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“Well, yeah, but…”

“And could you work out something with your job?”Advertisement

“I’m sure I could, but…”

“Then you need to be there. That’s a good man you’ve got, and you’ll get nowhere with each other at a distance like this. You’re not afraid of something, are you?”

I’d been afraid he didn’t really want me there, but that had gone out the window with what he’d just said. “No, I guess not.” I realized then that I was afraid of more than that. I’d never let myself believe Owen could want me. This distance had become an excuse. I could play noble and stay down in Texas, with no danger of the relationship moving in either direction—getting closer together or breaking apart—and not take any chances. Or I could face things head-on, win or lose. “You know, I think he might be worth taking a chance on. I guess I’ll see when I can book a plane ticket to go back.”

Dad reached into his pocket and brought out an envelope. “You’ve been working hard all spring, which is one of our busy times, and you’ve got us back on track with all your systems. I haven’t paid you nearly enough, so here’s what I owe you. Buy yourself a plane ticket and go back tomorrow, if you want to.”

I gulped and blinked away tears, then threw my arms around him. “Thanks, Dad. Now I guess I’d better see if I can get a seat.”

I logged on to the airline website using the frequent flier number I’d signed up for in optimism before my first trip to New York, back when I’d imagined myself becoming a real jet-setter. I was surprised to find that there was already a ticket reserved for me, going to LaGuardia the next afternoon. I wasn’t sure if it was Merlin or Owen, since both of them had those uncanny precognitive abilities, but either way, it was a pretty strong message.

I grabbed my things from the office and ran out into the store. “I’ve got a flight for tomorrow. I’d better get home and pack,” I called out as I left.

Back at home, I ran up the stairs to my room, then stopped short in the doorway. Sitting on my bed was a single red stiletto pump. I’d had a pair of those shoes, once upon a time. I’d lost one of them during a particularly disastrous New Year’s Eve party. This had to be that shoe, and Owen had been the one who had it all this time. I still had the other one in my closet as a reminder of the little bit of glamour I’d enjoyed in my New York life. I went straight to the closet to get it, but it wasn’t there.

Then I took another look at the shoe on my bed. It was the right shoe, the one I’d had all along. Still, the fact that the shoe was out there had to be a sign.

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After I had everything packed, including the shoe, I got into my truck to make one last round around town. I dropped in on Nita at the motel. “Please slap me the next time I say I want excitement,” she said. “I’m still recovering from this crazy week.” I noticed that the rock-and-roll decor was gone and the old chamber of commerce calendar prints were back.

“Yeah, that was pretty crazy. Uh, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She clapped her hands together. “You’re going back to New York!”

“How’d you know?”

“It was all over your face. You look happier now than you have in ages.”

“You should come visit. I’m not sure where we’d put another person, but we’d think of something.”

“I will, you can count on that. You’re going after that guy, aren’t you?”

“I’m going after a lot of things.”

“Good! You know, I think I might even be inspired to do something, myself.”

“I can’t wait to hear what you come up with,” I said before giving her a good-bye hug.

Teddy drove me to the airport in Dallas the next day. I was glad it was him because we could talk openly along the way. “Dean’s already planning a trip to New York so he can get a couple of real magic lessons,” he said as he drove.

“You’ll keep an eye on him, won’t you? I think he learned his lesson this time, and he did help save the day, but you know Dean. He’s likely to slip and get lazy along the way.”

“He’ll get nothing past me, I promise. There isn’t any training we’re supposed to have as magical immunes, is there?”

“Not that I know of. You just have to learn to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, and be aware of anything that seems wrong. You’ll learn to sense magic if you’re around it enough. It feels like a tingle or a shiver up the spine. When Granny says she feels like someone’s walking over her grave, that’s what it feels like. And you’ll try to keep Mom out of trouble—and out of the loony bin?” pqdm.com