“I’ll get it to give you a couple minutes to eat,” I offered.
Dad nodded and scooped up a forkful of meat.
I dried my hands on a dishtowel and walked to the front door. A guy in his late teens, maybe early twenties, faced me. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his red plaid flannel jacket. Pale blue eyes peered at me from beneath honey-brown hair.
“Are you here to interview for the job?” I asked.
“Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “Am I early?”
“No. Come on in.” I led him to the family room. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll get my dad.”
He didn’t sit, though. Instead, he took in the pictures on the mantel.
“Um, who do I tell him is here?” I asked.
“Reed.”
Reed had on navy pants and worn work boots, as if he’d come straight here from another job.
“He’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you.”
Upon returning to the kitchen, I told Dad he had another applicant waiting.
“Great,” Dad replied through a full mouth.
“Jeesh, did you inhale dinner?”
“It was great.” He chugged his soda and placed his plate in the sink.
“This guy looks more competent than the last,” I commented.
Dad’s eyes narrowed. “By the way you were coaching Caden, I figured you were hoping he got the job.”
That was before I’d gotten another funny feeling about the guy. “I wasn’t coaching—”
“The Stones? I was standing in the next room. Not hard to overhear you.”
He left to interview Reed. Chase went to his room to play. I made myself a plate and called Isaac.
“It wasn’t anything Caden did. I don’t know.” I held my phone to my ear with one hand and used a fork to push cheesy noodles around my plate with the other. “He smelled off.”
“Do I even want to know why you’re sniffing the people your dad’s interviewing?”
“Isaac, I’m serious. He reeked heavily of smoke—like wildfires-burning-for-days smoke—yet Chase didn’t smell anything. What do you think that means?”
“You were standing way too close to the guy.”
“Isaac!” I started to wish I’d called Kaylee instead.
“Okay. You said he didn’t give off any witchy vibe, no scent of his magic or spark from your powers colliding. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I think he’s a decent guy who needs a job. Madison, your brother has lit up the bathroom and not noticed. I think the kid’s nose is broken.”
I laughed. Isaac was right. Chase wasn’t exactly known for his keen sense of smell.
“Feel better?” Isaac asked.
“I guess.”
“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“And Madison?”
“Hmm?”
“Stop smelling the help.”
“Ha, ha!” I ended our call.
Isaac was probably right. I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I worked on my homework until Dad came back into the kitchen.
“So who gets the job?” I asked him.
“They’re both qualified.” Dad grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a seat across from me. “Caden has more overall experience, but Reed has a carpentry background. That might come in handy.”
“I’d go with Reed,” I said and closed the book I’d been reading. I felt ninety-five percent better about Caden after talking to Isaac, but there was still a tiny part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted him working with my dad. “Caden’s too young to have done everything he said he has.”
“Caden gave me references. Reed didn’t.”
“Reed looks like a hard worker.”
Dad chuckled and took a swig of beer.
“What?” I asked.
“You only like Reed because he’s a pretty boy.”
“That’s not true.” The part about me liking him, that is. Under the work clothes, Reed was definitely a pretty boy. “I have a boyfriend, remember?”
“Doesn’t mean you’ve become blind to other guys.”
“I’m so not having this conversation with you.” I got up and shoved my chair under the table, annoyed that he thought I’d judge a person by looks alone. If he wanted to know the truth, Caden was just as attractive as Reed. Only, Caden’s dark features and five o’clock shadow gave him a mysterious bad-boy appearance, whereas Reed’s baby blues and shy demeanor made him seem more like the boy next door.
Neither of them had the down to earth, boy-you-want-to-be-with quality Isaac had.
“You’re the one that’ll have to work with the guy,” I said. “So if you hire Caden and find out he doesn’t know the difference between a drywall screw and a wood screw, don’t complain to me.”
I left him to think about that.
Chapter 10
The Inquisition
Thursday after school, I slipped my lambswool turtleneck sweater over a thermal top, put on an extra pair of socks, and grabbed my pink ski jacket. It wasn’t until I dug through the pile of discarded clothes, shoes, and other miscellaneous items at the bottom of my closet and found the floor that I remembered Brea had the boots I was looking for.
Two sharp honks let me know Isaac was out front. I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my ice skates, and hurried outside. Fifteen minutes later, we were at the open-air ice rink that had been erected in the heart of Gloucester.
It had snowed the night before, blanketing the grass with a light layer of powdery white fluff. The sun shone bright, warming the air and making high-thirties seem comfortable. The outdoor rink was already hopping with skaters. For the first time since I’d known Isaac, he didn’t emanate confidence.
“I’m not so sure about this,” he whined as he stumbled onto the ice. “If man was supposed to balance on thin blades, God wouldn’t have made our feet flat.”
We’d been outside for less than ten minutes, and his nose was as red as the daisies Brea had given me. He hugged the white safety wall with gloved hands. I glided by him, doing a basic upright spin before coming to a stop.
“Show off,” he mumbled.
I stifled my laughter and fixed his skullcap so that I could see his beautiful eyes better. Then I snaked under his arm to offer support. “I’ll help you.” When he kept one hand firmly planted on the wall, I added, “You’re going to have to let go.”
“Right.”
Frowning, he cautiously raised his fingers a few inches above the wooden barrier. I wrapped my arm around his waist and guided us forward. We’d gone maybe three feet when Isaac tried to take a step. A rapid stomp-stomp-stomp followed. Isaac grunted, his arms flailed, and then we were sprawled across the ice.
“What did I tell you,” he joked as he untangled his skate from mine.
I smiled. “Next time try skating and not walking.”
He pulled me closer so that I was practically sitting on his lap. “We could take off these ridiculous contraptions and go get a cup of hot chocolate.”
I gave him a peck on the lips. “Tempting, but we just got here. We might as well go once around the rink before we leave.”
At the rate we were moving, that might take an hour.
His eyes narrowed. “You’re determined to get me out there.”
“I haven’t been skating all year, and I really miss it.” In the past, Kaylee, Sarah, and I would hit the ice the first weekend they opened the skate park, but now that we each had boyfriends and I’d been stuck watching Chase all the time, our schedules hadn’t synced up. “It’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.”
“Of course you think it’s fun. You can stand on these things.” He kicked the heel of his blade into the ice, leaving a thin groove behind. “Did you take lessons?”
“I had a couple. My mom loved being out here. She got me my first pair of skates when I was seven. I think they’re still in my closet.” Actually, I knew they were. I�
�d found them when looking for my boots. “She said I was a natural and signed me up for skate lessons through the park district. Nothing serious, but I did learn a few tricks.”
“So you love skating because your mom loved it.”
“Yep.”
He sighed. “Fine. No more arguments from me.”
“Thank you.” I stood and held out my hand, but Isaac didn’t take it.
Instead, he yanked off his glove and ran his fingers over the long steel runner on his skates. I caught the scent of vanilla and spearmint. This time, when I pulled him to his feet, he didn’t wobble. We glided almost gracefully several times around the rink.
“You cheated and put a spell on your skates, didn’t you?” I asked. Not that I was complaining. The cool air caressing my cheeks felt exhilarating, and with Isaac able to stay on his feet, he enjoyed himself too.
Isaac grabbed my hand, pulling me forward to face him. With his free hand on the small of my back, we skated as one. He smirked moments before his eyes lit with mischief and his powers encompassed us. Spearmint kissed the crisp winter air. A squeal escaped my lips as we twirled, moving through the other skaters like we’d been doing it all our lives.
At the far side of the rink, we came to an elegant stop. Isaac’s strong arm held me in a low dip inches above the ice.
I giggled. “Okay, I forgive you for using witchcraft.”
“That’s really nice of you,” he teased. His mouth brushed mine, and I automatically drew in my powers. He pulled me out of the dip and lifted me to my toes as his chilly lips moved over mine. After a few seconds, he asked, “You ready to get out of here?”
“Yeah.” I nudged him with my arm. “Thanks for sticking it out.”
“It was my pleasure.” He gave me one of his crooked smiles and bumped my shoulder with his.
We followed the flow of skaters around the rink until we reached the exit.
“You two make skating look easy,” Caden said.
“Hey.” Isaac jerked his head up the way guys do to say hello. “You going out there?”
One glance at Caden’s hiking boots and I knew the answer to that question before Caden shook his head.
“It’s not my thing,” he replied.
“I know that feeling,” Isaac muttered as he clomped his way over to the bench and sat.
Running into Caden was actually a good thing. It created the perfect opportunity for me to quiz him about Natalie because, even though the magical evidence pointed to Natalie choosing not to be found, I had to know if he knew anything about it. If he said she was okay, I’d let it go.
“I got the job,” Caden said.
“Congrats! What will you be doing?” Isaac asked as he unlaced his skates.
Caden leaned against the wall, elbows on the ledge, and told Isaac about the position with my dad. Praying the calming spell would relax Caden enough to answer a few questions honestly, I whispered the incantation. My jaw muscles relaxed, confirming I’d at least gotten the spell right. Isaac stopped halfway through removing his skate and glanced at me, head tilted to the side.
I pretended not to notice and asked Caden, “Did you come here to watch everyone skate?”
“Nah, Ben’s mother said he and Mark might have taken their girlfriends here. I thought I’d check it out.”
I tramped over to the bench and sat, loosening my laces in an effort to act natural.
“We haven’t seen them,” Isaac said, putting his gym shoes back on.
“Me neither. I was just about to leave when I spotted the two of you.” Caden shrugged. “Figured I’d stick around to say hi.”
“You know, I’d guess Ben and Mark are at Lauren’s,” I said. “According to Sarah, Lauren came up with a few more places Natalie may have gone. Personally, though, I think she’s with her secret admirer. He had to have been at Ben’s party.” I turned to Isaac. “I still can’t remember her talking to anyone outside our circle. Can you?”
Isaac’s brow furrowed. “No.”
“How about you, Caden? You look like the type of person who notices everything.” It was true. Half the time I’d seen Caden, he was observing his surroundings. “Did you happen to notice anyone out of place?”
“Everyone I saw looked to be having a good time.”
“Except you.” I inwardly groaned that I hadn’t used my inner voice. Maybe I was a little too calm. But since I’d said it, I figured I might as well ask my next question. “Why was that?”
“Madison,” Isaac hissed.
Caden held up a hand. “It’s okay. Natalie was her friend. I can understand her being upset.” He looked at me. “But, as I told you the night of the party, I was looking for someone. When I saw she wasn’t there, I left. No offense, but high school parties aren’t my scene.”
I sighed. I was so sure Caden knew more than he let on.
“You really have no idea who Natalie might have met up with?” I pressed, wishing more than ever the calming spell had included a built-in “can’t lie” feature.
“Didn’t we just have this conversation—” Caden slid the sleeve of his jacket up and checked the time on his watch “—twenty hours ago?”
There was something weary in the way he’d said it.
“You’ll tell me, though, if you hear from her?”
“Yes, Madison. I’ll tell you if the girl the entire town is looking for calls me, but the odds of that happening are slim to none.”
“Why’s that?” I challenged.
“Because we didn’t exchange phone numbers.”
“Oh.”
Caden removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes as dark as coal. “Madison, I’m not the bad guy here.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“You’re acting as if I am.”
“Am I? I’m sorry.” I looked down at my skates as I removed them, trying to think of a diversion. My next thought tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. “You know, it’s funny that before last week we hadn’t met, yet now I keep running into you.”
The glint in Caden’s eyes seemed to ask, Do you really want me to comment on that? right before his gaze moved to Isaac. I looked next to me to find Isaac gaping at me.
I then felt both of them staring as I switched to my sneakers, but my spell had me too relaxed to care. With my shoes tied, I stood, skates dangling from my hand.
Isaac took them from me and asked, “Ready for that hot chocolate?”
“Yeah.”
He held out a hand to Caden. “It was nice seeing you.”
“You too.”
They shook.
“What was that about?” Isaac asked on the way to return his rented skates.
“What?” I replied innocently.
“Take your pick: the third degree you gave Caden, the calming spell you cast, or why you think Caden likes you.”
“I don’t think he likes me!” Or at least I hadn’t until now. But I needed to stick to facts, the important ones. “What I know is that he showed up and a girl went missing.”
Isaac placed his skates on the counter and turned to face me. “I didn’t miss the look he gave you, Madison. You guys hung out yesterday?”
“No. He came by the house to apply for the job. I talked to him for, like, one minute.”
“When you asked about Natalie.” He rubbed the back of his head. The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Why do you think he had something to do with her disappearance? Help me understand that, because right now it looks like you want to date the guy.”
Isaac’s scent changed to steel. He was jealous of Caden, and I supposed I had that coming. I couldn’t help wondering if my spell was the only thing keeping him from losing his temper.
I rested my hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. “I don’t like Caden. I like you.” I stepped closer. “And I don’t think he’s interested in me like that. My instincts are telling me not to trust him, that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Don’t you think it’s a little weird that he’s suddenly always arou
nd? At school, the party, here.”
“I didn’t, but now I wonder if he’s really looking for Ben or if he’s looking for you.”
“He’s not looking for me.” I stuffed my hands in my jacket. “And I’m sure he knows something that he’s not telling us.” If there was one thing I knew, it was to trust my intuition.
Isaac stepped in front of me. “Madison, you’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Jumping to conclusions with no solid proof.” Isaac didn’t have to tell me what he was alluding to: I had once thought he’d been behind unexplained events in Gloucester. “Just because you didn’t know someone until a few days ago doesn’t mean no one knew him or that he’s bad news.”
“I know,” I said, letting the last word drag out a couple seconds, “and after what you said about Natalie not wanting to be found, I was convinced she ran away. But then Caden does or says something that rekindles my doubt about him, and I get this feeling.” I smacked Isaac’s arm when his eyebrow snaked upward. “Not that kind of feeling. It’s more like a warning bell that goes off. A sixth sense or something. I don’t know how to explain it.”
The fact that Caden checked on Ben while Dan was away at college would normally make him a nice guy in my book. So why did I think there was more to him than Adopted Big Brother?
“You don’t get a weird vibe from him?” I asked.
“The only vibe I’m getting from Caden is that he’s competing for your attention.”
I looped my arm through Isaac’s. “I told you, I like you. Not Caden or anyone else. You. So out of all the things you might worry about, don’t let it be our relationship. Okay?”
He studied me a moment and then replied, “Deal.”
At the Jeep, Isaac deposited my skates in the back. “The guy doesn’t have evil powers, Madison. I would have felt it if he did. You’d taste it in the air.”
Like Isaac had felt my powers even before I’d known I had any—and how I’d always been able to taste his, even before I’d known what it meant.
“That’s why you shook his hand,” I said.
He shut the tailgate. “It’s the quickest way to know if someone’s like us.”
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