in his hand. “But you’re still here,” he whispered.
Maybe itwasreal.
Maybe therewasa spell that would help him.
Then why am I standing here?
Carter had a spell to cast.
Maybe.
Chapter Three
All the way back to his place, Carter clutched the book to his chest. His hands were moist, his skin clammy. He felt as though he was sneaking porn into his parents’ house, as if the book was something naughty that he had to be ashamed of. He wasn’t though, and he knew it. Still, it was hard to get rid of the guilt. And then there was Danny, who’d probably lock Carter out in the hallway until he got rid of his devil-worshipping proclivities.
Carter firmly believed it was nothing of the sort. Mr. McAffrey had been so close to how Carter had imagined him. In truth, he was a lot like Carter’s grandpa, an affable man, with bright eyes and an infectious smile who Carter had loved to sit with, listening to his stories of days gone by.
He glanced at the book.This is going to be bullshit.Carter didn’t believe in magic or spells.But what if it isn’t hokum? What if even a tiny part of it is real?What harm could there be if he tried it? Right?
He had to get that thought out of his head. Mr. McAffrey had given him the book to make a buck, that was it.
Even if hedidn’tcharge for it.
And what was up with that? Who didn’t charge for something like the book and the tourmaline? One glance at the leather binding, the scrollwork on the cover, and the heavy pages was enough to scream quality and a high price tag. It wasn’t something you just gave away. And Mr. McAffrey had seemed so genuine when he gave it to Carter, as if he’d known with absolute certainty it would work.
But it couldn’t—could it?
No freakingwaycould it work.
He’d had questions, and he would have asked them, if Mr. McAffrey hadn’t hustled him from the store before he could get any of them out.
So you try it. If it doesn’t work, it’s not like you’re losing anything, right?
What perturbed him was why he was looking for reasons to try it in the first place. Heknewit wouldn’t work,knewhe’d be disappointed, so why not just ignore the book and move on with his life, then return it in a few days?
Because you want this to be real, probably more than you’re willing to admit.
It was true. Mr. McAffrey’s question about what Carter wanted for himself had shaken him. The more he thought about it, though, the more he came to realize that what Mr. McAffrey said wasn’t wrong. No one wanted to know the things you desired for yourself. No, it was all abouttheirplans for a grand future. His parents wanted him to get a good job to take care of his wife and kids, his friends wanted him to embrace a lifestyle where he could get up on stage in full drag and singreallybadly.
The reality was more a mesh of the two. He wanted a family with someone he loved, but he also wanted to get up on that stage with his family’s blessing and be someone different, just for a while. Maybe it was because he wasn’t happy with how his life was going at present. He felt trapped in a role he hadn’t chosen, didn’t like, and was moving toward a future he knew he’d hate. His parents were certain he’d fall in love with a girl, just as they were certain the classes he was taking would get him a good paying career in data science. That was, of course, unless he wanted to take theology and become a pastor, but that was their dream, not his.
Computers wouldn’t be his ideal career choice either.
Hell, Carter really had no idea what he wanted out of life. If he were honest, he could see himself sitting in a bookstore like Mr. McAffrey, brewing tea, talking to customers, and helping them find something that was uniquely them.
