We shook the sand from our feet and reluctantly put our boots back on. I shivered as I crossed the line where the enchantment around the truck ended and the cold waited to grip me. Neto walked closely by my side, one arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his warmth, wishing his car was farther away.
When we reached my house, Ernesto opened my car door and walked me to the front porch. “Thanks for coming out with me tonight.”
“Thankyou. Those were the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. But don’t tell mytías.”
He grinned. “I won’t tell yours if you don’t tell mine that I agree.”
Something nudged my shoulder, and I turned to see a sprig of mistletoe that had been spelled to encourage couples. I’d seen them at Regency Meadows Park, but I didn’t know we had one at Rosings. The mistletoe floated between us, then rose over our heads.
Neto’s eyes practically smoldered as his eyes flickered from me, to the mistletoe hanging overhead, and back again.Bless you Caroline Bingley, I thought as all the pieces clicked into place. Ernesto played hockey with Fred, he’d heard me perform at the rehearsal, and he’d already had my number. Neto was the guy who’d asked Fred for my number.
Somehow at José’s, I’d stopped thinking of him as Ernesto Garcia and started thinking of him as a real person. So it was completely natural and only a little bit crazy when I went up on tiptoes and kissed those kissable lips.
Chapter 5
Thatbriefmomentofinsanity extinguished all of my bravery, so I hurried into the house without waiting to see his reaction. I closed the heavy wooden door behind me and leaned up against it, the butterflies in my stomach dancing at double-time.
“Anne, is that you?” Mamá called from the sitting room.
I sighed and pushed away from the door, bracing myself. “Yes, I’m back!” I called, grateful that my voice came out normal-sounding.
As I walked down the hall, the heady scent of wood polish and pine weighed me down. I stopped midstride as it dawned on me that my senses were still open from my time with Ernesto. The whole evening I’d left my power unchecked and it hadn’t bothered me at all.
I quickly closed myself off from my enhanced senses, though my head hadn’t started to ache yet, and hurried into the sitting room.
Mamá sat in her chair, a wool shawl wrapped around her shoulders the only concession she made toward her comfort. Even in her own home, at 9:00 at night, she was crisply dressed and weighed down my heavy jewelry.
She pursed her lips. “I did a bit of digging into that young man while you were gone. Did you know he is the lead singer of a popular band?”
I opened my mouth to answer in the affirmative, but she was off again before I had the chance.
“What was Fred Brown thinking, asking such a chaotic person to be a soloist?”
“He’s got an incredible voice, Mamá, I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”
She sniffed. “Well, it’s a moot point. If the police don’t catch the killer, there won’t be a performance, anyway.”
I straightened my back. “I’m sure they will. In the meantime, I intend to do my best to prepare for this performance.”
“The orchestra is important to you, I understand that, but don’t let it eclipse your other responsibilities. Being in line for the crown is no small responsibility.”
I tried not to cringe as I did every time she brought up my place in the succession. Mamá’s late sister had been the Fae Queen, and since she and her husband died in a car crash, my cousin Darcy was next in line for the crown. For reasons I didn’t fully understand, he hadn’t taken the throne yet, letting my uncle reign as regent in his stead.
“I know, Mamá, I said quietly.
I trudged upstairs, feeling like a scolded schoolgirl. I’d been preparing for this performance for months and looking forward to it for far longer than that. Even before I’d known I’d be singing with Ernesto, I’d wanted this concert to go forward. But now? I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for anything in the world. Andwe only had nine more days to catch the killer, or I’d lose my chance.
I closed my bedroom door behind me and went to my dresser where I kept a Grey Doors poster in the top drawer. I carefully pulled it out and studied Ernesto’s face. No, not Ernesto. Neto.
I brushed my thumb across my lips. I’d kissed him. Somehow I’d been brave enough to kiss him. If I hadn’t run inside so quickly, would he have kissed me back?
A notification lit up on my phone. It was from Neto.
Hey
My heart thundered, and the heaviness weighing me down after the talk with my mother seemed to disappear.
Hey
