True Love and Magic Tricks (5 page)

Maybe I’ll walk around the block. Make
time go faster by doing something. I zip my hoodie jacket, hook the
present I got for Nate on my arm, and stuff my fists in the pockets
before skipping down the sidewalk. I really do try to control my
enthusiasm, but my legs and butt just want to shake and shimmy all
over the place.

I cross the street and hop onto the
opposite sidewalk, thinking about how cute these pink and black
Sketchers are when I casually look over my shoulder into the car
that got my hopes up.

My feet stop in their tracks. Nate’s
splayed across the backseat, flipping a deck of cards between each
hand. It looks like he’s talking to someone, but I’m pretty sure he
doesn’t have a gerbil in there.

I run to the window and quickly rap my
knuckles against the glass with probably the most un-cute smile
ever. But I don’t care. The genie in my phone must’ve granted my
wish.

The cards spill from his hands and
topple all over his chest and stomach. I’m sort of jealous of
them.

I wave, and after a few blinks, he
sits up and opens the door.

“
Uh, hey.”

“
Hi!” I squeal, then my
face heats. “What are you doing out here? You forget where I
live?”

He shakes his head before running a
hand through his hair. “I was way early. And you know, didn’t want
to… so I waited out here… and well, yeah.”

His pink cheeks are so cute I want to
pinch them. I almost do, but instead I throw the gift bag
out.

“
Open it.”

A dark, bushy eyebrow tilts up. “You
got me a present?”

“
I read in
Vanish
that all
magicians need one.” I shake the bag at him. “Open it,
please?”

His fingers brush over mine, sending
twinkly stars up my arm. The dark blue tissue paper crinkles as he
digs in the bag and fishes the present out.

“
I hope it fits,” I say, as
he quirks a smile at the light grey fedora. It matches his
beautiful eyes. “Though I’m not sure if a bunny will be comfortable
living in it.”

A small laugh shakes through him, and
he flips the hat down his forearm and pops it with his elbow. After
catching it, he slides it over his dark hair, his half grin now
full blown.

“
Fits perfect.”

“
Holy crap, do that again,”
I blurt out through my gaping mouth.

I didn’t think he would, but he
totally obliges, pulling it from his head and popping it with his
other elbow.

“
You have to teach me how
to do that,” I say, snatching the gift bag from his hand. He lets
out a small laugh and opens the passenger door for me.

“
Sure. I mean… if you’re
serious.”

“
Heck yes, I’m serious.” I
plop into the seat and scoot so he doesn’t hit my butt with the
door as he closes it. What a freaking adorable
gentleman.

“
So … I’m hungry,” he says
when he starts the engine. “You mind if we get something to eat
first?”

Oh. “Um, you can. I didn’t bring my
purse.”

“
I-I’ll pay.”

I pull my feet up on the seat and nod
into my knees to hide my dorkville smile. “Then, yes, I’m starving.
Feed me.”

He chuckles and lets his hand dangle
dangerously close to mine on the center console.

Okay. I don’t care if this isn’t a
date. I’m going to count it as one anyway.

Chapter 6

There are not many places to choose
from in town, so I head over to Skippy Lee’s. They have the best
burgers. Oh damn, I didn’t even think to ask Kaylee if she eats
meat. My luck she’s a vegetarian like Ryan.

“
Uh…do you eat meat?” I
ask, and her eyes widen. Suddenly I realize just how wrong that
sounds. “Like burgers?” I sputter.

“
Are you kidding me? Who
doesn’t like burgers?” Kaylee’s out of the car before I even have
it in park. She rounds the front and opens my door. “Come on. I’m
starving.”

I take the key out of the ignition and
hop out. I expect my exit to look cool. Instead my suspender gets
stuck to the seatbelt and flings me back. The strap snaps loose
from my pants and somehow the metal clasp whacks me in the back of
the head.

“
Umph.” I rub my head as if
my fingers are made of some magic healing lotion.

“
Are you okay?” Kaylee
asks, resting her hand on top of mine.

Sure I’m fine. I just made a complete
fool of myself. Why can’t I be smooth like Nick? It comes so
natural to him. It obviously skipped me.

Kaylee’s small fingers grip mine. “Let
me see.”

I let my hand fall to my side and lean
down. She pops up on her tiptoes to get a good look. The stinging
is gone, and all I can focus on is her touch, the way her fingers
draw circles in my hair, how her fresh scent wraps around me like a
warm blanket, the way she can’t hold herself up on her toes for too
long, and has to keep bouncing back up, the amazing thing those
skin tight black pants are doing for her legs…

She moves closer, her boobs
practically going right to my mouth.
Oh.
My. God
. But just as I’m about to divert
my attention away from boob mountain, her lips press ever so gently
against my hair.

“
All better,” she
says.

I glance up and meet her eyes. A light
breeze blows by, tossing her hair into her face. Her hands fly up
to her mouth, pulling and swatting at the stray pieces. A loud puff
of air leaves her lips, and she lets out a grunt.

“
Hair and lip-gloss are a
bad combination,” she says as she fishes a piece off her
lip.

I reach out, my finger grazing the
corner of her mouth as I pull away the strand she missed. “I don’t
think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down.”

“
Now I’m remembering why I
always have it in braids.”

I grasp her wrist, sliding my fingers
across the band she has around it. Trying to catch my breath, I
tuck a thumb underneath and glide it across her skin, letting the
elastic snap when it leaves her hand.

“
Here,” I say, holding the
tie between my forefinger and thumb. She takes it from me, flips
over, her blond hair cascading in front of her. She tosses her head
back and combs her fingers through the golden strands before
twisting it into a braid and securing the band around
it.

“
How’s it look?”

“
Perfect.”

“
Good. Now let’s go get
burgers. I need fuel if you expect me to retain anything you teach
me.”

I toss my arm around her shoulder,
dropping my hat on her head then almost freeze, but manage to keep
moving as if that wasn’t the boldest thing I’ve ever
done.

She doesn’t skip a beat, pulling my
hat into place and talking away about what burger she’s going to
get.

My racing heart slows its beat, and
the sweat prickling my neck fades.

Who knew the girl who sparks my
anxiety is also the key to curing it.

***

Ava stands at the front of the dance
studio and demonstrates the move she wants us to incorporate into
our routine. I study her then turn back to Kaylee, getting into
position. I go to step forward and step right on Kaylee’s foot. She
lets out a squeal and my cheeks are an instant inferno.

“
I’m so sorry,” I say to
the ground because I’m too embarrassed to look up.

Her fingers tap my chin and urge my
head up.

My gaze settles on the stray hairs
falling loose from her braid. I’m happy she went back to them.
Don’t get me wrong. She looked gorgeous that day with her hair
loose, but this…the braids…that’s the Kaylee I know and
like.

I focus on the golden strands. I can’t
look in her eyes. She is so confident and graceful and I’m a putz.
She asked me to be her partner so she can learn and all I’m doing
is holding her back.

“
Nate, look at me. Please?”
The last of her words a mere whisper, and my resolve
fizzles.

I glance into her big, gorgeous green
eyes and an immediate calm washes over me.

“
You can do this,” she says
as her finger leaves my chin and slides up my face, cupping my
cheek. “Relax.”

I go to say a million things, but
every word sticks in my throat.

“
Relax,” she says again. I
take a deep breath and she smiles. “Good. Again.”

I listen, inhaling deeply.

“
There’s nothing to this.
You just have to be confident.”

“
That’s easy for you to
say. It comes so naturally to you.”

She pulls down on the brim of my hat.
“And it does to you, too.”

I cock my eyebrow and shake my
head.

“
It
does
.” she argues. “When you’re
doing magic, you become a different person. All your nerves are
gone, and you are the definition of confident. Probably because it
comes from within here.” She takes her hand from my face and
presses it to my chest. “When you pull from your heart it is honest
and true with no room for fear or doubt. Now focus all of that on
these moves. You can do this.” Her hand falls to mine and she
squeezes it gently. “
We
can do this.”

I close my eyes and think of the first
trick I ever attempted. The cut and restore rope trick. I was
nervous, holding the rope and scissors while Ryan and Lexie waited
for me to wow them. Without hesitation I just did it. That’s it. I
didn’t think about it. If I thought about it, I would’ve doubted
myself.

So I push every thought of failure out
of my head and take Kaylee’s hands in mine. I let the music flow
into my ears and concentrate on the beat, the rhythm. I move my
foot and start walking then quickly switch it up by touch stepping
to the side. I triple step back and pull Kaylee with me, then go
right into a kick ball change.

A smile spreads wide across Kaylee’s
face, and I smile right back, loving the surprise in her big green
irises when I raise our hands and set her into an east coast swing
barrel roll. The cutest giggle slips from her lips and the music
fades away. The other dancers are gone. All I can see and hear is
Kaylee.

I duck under her arm and do a twirl of
my own, taking my hat off and holding it to my chest.

When I’m facing her, I flip it onto my
head then wrap my hand around her waist and pull her close to me. I
slowly pick up the pace, triple stepping like no one’s business.
Kaylee meets my pace, her blond braids swinging as we go. My left
hand goes up and my right hand moves down, wrapping Kaylee in. I
hold her beside me longer than I should, but I’m not ready to spin
her out just yet. We triple step backward then rock step. Finally I
twirl her out and a breeze of cucumber melon engulfs me. Damn she
smells good.

Sweat beads on my forehead. My heart
is beating out of control.

And it is awesome.

“
I want you to dip me,”
Kaylee says, and I almost stop. What if I trip and fall and land
right on top of her? Oh man I’d never forgive myself. “Nate,” she
says, and I meet her eyes. She gives me a wicked grin and nods
once.

Okay… We’re doing this.

I think of all the YouTube videos I
watched after I told Kaylee I would do this. All the research is
about to pay off. I can do this. We can do this.

I nod back.

Walk, walk, triple step, triple step,
rock step, inside turn and dip. I run my hands up to just beneath
her shoulder blades and lunge to my left. Her arms wrap around my
shoulder and my gaze settles on hers.

Our breaths are in short gasps, chests
heaving with each exhale. My eyes linger on hers then drift to her
perfect pouty lips.

This is what dreams are made of. What
movies try to recreate. I have this beautiful girl in my arms, and
she’s holding on to me, staring at me as if she’s waiting. I lower
my head. I’m so close I can smell her strawberry lip-gloss, mere
inches away from tasting it. She sucks in a breath and angles her
head toward mine.