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“I didn’t realize until just now that I…

I’m in love with someone else.” She was.

Thorn was in love with Walls. But he’d never love her back.

She could make him love her by using the New-and-Improved True Love potion, except she wouldn’t.

With the blacksmith, she’d had no such compunctions.

Because she hadn’t known him, not really.

She’d just figured that he was looking for love, and so was she, and a renowned matchmaker had deemed them suitable for each other, so everybody won.

Besides, magic was the way Mother had tried to get love after Father had left, and she’d come so close to perfecting that formula.

“You should figure out what you want before going on more dates and breaking hearts,” Andy said, but he didn’t sound angry.

He was smiling kindly at her, like he understood how complicated matters of the heart sometimes were.

He gave a long sigh. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about being dumped fifteen minutes into our first date, but I appreciate you telling me sooner rather than later.

Once you sort things out, if you change your mind, call me.

I can’t guarantee I’ll still be single, though.

Nugget’s a babe magnet. Shame I’ve come into your life at the wrong time. ”

As Thorn watched Andy and Nugget leave, she thought it was a shame, too. Here was a man, perfectly pleasant, who liked her without potions, with a dog Bandit even sort of tolerated, and she had to go and ruin it by thinking.

All along, it had never occurred to her that it mattered who her husband was, as long as he was nice enough and loved her. Her feelings hadn’t mattered. But the way she looked forward to seeing Walls made her realize: She didn’t want just to be loved. She wanted to love, too.

But this epiphany was about to make her life so much harder. She wasn’t going to potion Walls into loving her, yet she shouldn’t go on dates while pining for him. She had to figure things out first. In the meantime, she’d have to pause her search for a husband. “Damn. Andy was smart, too.”

As she made her way back to the cottage, she tried to plan her future now that her goal, which had been driven by her lifelong beliefs about love, was set aside after consuming her for months.

She’d wait for the antidote to the Liar Liar potion to take effect and see if she could find news on Rose.

She’d continue with the Covenstead Witchy Tour.

She’d always enjoyed selling potions at Sunday markets back in the seventeenth century, even though certain penny-pinching customers had made her want to give it all up; perhaps she could do something similar here.

Eventually earn enough to buy her house back and reduce the tours to once a week.

The cottage came into view. Out of habit, she imagined stepping inside to find her faceless dream man welcoming her home.

Except when she opened the door, there was a man standing on the other side. And he had a face. One she knew well. “Walls?”

“Thorn.” That was all he said.

For a moment, her foolish heart swelled with hope, but then she noticed the big wrapped basket on the table. “Right. You came to drop off the gift basket. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Pepper and Pumpkin appeared at his feet. “These two followed me in.”

“They must know Bandit isn’t home.” She studied the basket.

What is it? Pepper asked, jumping onto the table.

Pumpkin followed suit.

“Sorry, it’s not food. Just bath products,” she said. Then she noticed Walls was still standing near the door, looking strangely uncomfortable. He shifted on his feet. His eyes darted everywhere except to her.

“Are you okay?” She had never seen him be anything but a cool cucumber.

He pinched the front of his shirt and flapped it. “I think this heat wave is cooking my brain.”

“Maybe you’d feel cooler without your beard,” she said. Without it, she might also be able to read the emotions on his face better. Suddenly, she was extremely curious to see what he looked like underneath. “Don’t you have to go back to work now?”

“Yes, I do.” This time he looked at her. But he quicky averted his gaze to his feet. “But before I go, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?” It was the kind of question she usually answered with “What do you want?” But she found herself being kind to him as he always had been to her.

His arms were clamped to his sides, but his fingers were writhing like worms. “Do you want to hang out tomorrow?”

“Ah, yes, with Charlie. I haven’t made her hat yet,” she said. “Sorry, I’ve been quite busy with that evil witch Lily.”

“Right. But I don’t mean hanging out with Charlie.” He looked into her eyes again, but this time he held his gaze there. “I meant just the two of us. On a date.”

She stared at him. Had her mouth fallen open? Her brain had definitely exploded. Maybe she was having a stroke. The doctor Meg took her to had said she was thirty-nine going on sixty-five.

“What do you say, Thorn?”

She nodded. She might be a fool in many ways, but she was smart enough to not pass up this chance with Walls. She didn’t even have to close her eyes to imagine coming home to Walls, to see herself laughing with Walls, to see herself kissing Walls.

He grinned.

“Did you know your whole face crinkles up when you smile?” she asked.

He looked unsure. “Like Bandit’s butthole?”

She laughed. “No. Not the same way it collapses into itself when you drink lemonade. Like… stars. In the night sky.”

He was taken aback. He opened and closed his mouth but failed to form any words.

She, too, realized what she had just said to him.

Her face burned with the heat of a thousand suns.

She had to look away. She pretended to be very interested in the bath products in the gift basket, as if she were a very smelly person.

And that was when she noticed something different about the table.

It wasn’t how she’d left it. The pitcher was there, but Andy’s goblet of lemonade was not.

“I’ll pick you up at ten in the morning tomorrow?” Walls asked.

She nodded.

From the door, Thorn watched Walls walk down the driveway. He kept turning behind to smile at her until he disappeared behind a copse of trees.

A few moments later, Bandit appeared from behind that same copse of trees. I just saw the vet. Where are the treats?

Upon hearing Bandit, Pepper and Pumpkin darted out of the house and disappeared around the side.

Those interlopers better not have eaten my treats. Bandit sauntered past her into the cottage. Witch, why do you look so troubled? Did you eat my treats?

She pointed at the sink. On the drying rack was Andy’s goblet, now empty. “Walls drank the New-and-Improved True Love potion.”