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THIRTY-SIX

There were more candles than cake.

“I’m forty-one already? Time has flown!” Thorn said. She scanned the faces at the round table. There was a giant white cat and a mad warlock.

“Before you blow out the candles, close your eyes and make a wish,” Charlie said. Her cat costume had been painstakingly sewn together by Thorn and Walls. It was a compromise after Meg forbade Charlie from taking Meow potion. “Witch.”

That doesn’t sound like me at all , Bandit said from his warm perch on the mantel.

Curled up next to him was Noodle. Much to their servants’ surprise, the two cats had taken to each other right away.

Thorn reckoned it was because they had something in common: villainy.

But then again, since returning to the twenty-first century, Bandit had gradually become less murderous.

This past month, he’d even started allowing Pepper and Pumpkin to come inside for their dinner.

Noodle blinked slowly. Not enough disdain.

“Woof!” Muffin barked from under the table.

“It’s a zoo in here,” Charlie said. “Even without that frog. What’s she up to? Is she still working at the tailor’s?”

Thorn nodded. “She’s also studying fashion part-time. And she has a boyfriend.”

“Thorn, maybe you should wish for a boyfriend.” Charlie gave Walls a side-eye even Bandit approved of.

The mad warlock cleared his throat. His voice was muffled by his long white plastic beard. “Happy Birthday, Thorn.”

But Thorn wasn’t waiting for Walls to ask her out.

This past year, she had been busy working as the Covenstead witch, with the tour fully booked three months in advance.

Every other Sunday, she manned a stall at the neighborhood farmers market, selling potions like Bouffant Hair and No Sweat.

All with modern formulations, of course.

But that wasn’t why she had asked Walls for time.

She had been regularly seeing a therapist. She was far from healed, and while she suspected she would always be a work in progress, she was much closer to being someone she could love, and someone who could love others better.

“Make a wish!” Charlie ordered.

Thorn closed her eyes. She was tempted to wish for Rose to appear before her right now, like she had wished on many days, but she knew she needed to let her sister walk her own path on her own time.

And with that in mind, Thorn couldn’t think of anything more to wish for.

When she opened her eyes, everything she wanted was right before her.

Just then, Charlie’s cell phone rang. She struggled to answer the call with her paw.

“Oh, sweetie, that’s the perfect Halloween costume!” Meg said over the video chat. Greg had his arm around her. Behind them was a gorgeous beach sunset. “But Dad and I wish you were here!”

“I don’t,” Charlie said gleefully.

Savage , Bandit said. No wonder she’s my favorite.

“I’m going to get so much candy trick-or-treating tonight. See you and Dad in two weeks. Bye, Mom!”

“Wait—” Meg called out, but Charlie ended the call.

“Mom and Dad keep checking up on me,” Charlie said. Her furry tail twitched, thanks to a drop of Like Cat potion. She slipped her phone into her furry pocket. “Sometimes I regret asking for a phone.”

Thorn laughed. “Should’ve waited till you’re forty.”

“Mom’s already on her fourth honeymoon.” Charlie looked straight at Walls. “When are you and Thorn finally going on your second date?”

“That’s none of your business.” Walls handed Charlie a box of cat treat packets. “Go outside and give these to Pepper and Pumpkin. I’ll be right out, and we can go trick-or-treating.”

Meow , Bandit said, suddenly appearing at Charlie’s feet. Noodle and Muffin followed suit.

“I’ll hold down the fort here.” Thorn poured a bag of candy into a plastic cauldron. “But after you’ve gotten enough candy, come back for some pumpkin chai latte.”

“Are you really just going to be a witch?” It was clear Charlie disapproved of Thorn’s lack of Halloween spirit.

“I’m only handing out candy.”

“At least you have your gray hair back. It’s cooler. More bewitching.” Charlie headed toward the door. “And, Uncle Walls, I’ll wait for you outside. Take your time to do what ever you need to do here. Just make sure you wrap it up before all the houses run out of candy.”

Walls chuckled. “Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

“Not really, but you should.” With that, she shut the door.

Perhaps because of what Charlie had just said, Thorn was suddenly far too aware that she was alone with Walls. A witch and a warlock in a room before a romantic fire. Her stomach flip-flopped.

But she didn’t need to be nervous after all, because Walls made no move toward her. All he said was, “I never thought I’d see a giant cat leading around two regular-sized cats and a dog.”

Thorn was a little disappointed, but that was her own damn fault. She had been the one to ask him to wait until she was ready, and he was just dutifully respecting her wishes. “I lied to Charlie,” she said. “I do have a costume. But I want to run it by you first. It doesn’t seem quite right.”

“Oh?”

She grabbed a shopping bag from her wardrobe. “I’m not familiar with the rituals of Halloween, so I sought advice from a Covenstead tourist. Apparently, women usually dress ‘spooky sexy,’ like a zombie nurse or slinky cat woman.”

“Was this tourist college-aged? Those costumes are for young adult parties.”

“Oh. I’m way past that.”

He stood up and held out his arms to showcase the gold stars and crescent moons printed on his blue cloak. “Me too. That’s why I’m a mad warlock. Even though this beard is itchy.” He scratched at his chin underneath. “Put on your costume and let’s decide.”

“Be right back.” She disappeared into the bathroom.

“You should know,” he called out while she was changing into a T-shirt and shorts. “Even though we’re past college, I would be happy to see you in something ‘spooky sexy.’?”

The bathroom door opened.

“I don’t know about sexy, but ta-da!” Thorn was a blanket ghost. A white sheet over her head with two black holes for eyes. The sheet ended mid-thigh, revealing a sliver of skin before black leather boots covered her to just above her knees.

The mad warlock fell off his chair. He landed so hard his plastic white beard came off, revealing the dark beard he had grown back underneath. He rolled onto his back and laughed and laughed.

She laughed, too, though it was hard for her to admire his crinkled face as the eye holes kept moving off her eyes. “I should have waited until after I asked what I was going to ask you.”

He sat up, expression suddenly serious. “You can ask me anything,” he said, as kindly as the first time he had said it to her.

She peeled the sheet off her. “I was going to ask you if you’d like to go on a second date with me,” she said, stepping toward him. She was planning to be what kids nowadays called “smooth.” But the tall boots were stiff and didn’t allow her to bend her knees. It felt like she was on stilts.

She thought he might burst into laughter again, but he was quiet. He stood up and took off his cloak. He was back to his usual self, with a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to the elbows and tucked into dark gray pants.

Walls draped the cloak around her shoulders.

As he tied the ribbon to fasten the garment, his fingers gently brushed against her collarbone.

Her skin tingled. She wished it were the most difficult ribbon to fasten in the whole world, so that she would have more time to gaze at his beautiful eyelashes.

But too quickly, he was already on the final step, pulling the bow taut.

Then, instead of pulling away, with a hungrier look than she’d ever seen from him, he slid his hand up and cupped her jaw. And he leaned in.

The kiss was gentle. At first, anyway. When their lips touched, it felt like a burst of color, like she was melting into a puddle and bursting into flames at once.

And when their lips parted—too soon for Thorn—she found that her hands had gone up and around his back. She kept them there.

He didn’t let go, either. Lightly, he touched his forehead to hers, their faces unbearably close. He breathed, “I’m going to help you see that…”

Her heart thumped so hard and so fast that for a second, she was afraid she might keel over right before she heard those three words.

“You are amazing.”

They weren’t the three words she had spent most of her life longing to hear.

They were better. All of a sudden, she could see the exciting years in front of her.

She had so much time to look forward to with this man, and with Charlie, Meg, and Greg; with Bandit, Pepper, Pumpkin, Noodle, and Muffin.

More time to develop recipes and brew potions.

More time for all this magic.