True Love and Magic Tricks (19 page)

One silver shoe steps in, and I don’t
let go of her hand until the second is in place. I mouth “I love
you” to her before closing the door.

I walk over to the table in the middle
of the stage and pick up the first blade, holding it high above my
head. The crowd takes in a collective gasp, and I walk over to the
box, making a show of it before plunging the blade into the
wood.

More gasps, and I can’t help the smile
that tugs at my lips. I have lived for this very moment. I take the
second blade and push it through.

I pull the middle part of the box
apart, creating three separate boxes. Kaylee smiles the entire
time. I spin it around and the audience goes wild, whistling,
hooting, hollering and clapping.

The box comes to a halt, and Kaylee’s
hand sticking out the hole at the top waves to the crowd. Her eyes
dart down and a look of shock spreads across her face. This girl
could totally be an actress.

I pretend to calm her down. I hold my
hands up and gesture to wait a minute. I spin the box one more time
and when she faces the crowd, I push the middle piece back into
place.

I unlatch the door and hold it open.
Kaylee’s silver shoe steps out followed by the second. The crowd
jumps to their feet, and I can’t even hear my own thoughts over the
cheers. The smile I’ve been trying to hide to keep it as
professional as possible spreads wide across my face.

Kaylee curtseys then takes my arm and
pushes me forward, holding her hands up and scanning them down my
body. The crowd goes louder, but when Kaylee turns and her eyes
lock on mine all I hear is my beating heart and how just a mere
glance at her has it racing.

The audience disappears as I step to
Kaylee and wrap my fingers around her neck. Just like I learned in
all those swing dancing classes, I take her hand, spin her out,
pull her back, and dip her down.

She breathes heavy as I stare into her
beautiful green eyes. Eyes that I could lose myself in over and
over again, and that I will never get sick of looking
into.

I lower my head and press my lips to
hers taking in her delicious strawberry taste.

I never thought after I slid that
first note into her locker she’d ever give me the time of day. Nor
did I think it would lead me to what I’ve been missing.

I found the rabbit to my
hat.

True Love and Magic Tricks is a
prequel novella to the full-length Ryan and Lexie novels

King Sized Beds and Happy
Trails

Beach Side Beds and Sandy
Paths

And the forthcoming Lonesome Beds and
Bumpy Roads

Excerpt of King Sized Beds and Happy
Trails

Chapter 1

Lexie

Mrs. Sean
Dixon.

I draw a big fat X through
it. After watching Sandy Mc-Slut-ster shove her tongue down Sean’s
throat, all my fantasies went up in flames just like the anger
inside of me. That conceited, good-for-nothing bitch knew exactly
what she was doing. Her heart is darker than my
Black Onyx
nail polish.

She stopped right in front of me while
I sat waiting for my ride, and yanked Sean’s face to her overly
made up one, then practically inhaled it. I bet she heard the
rumors that Sean planned on asking me to the winter
formal.

God forbid she let her arch enemy get
the one thing she desired most. It’s not fair though. I’ve waited,
watching him from a distance for the past two years, analyzed every
single gesture he’s made and every word he’s ever said to
me.

Unfortunately being the daughter of
the town drunk doesn’t exactly scream, “Look at me! Aren’t I
sexy?”

I slam my notebook shut just as Ryan
snatches it out of my hands. “Hey, give that back!” I jump up from
the bench outside school and bounce up and down. It’s no use. My
best friend’s arm is too far out of my reach. Even though I’m 5’7,
Ryan towers over me.

He should know better than to mess
with me. I’m the one girl who knows more about him than anyone
else. So I take advantage and go right for his weak spot, tickling
the place where his arm bends at his elbow.

Muscles tighten and his shirt
stretches tight against his bicep. A loud laugh erupts from his
mouth, hand falling to his side. “Cheater!” he yells, and I grab my
notebook from his hands.

“
Winner,” I correct him
and cock a smile.

He shakes his head, dirty blond hair
short yet messy sways with his movements. Dark eyes lower to mine,
eyebrow arched. “If you say so.” His arm reaches out, trying to get
the notebook back, but I’m too quick. I turn away, but he’s faster
this time. I’m swept into his arms, and the world spins around
me.

There’s no use fighting it. I hold on
and enjoy the ride. When he comes to a stop and places me back on
the ground, both of us unsteady on our feet, he smiles his big Ryan
smile.

He points toward his car. “You ready?
Nate and Kaylee are already in the car. He has a deck of cards
though, so he can keep her occupied with magic tricks for the next
two days.” Through the window I see the top of Nate’s fedora, his
head bent down over Kaylee who is cuddled into his side.

I glance at my wrist as if I’m wearing
a watch. “I’ve only been waiting for like twenty minutes.” I
scrunch my nose and give him my best “mean” face even though Ryan
tells me it makes me look constipated.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry I
got held up in Auto Shop. We were removing an engine from a 1972
Dodge Dart.”

I stare down at my black nails—no
chips—and back at Ryan. “And if I knew what that was I might be
impressed.”

His mouth drops open, long arms fly
up. “Have I taught you nothing? I’m embarrassed you’re my best
friend.”

Of course I know what a Dodge Dart is.
I know more about cars than I’ve ever wanted to know. But Ry loves
them, so when he talks for hours on end about classics versus
modern and fuel injection versus carburetion, I listen.

“
Now you know how I’ve
felt for the past ten years.”

His eyes widen, forehead creases, and
I bend my legs, ready to run. “Oh really!” he says and leaps at me
with his tickle fingers. I take off toward the car, laughing so
hard I have to stop to hold my sides.

I glance up, and there in all her
slutty glory is Sandy sliding into Sean’s car. The vision of Sean’s
face sears my heart. How could I be so stupid? I’m a nobody, and
he’s charming and mega hot, but I believed in fairytales, and he
was my Prince Charming. Should have listened to Mom all those years
ago when she told me fairytales were child’s play.

Ryan stops walking. “What’s wrong?”
Already dark eyes darken more as concern etches at the corners,
tension pulling tight.

For a second I forget about Sandy’s
blatant display of affection. Ryan does that to me. He’s the only
one that can make me forget about my shitty life. I turn away,
afraid I’ll cry. A gentle hand rests on my shoulder. “Lex…” His
voice drifts into my ears like a familiar song. Slowly he turns me
until I’m looking into the soft brown eyes of the boy who always
catches me when I fall.

The concern is still there, but the
tension is gone, replaced by the need to make whatever is bothering
me go away.

A tear slips down my cheek.

“
Don’t cry,” he says and
swipes his long finger under my eye.

I go to talk, but words won’t come. A
sheet of glass forms in my eyes, and when he takes me in his arms,
the glass shatters. Tears stream down my cheeks, leaving wet pools
on his white shirt.

“
Okay, I’m not embarrassed
you’re my best friend,” he says and laughter erupts from my mouth
causing me to snort. “Now that was hot!”

I wipe at the tears. “Is there
something wrong with me? Am I defective?”

His forehead crinkles in confusion,
but when Ryan glances over my shoulder and sees Sean leaning into
the passenger window of his car kissing Sandy, the skin
tightens.

“
Not him again? Lex, he’s
a douche.”

“
You’re just saying
that.”

“
No, I’m not. In gym he
blew a fit because he got a grass stain on his pants. That is a
douche.”

“
Sean’s perfect. And I’m…
I’m just the girl with a town drunk for a mother.”

“
You need to
stop.”

“
Stop what?”

“
Beating yourself up over
something you can’t control. Your mom doesn’t define who you are.
You do. And if you ask me, you’re pretty kickass.” He places his
hand under my chin, pulling it up until I look into his eyes. “Now
screw Sean. Screw Sandy Nelson and screw your mom. Let’s go have a
Ryan/Lexie fun day. What do you say?”

I shrug. “Why not?”

Ryan throws his arm over my shoulder
and guides me to his car. Through the window I see Nate with his
fedora off, hand inside, probably about to pull out a dozen or so
silk scarves. Kaylee is fixated on his every move, big green eyes
wide with anticipation, blond pigtails resting on her shoulders.
She’s only seen this trick a gazillion times, and she’ll probably
watch it a million more. As Nate always says, she’s the bunny to
his hat.

I get in the front seat and as soon as
the door shuts, Kaylee’s arms wrap around my neck. “Bestie!” she
screeches, even though I hate that word. I’m a slug and bestie is
the salt. Just hearing it makes me shrivel up and cringe. But it’s
Kaylee—the girl who has never judged me—so I always let it
slide.

“
What are you pulling out
of your hat today?” Feeling kind of guilty I interrupted Nate’s
trick, I turn my attention to him, Kaylee still hanging on my
shoulders.

“
Sorry, babe.” Kaylee
releases me and leans over to kiss Nate on the cheek. “As you
were.” She waves her hand and then focuses back on his every
move.

Nate’s cheeks redden, his teeth slide
over his bottom lip and the trick is as good as over. His hand
wraps around Kaylee’s waist, and he pulls her close, but not before
a giggle escapes her mouth.

Ryan tosses his arm over my seat and
turns his eyes my way. “Do you want me to walk Brewster with you
tomorrow?”

Of course I do. I can’t handle that
sixty pound, squirrel loving dog on my own. Besides, I know what
he’s doing. He’s trying to take my mind off of Sean. It’s sweet,
but it won’t work.

I shrug. “If you want.”

“Since Mrs. Nelson only gave you the job
because of my ridiculously good looks, I think I’d owe it to her to
be there.”

If my eyes could do a one-eighty they would.
Granted, Ryan was the reason I got the job, but it had nothing to
do with his looks. “She won’t even be home.”

“Well, in that case…” His dark eyes shoot up,
forehead crinkles in his I’m-thinking-face. “Yes.”

It was a good try, but my mind is stuck on a
rerun of the Sean and Sandy show. I turn back in my seat and rest
my head against the window. I don’t want to talk. I just want to go
home and cry my eyes out over a boy who was never even mine. Ryan
knows. I can tell by the way he keeps glancing at me.