The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic (Charming Cove Book 1) by Linsey Hall

Author:Linsey Hall [Hall, Linsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnie Doon Press
Published: 2023-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Sixteen

Aria

We made the drive back to Charming Cove in silence. It wasn’t because of awkwardness, though there was some of that. Mostly it was because I was exhausted, and the takeaway fish and chips that we’d grabbed for lunch had put me into a food coma. We’d got the fish after picking up Boris, and he’d curled up on the back seat after eating his. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep, and when I woke, we were pulling into the drive in front of my house.

I rubbed my eyes, staring groggily out the window. “That was quick. Thank you for driving.”

“Thank you for ensuring that I was on the best team.”

I grinned at him, unable to help myself. The strongest desire to invite him inside rushed through me. What could it hurt if we shared a drink?

“Aria.” Callan’s voice held a note of seriousness that made me stiffen, and I looked at him. “I’m sorry about what I said at the pub—that I made it sound like I wanted to fix you. I never meant it to sound like that.”

The memory washed over me, opening up a wound that hadn’t closed since childhood. That was why I shouldn’t invite him in. As much as I was starting to like him, he had the power to hurt me. I couldn’t afford to fall for someone who was just going to leave when the competition was over.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m just sensitive, is all.”

“Of course you are. People have been horrible to you. But you’re incredibly powerful, and…” He hesitated, clearly unsure of where to go next. “I think you’re great.”

I blinked at him. “You think I’m great?”

He dragged a hand through his hair, a weary laugh escaping him. “That sounded ridiculous, I know. I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing?”

“Feelings.”

“But you are constantly in the news with a different woman.”

“Why do you think they’re always different?”

“Ah, right.” I supposed that made sense, but I had a hard time believing I was different. “Well, thank you for thinking I’m great.” I was going to have to store that tidbit away for later and examine it. He really thought I was great? It was such a silly word, but even that was something to consider. I made him tongue-tied. The Callan Hawthorne, and I made him tongue-tied. “And thank you for wanting to help me with my magic. I do want the help. Especially after today.”

“Why today?”

“Because I think I might actually have a chance to win this thing, and I’m probably going to need my magic to do it.”

He nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll help you.”

“What? No joke about how you’re going to win?”

“No, because I’m not sure I am going to win. Not now that I’ve seen you in action.”

“Oh.” I felt a smile pull at my lips. “All right, then.”

I liked how serious he was about it—how he respected me and considered me a threat.

I liked it a little too much, in fact. The idea scared me into action, and I pushed open the car door and hopped out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.