“I love your sister,” Kate said. “Your whole family’s coming to the wedding. We’ll have a blast.” She began stripping sheets off the bed and throwing them into the box in messy Kate style, when she paused, pulling something from underneath the mattress. “Hey, what’s this?”
Gen turned. Kate held a piece of white ledger paper.
The love spell.
The memory of that night surged up. A little tipsy on margaritas, and feeling sad over her growing doubts about David, she’d urged Arilyn and Kennedy to complete a love spell from the little purple book Kate had given her. Where was that book? And what had she written?
“It’s the spell,” she whispered, snatching it from her friend’s fingers. “I can’t believe I forgot about this!”
“From the Book of Spells?” Kate screeched. “Arilyn, didn’t you do one, too?”
Arilyn flushed. “Yeah, but I was really tipsy that night. I don’t know where I put mine.”
“Read it, Gen! Do the traits you listed match Wolfe?”
“That would be impossible.” She skimmed the contents, remembering that the instructions clearly said to write a list of all the traits wanted in a man, make a copy, burn one in the fire, and put the other under the mattress. Mother Earth or the universe was supposed to bring you the man you requested. Kate had sworn it worked for her and Slade. Also with Kennedy and Nate. “I did the spell when I was engaged to David, so the qualities probably . . .” She trailed off.
A chill crept down her spine. How odd. None of the qualities listed were part of David’s makeup, yet she clearly remembered jotting down everything she dreamed of having in a soul mate.
She read the list aloud:
A deep friendship.
Respect.
A wicked sense of humor.
Mind-blowing sex.
A man with character.
A man who believes in me no matter what my choices are.
Nonjudgmental.
Not a perfectionist.
A bit of a badass.
One with faults just like me.
A man willing to take risks.
This list was about Wolfe.
“Oh my God, it worked, didn’t it?” Kate asked.
Her fingers shook around the page. Impossible. Gen looked up. Her friends stared. “This list is Wolfe. Not David.”
Arilyn shivered. “A coincidence? Right?”
Kate chewed on her lip. “Maybe. But we have one more person to confirm the validity of the spell.” Her gaze shot to Arilyn. “You need to check if Yoga Man matches the traits you wrote down.”
Arilyn’s laugh seemed forced. “I’m not even sure where I put it. Look, this is silly. Let’s stop talking about love spells and voodoo and get back to packing. I’ll start out in the living room.” She grabbed a box and disappeared through the door.
Kate and Gen exchanged a look. “She so has that list under her bed.”
“Absolutely,” Gen said. “We’ll work on her later. Do you still have the book?”
Did she? Gen scoured her bookshelf and pulled out the violet book: The Book of Spells. No author was listed. “Here.”
Kate put up her hands. “I don’t want to touch it. Last time I got a shock. Just keep it here and we’ll see what happens with A.”
“Deal.”
“Can I join in on this deal?” She looked up. Wolfe held out a cup of coffee and a bag from Swan Pastry, and grinned. “Caffeine anyone?”
Gen flew into his arms, jumping up and holding tight. Their mouths fused together, and her heart swelled so big and full she felt like her chest would burst. Slowly, he slid her back down to the ground. “I missed you.”
“Me, too.”
He winked. “Hi, Kate.”
Kate’s grin was big and infectious. “Hi, Wolfe.”
“Thanks for helping us out.”
“No problem. I’m so happy for you guys.” She stepped close and threw her arms around both of them for a quick hug. “You’re the bes—holy shit!”
Kate jerked back, her mouth open in a shocked little O, and stumbled back, falling on her ass. She blinked up from the bedroom floor and glanced at her outstretched hands.
“Are you okay?” Gen jumped to help, but Wolfe had already scooped her back up. “What happened?”
“Don’t come near me!”
Gen froze at her friend’s command. Terror struck her, but then Kate burst into laughter so deep and joyous a frown came over her face. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on right now, I’m gonna freak.”
Kate shook her head, still keeping her distance. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I just s-s-saw a s-spider.”
“Where?” Wolfe looked frantically back and forth. Gen gazed at her friend suspiciously.
“Oh, it’s gone, don’t worry about it.” Kate waved her hand in the air as if dismissing the whole episode. “I gotta go. I’ll be r-r-right back.” They watched her climb over the bed in order to avoid walking past them and then pause at the doorway. “I’m s-s-so happy!”
She disappeared.
“What was that about?” Wolfe asked. “Do you see any spiders?”
“No, babe. And if I do, I’ll kill them for you. It’ll be in our marriage vows.” She stared thoughtfully at the empty doorway where Kate had disappeared. Hmm. When Kate touched a couple meant to be together, she usually received an electrical shock. Was it possible she’d experienced the touch with her and Wolfe? Gen shook off the idea and swore she’d ask later.
He tugged on her curls and grinned. “Smart-ass.” He looked around the bedroom. “Tell me the truth. Are you going to miss this place?”