Once the morning crowd died down, I would put up a Help Wanted sign.
Chapter 2
Lexi
“Dammit.”
I shoved my phone in my pocket, then stuffed my books in my bag with equal fervor. Normally my religious courses soothed my soul. I loved learning history, and especially how different theologies had evolved over time, but I’d been distracted during today’s lesson. Yet another attempt at a normal relationship had gone down the drain.
Following the crowd into the hall, I pulled my phone back out, frowning down at the text on the screen. I’d lost count of how many times I’d read it. What kind of asshole breaks up via text? I ground my teeth. The kind who wasn’t man enough to do it face-to-face, apparently.
Brad had seemed like a good guy at first. He’d even made it to date three, which was the furthest anyone ever got, typically. I considered myself lucky if they made it that far. He hadn’t been deterred by the weird rumors that hovered around me about my being bad luck—however true they might have been.
Our first date had been hot. Like, literally. I’d been digging in my purse for a breath mint, still hopeful at that point, and had only wished for more light. Sure, I’d been nervous, and that was usually when things went wrong for me. The movie screen had gone up in flames immediately, and they’d evacuated the entire theater. The fire department had chalked it up to an electrical short in the curtain motor, but I knew better.
I was shocked when he called me for another date. He’d invited me out to meet his friends at a bar near campus. The interior was nice, and lots of wood gave it a very Old World feel with a few hanging TVs. Unfortunately, college football season had just started, and the constant high-volume noise had given me a headache.
All I’d wanted was for it to be less crowded. Then all of a sudden, the kegs exploded, flooding the bar. Gallons and gallons of beer wasted. Everyone ended up on the sidewalk outside, finishing their beers and talking about how the weirdness around campus meant bad luck for the Minutemen that season.
Bunch of superstitious pansies. They ignored the fact the Amherst campus was almost two hours away and my bad luck didn’t reach that far. At least, I didn’t think it did.
But against all odds, Brad had tried again for date number three. The cursed third date. He gave up after that one, said he was a baseball player on scholarship and he couldn’t afford to be around my bad luck. It wasn’t him, it was definitely me.
Don’t call back.
Giving up and becoming a forever single cat lady was starting to sound more and more appealing. I wasn’t even sure why guys kept asking me out at this point. Most of the ones on campus knew my unlucky reputation by now. Was it a game for them? To see how many dates they could handle with the freak?
Step right up, gentlemen, and see what she can make happen next!
Or maybe it was time for me to start turning them down. I still had some time before I edged into cat-lady territory. At the very least, I could take a break and focus on myself before trying again.
“He was obviously scum and doesn’t deserve someone as wonderful as you.”
I nearly dropped my phone on the sidewalk, making a last-minute save with a minor effort of will. My phone leapt back into my hand just before it smashed into the concrete, and I looked around to make sure no one else saw it. I slid it into my pocket for the umpteenth time that day, forcing a brittle smile to my face for my best friend.
Sophie was as sneaky as they came, and I’d told her on more than one occasion she should be a ninja assassin for the government. I was only partially joking. The girl was ripped from long weeks in the gym, and if she didn’t want anyone to hear her coming, they wouldn’t. It made living with her interesting.
Her dark curls bounced as she skipped around to my other side and grabbed my arm, hugging it affectionately. In truth, Sophie was the one real friend I had. She’d been the only person to stick around me when my magic ran amok after a particularly harrowing episode involving snakes in class one day. I wasn’t afraid of them, exactly; I thought they were creepy looking, like a deadly rope that moved on its own.
The class had been on the history of Christianity, and we’d been learning about the devious serpent in the Garden and how people interpreted that. Then snakes had started slithering in under the doors. The entire class broke out in an uproar, jumping onto desks and screaming. When my professor clutched his chest and fell on his ass, I’d thought he was going to have a heart attack.
That had been two years ago. If it hadn’t been for Sophie’s loyal friendship, I might’ve run back home to Salem with my tail between my legs.
Needless to say, she knew all about Lexi Luckless’s horrible dating life. But she only knew a part of my heritage. Being a witch was considered cool in some circles, and Sophie had been dying to meet my mom. If she found out about my godly other half, she might very well freak and run.
“So what happened this time?” Sophie asked, bringing me back to myself. “Accidental pool mishap? Spiders in his car?” She pursed her lips and gave me some side-eye. “Get hit by a bus?”
“Sophie!”
She shrugged as if saying stuff like that wasn’t disturbing. “What? It’s not like I was rooting for it out loud, but he wasn’t your type at all. Trust me, Red.”
I snorted and shook my head, my bright red hair spilling over my shoulders. Pushing it back impatiently, I told her. “Rats. Rats happened.”
Sophie choked on a laugh as we exited the building. “Rats? Holy crap. Please, do tell. I need the deets!”
“We were at a really nice restaurant last night.” And it had been a beautiful place. The tables outside overlooked the water and the sound of the waves had been calming. Since it’d been warm that evening, the patio doors stood open, the fragrant breeze drifting in.
“Like, Back Bay nice or rural town, no other options nice?”
