Page 34 of How to Flirt with a Witch

Hazel’s eyes widen.

The nutcracker is where I left it, staring at the ceiling with dead eyes.

Ethel comes to sit in my doorway, her tail swishing. The pretzel she was batting around is probably under the couch.

What if I’ve stumbled on another Rebecca?

“Just call her,” Hazel says, plunking down on the bed. “It’s better to be safe.”

The excited gleam in her eyes tells me she might have an ulterior motive.

Honestly, I might too. “Okay.”

Hazel lets out a squee, confirming my suspicion.

My hands tremble as I pick up my phone, my insides doing a jig. I hover over Natalie’s name until my screen dims, then suck in a breath and tap it. I put it on speaker.

It rings twice.

“Katie?”

My stomach swoops. The smooth way she says my name will be the death of me.

“I bought a nutcracker from the Christmas market, and I can’t tell if it’s cursed.” I sit on the bed next to Hazel, and she leans in.

“Jesus… One sec.” There’s a scuffle. People talk in the background—maybe Natalie is somewhere for the holidays. Her voice comes back closer than before, firm and brusque. “What’s it doing?”

“It doesn’t work, for starters.”

A pause. “Maybe it’s supposed to be decorative.”

I meet Hazel’s eye. She grimaces, and my cheeks warm. Dammit, that might be true.

“Okay, but my laptop cord just sparked,” I say.

“Has Ethel been entertaining herself with it while you’re not looking?”

I spin toward Ethel, who stares back. The heat in my face intensifies.

Natalie might be right about this too.

I glare at the useless decorative nutcracker.

“Anything else?” Her voice is tight, like she’s trying not to laugh.

My insides squirm, and I stand, pacing the room. “Yes. I tried to make banana waffles last week with a new waffle maker, and they turned out disgusting. Could the waffle maker be cursed?”

“Where’d you find the recipe?”

“TikTok.”

She sighs.

Fine, I’m smarter than this, and I’m overlooking the obvious. Time to get to the point.

I stop pacing, gripping the phone tighter. “I can’t help noticing that you didn’t correct me when I used the wordcursed.”

She says nothing.