Chapter 9

nine

LUKE

By the time I reach the community center, I’ve determined it’s best to just let the night play out. Mom is right. We stepped in when we probably shouldn’t have, and I don’t need to make it more complicated.

Knowing she’s safe—at least while she’s here—was the biggest reason I was able to come to this conclusion.

Enchanted Hollow is small, but we do still love our celebrations. Tonight is practically a full-on gala, with a valet ready to take my keys as soon as I pull into the circular drive. Cozy lights wrap around pillars on the giant porch, inviting party-goers inside to an even more magical atmosphere.

It’s like Ella uprooted trees and drug them inside, thick trunks and twisted limbs outstretched toward the center of the room. Cafe bulbs are strung to create soft lighting, with oversized orange bulbs planted on the floor casting the walls in a sunset glow.

With the ability to transform a pretty boring place into something like this, how can she possibly doubt her ability to create magic from the every day ?

I swallow thickly as I glance around the room. Would I be able to recognize her? Everyone is covered in masks, so I doubt it.

“Luke, my friend. Good to see you.”

It takes me a moment to place the voice, though it shouldn’t. Sebastian Gold might as well be wearing a sign with his gold mask and accents. We’re around the same age, but he’s a bit of a recluse these days. I take the hand he has extended, shaking it firmly.

“And you,” I reply. “Are you here alone?”

“For now.”

I’m not in the mood for his games tonight. Too much has happened today for his usual riddle-filled conversations and avoidance.

There are only a couple of steps between us, so I close the distance and position myself shoulder to shoulder so he can hear me without me having to raise my voice.

“Looking for a naive girl to strike a deal with?”

“You wound me,” he laughs, a hand on his chest. “I prefer to keep my deals strictly business. But if I’m being honest, I’m a little hurt you didn’t come to me with a certain situation.”

There’s a slew of reasons I didn’t. But Sebastian isn’t someone I want to make enemies with, so he doesn’t need to know what those are.

“It’s under control,” I reply, crossing my hands in front of me. It’s no surprise he knows anything . Somehow his family stays current on all town events, no matter how quiet people try to keep things.

My eyes don’t stop canvasing the room for Ella or for my secret pen pal. I’m not sure how I’ll know it’s ShutterBelle. Except that I’m hoping the magic that keeps the letters connected will send a little nudge. Somehow.

Ugh. Magic .

“Luke.” He tsks. “This is why you should pick a side. Believe or don’t. Otherwise things get… messy.”

That’s the thing. I do believe in magic. There’s no living in this town without accepting its existence. I just have a beef with the matchmaking aspect of it. Like the nosy fairy sisters sitting in the corner of the room, giggling and waving at me. I might not be able to tell who is who, but I can feel the difference.

Like an invisible kiss in the middle of my forehead.

And yes, I realize how contradictory it is that I’m technically here to meet a girl I’ve been writing through a matchmaking device. I never meant to find my soulmate, though. I wanted someone to talk to. But, I mostly just wanted to prove it wasn’t real.

Magic works if you believe in it, which is why Ella is here somewhere. Safe. And hopefully having the evening she deserves. I didn’t ask questions, but the longer I’ve thought about it, the more I think she could walk right up to me and I wouldn’t know.

She doesn’t need to know that I involved her fairy godmother. I don’t think she even knows she has one. They’re not all like the ones that like to nudge people together for fun, though I’m sure if given the chance, hers would do the same. But tonight it was about fixing what Charlotte tried to ruin. So I suspect whatever was involved in her makeover also is protecting her identity a step further than a mask.

Maybe Sebastian is right. Maybe I only made things more messy.

“Are you sure belief makes it messy?” I ask. “Or non-belief?”

He’s quiet for a moment, the rising and falling sound of conversation surrounding us. There’s music in the background, but I’m not sure what’s playing.

With the flickering candlelight on the tables and the Christmas lights wrapped around poles, it’s feel a little otherworldly. Like we’ve all stepped into a different space and time. There’s a different feel to the air, like static before a lightning strike. An awareness that things are a little off.

“It’s part of it,” he finally says. “I don’t want to say too much, but I’m afraid that your attitude toward magic has really complicated things. When someone makes a deal, it has to be honored. It’s usually very straightforward. But when someone tries to find a loophole….”

“What loophole?” I genuinely don’t know what he’s talking about.

His eyes squint beneath his mask. “Interesting,” he mumbles.

What is he talking about?

His focus snaps to someone across the room, so I follow his gaze.

Everyone here is dressed in their nicest clothes, but this woman is a step above. She’s wearing a dress the color of Jarrahdale pumpkins, a soft mint that flows to the floor. Her mask matches, covered in rhinestones and feathers and obscuring a huge portion of her face.

It’s probably a coincidence that she’s chosen the color of one of my favorite pumpkins.

Did I tell her that?

“I stand corrected. I didn’t picture you as someone who believed in soulmates.” Sebastian replies. “But there she is.”

“That’s her?” My heart beats faster at the prospect. “Do you know who she is?”

He frowns. “Can’t say that I do. Very odd. Would you really want to know?”

I consider this for a moment. That was the whole point of us meeting tonight. To finally put faces to written words. On a very rare occasion, I’ve hoped ShutterBelle was Ella. It’s a long shot, but not impossible. The thought has occurred to me quite a few times today.

More than is probably fair to ShutterBelle.

We have a bond that formed through these letters, despite my life outside of them. I may pretend I’m not interested in all the stories I’ve heard growing up, but there’s one important nugget of truth that I’ve found consistently: true love begins with trust. It begins with friendship.

I can’t possibly know what the future holds for me and ShutterBelle or with me and Ella, but I owe it to myself to see if there’s anything beyond the enchanted conversations we’ve exchanged.

“No. I think I need to find out on my own.”

“Full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?”

I ignore him and move through the crowd toward her. The closer I get, the stronger the pull feels. Like I’m losing a game of tug of war. Badly. I dimly question if it’s the letter enchantment or something else.

“Patch?”

Even beneath the mask, I can sense her tentativeness.

“At your service.” I bow dramatically to relax her a little.

“You know, I was half expecting a costume.” The tenseness in her shoulders loosens and she grins.

“No. I save those for Halloween. Or fighting crime. It’s a toss up.”

She smoothes her dress. “As funny in person as on paper, that’s a plus.”

“I feel like we should have agreed on a code word. There’s no way to know if you’re messing with me.”

“Pumpkin?” she offers. “Wolverine.”

A deep laugh rumbles out of me. “Are you calling me gruff?”

“If the shoe fits, Mr. Non-Believer.”

Her straightforward teasing is smoothing my distress of the day, easing me into this face-to-face meeting. I can do this. It’s no different from a letter at this point. We know each other.

I hold my hands up in surrender. “You’ve got me.”

A soft smile spreads across her face, her eyes sparkling in the light. “I’d like to.” Then, as if she realizes how forward she sounds, she ducks her head down in embarrassment.

I didn’t quite realize until today how much I wanted to feel like a part of something.

“I’m okay with you calling me Patch.” I grin. “But I’d like to call you something other than ShutterBelle. Can I shorten it to Belle?”

“What about something really simple? El? Like the letter.”

My heart picks up speed again. El is close to Ella. But it’s also part of Belle.

You could just ask.

But it feels wrong, like I’d be disappointed if she wasn’t. Would I?

I don’t think I would. My emotions aren’t to be trusted today.

Stop looking outside what’s right in front of you, Luke.

“El, it is,” I reply, swallowing hard.

A slow song comes on the sound system and I stretch a hand toward her, silently inviting her to dance. The minute her hands touches mine, I almost jolt away.

Did she feel it too? Must be something in the air today.

“Since we didn’t establish a code word, how about a few questions?”

There’s so much I already know about her, but I want to learn more. She’s funny and kind. She loves trivia and fall. I can tell she’s yearning for a place to belong just by comments she makes here and there. She loves animals but can’t have a pet. Someday she wants to be a photographer—I wish I could see the kinds of photos she takes.

“Five.” She tilts her head. “Each.”

“Fair enough. Books or movies?”

“Coming out with the hard questions from the get go, I see. Both.”

I frown. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s totally an answer,” she insists. “You didn’t specify if the movies were of the books. There’s a place for both.”

“Touche. Your turn.”

“Same question back to you.”

“That’s not very nice.” But I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face anyway. “Movies. I’m not a big book reader.”

“Hmm. I suppose I’ll forgive you for that. Football or baseball? Think hard, it’s important.”

“I enjoy both, but if you’re going to make me pick, I have to say football. But in person is better than television.”

“Even when it’s cold?”

“Stadium blankets,” I answer with complete seriousness.

They say time flies when you’re having fun and as the night progresses, I can say that I’m undoubtably having fun. My mood from earlier has completely shifted and we’re breathless from all the line dancing. Usually I’m off to the side enjoying my observer status, but tonight I’ve forgotten that’s my usual preference. Something about El is bringing me out of my shell, and I don’t hate it.

She’s full of life and eager to live it. The more time we spend together, the more desperate I feel to know who she is. Who she really is. I can’t call her El forever, even though it’s an improvement.

At some point we wander outside, the courtyard exploding with just as many twinkly lights as inside. It’s quieter here, more private. And the urge to yank off my mask is smothering me.

I stop suddenly, and she freezes beside me. “Are you okay?”

Not really. All tonight has shown me is that I hate secrets almost as much as I hate magical matchmaking. There’s an urgency itching in the back of my brain, like I lost a thought. I can’t quite grasp but it’s just ouch of reach.

“Please, just tell me who you are.” My voice comes out softer than I mean it to, but I don’t want anyone to intrude on this potentially very important moment.

“What if I’m a disappointment?” she murmurs. “What if I’m not who you expect?”

Something about her is familiar, beckoning the hidden parts of myself to trust her. My fingers yearn to reach out and see if she’s real, despite the fact that she’s standing right in front of me. It’s a small town. There’s a good chance we’ve met before.

But how could I not have noticed her? Is this part of it?

I test the waters, taking her chin in my hand. Her skin is mesmerizing, shimmering below where the mask ends like water on the lake on a cloudless day.

“I expect you to be the one I’ve been writing to. Otherwise, this is about to get very awkward.”

There’s a slight shake of her head as she smiles. “Are you capable of taking anything seriously?”

If she only knew. Of all my siblings, I probably take things the most seriously. Dean, my youngest brother, often takes advantage of the fact. But for the moment, I don’t want to be that person.

The more time I spend with El, there’s a recognition deep within. There’s no doubt that we have a connection with each other, whether it’s in letters or face to face. But I recognize it, because I’ve felt a similar feeling for one other person .

The wish that they could be the same person appears again.

You’re with the one you’re supposed to be.

“I’m trying to find the balance,” I offer.

“Balance is good.”

But I don’t want balance.

I want answers.

This is beginning to feel like something Sebastian would be tied up with, but I know he’s not based on his reaction earlier. He didn’t know who she was, so again, I wonder if it’s the magic. Maybe we have to share who we are of our free will.

I take a step closer to her, then another, like we’re opposite poles of magnets being drawn together.

“How could we have passed each other every day, even every other day, and I don’t know who you are?”

Her eyes lift to mine. “I don’t know.” The words whisper along my skin.

The familiarity is getting stronger, like the very cells of my body know who she is even though my brain can’t quite figure it out. It wouldn’t shock me to find out she’s someone I know well. I’ve never felt this way before.

There’s something flitting under my skin, something urging me that I know already.

But I don’t. And it’s going to drive me mad.

“Tell me your name. Please.” There’s a plea to my voice I don’t recognize.

Instead of answering me, she closes the distance between us, a gentle press of her lips to mine. It’s tender and unexpected. I once snuck one of Gaby’s books to see why she had her nose stuck in there all the time, and this kiss is everything that belongs in a romance novel. The waves of hair that tangle in my fingers when I pull her closer at the nape of her neck. The sigh that escapes her when my other hand tightens at the small of her back. The electrical current I’m positive is flowing between us when she hooks her hands under my arms to fit her body closer to mine.

It’s the best kiss of my life.

And it only takes her phone alarm going off to make it implode.

She breaks away from me like we’re about to be caught doing something illegal, and my mind struggles to catch up with the situation.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have to go. Right now.”

“Where? Why?”

Did someone die? Is her family okay? I know nothing about her family, but it’s the only plausible reason I can think she’d be running away.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she whispers, touching her fingers to her lips.

“Do I need to take you?—”

She cuts me off with a shake of her head and she’s already gathering her dress in her hands as she’s backing away.

“I had a wonderful time.”

What is happening right now?

“Then why are you leaving?” Maybe this is what Sebastian what talking about with magic being messy. A fairy godmother has called a time-out or something.

“I have to go!” she calls over her shoulder as she spins around and starts running in the opposite direction. Running.

It takes a second or so for my brain to acknowledge that I need to go after her, but she’s already disappeared. There’s only so many places she could go, but I don’t see her anywhere. My heart hammers in my chest as I process everything that’s happened in a mere matter of minutes. Hours if I count the whirlwind of earlier in the evening.

My life is flipped upside down and then shaken up, like an angry toddler got ahold of it. In my peripheral, the moonlight catches on something and sparkles. I finally move forward, curiosity getting the best of me and there’s a shoe laying in the grass. Shiny and covered with rhinestones, the minty blue of a Jarrahdale pumpkin.