Page 24 of Witching You Weren't Snowed In

Mrs. Avery, the owner of the coffee shop, stepped forward, approaching the raised platform. Relief melted through me, but I braved a glance at Leo. Mrs. Avery had poured salt in his drink, and now she was going to pour salt in his wounds. This was the best possible outcome or a potential death knell in my plan.Tough to call.

Leo straightened his shoulders, giving me a look that spoke volumes. He still trusted me.Please, please, please, don’t let this plan fail,I chanted as he took his place inside the tank.

Mrs. Avery handed over a crisp five-dollar bill, and I handed her the softball. The crowd watched with a tense stillness as she stood on the marked spot and stared at her opponent.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to throw up or sing “Joy to the World”.

Mrs. Avery drew back her arm and let the ball fly.

It was off the mark, slightly higher than it should have been. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a gust of air to weigh it down. A second later, it slammed into the target.

Leo’s eyes widened as the seat beneath him released, dropping him into the ball pit. He swam through plastic to the surface, his elf hat lost somewhere in the pit. When his eyes found mine again, I knew he saw me rig it. He mouthed the words ‘well played’ and flashed me a two and, then a zero with his fingers.

Mrs. Avery had tears in her eyes. She laughed and wiped at her lashes.

“That felt surprisingly good,” she said, then faced the crowd. “I say we give this boy a chance. Let him prove us wrong. Because I’d love nothing more than to lace up my skates again! Who’s next?”

Hands shot in the air as a line formed. The carolers broke into another song while Valerie swooped in to collect donations.

I stepped outside of the crush, watching from the sidelines as excitement swelled. Dropping my head back, I studied the cloudless sky. It hadn’t snowed once since I’d agreed to help Leo. That might be a coincidence, but it might also be progress. I certainly felt more like myself than I had in a long time.

“Hot chocolate for my clever girl?” my dad asked, joining me with a cup topped with mini marshmallows.

“Yes, please!” I accepted the cup and sucked a few of the marshmallows into my mouth.

“It’s good to see you two kids’ friends again.” My dad kept his gaze on the dunk tank as Leo took another plunge.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, cringing at the frost in my tone. “I’m helping him out with this project. Nothing more than that. Besides, we were never that close.” I rubbed my arms, trying to ward off the chill. “It’s complicated.”

He sighed and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Never seemed that complicated to me. We miss having you home, you know. It seems like you ran off there for a little while.”

“I needed a reset,” I said, amused by the comparison between Old Sage and the agency's initiative for sending me home.

“Try to have some fun while you’re here. Don’t work too hard.”

“Doesn’t it look like I’m having fun?” I asked, tilting my head until the bell on my elf hat jingled.

He chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. “That was a good speech. You should be proud of yourself—forget what everyone else thinks. Including your mother. She means well.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Finish your hot chocolate. I’ll go relieve that boy. I'm sure Leo’s ready for a break, and I’ve always wanted to sit in one of those things. Plus, your mother will empty her wallet to see me drop.”

The sun had set, and the twinkling lights shined brighter as I walked through the square, stopping to chat or joke about who had the best throwing arm. The frosty air puffed in whiteclouds in front of my face, and I could barely feel my toes in the poorly insulated boots.

Elves might live in the North Pole, but their clothes weren’t made for the cold weather.

“There you are.” Leo pushed his way through a group of people listening to a local band that had replaced the carolers. “Geez, you look freezing.” He reached for my hands, sandwiching them between his own, then blew hot air against our skin. “Do you have any idea how much money we’ve raised from the dunk tank alone? And Valerie said others have promised to stop by the lodge and contribute. There are still a few naysayers, but people are coming around. You are incredible.”

I blushed, trying not to enjoy Leo’s touch too much. I was cold enough that if he gave me the opening, I’d launch myself at him to see if my witchy heat conduction thing worked on body heat.

“Santa’s the real hero. I just work for him.”

Leo chuckled. “Such a modest witch.”

“You did good today. I thought for sure you were going to run when Valerie pulled back the curtain.”

“I thought about it. But have you tried to run in these shoes? What’s more embarrassing: a dunk tank or slip-sliding away in an elf costume?”