What the heck? She stepped through the path the onlookers made and ended up in the inner circle next to a table covered with red velvet and lined with gold tinsel.
“Do I know you?” asked the performer.
She balked for a moment, wondering if he was going to use some pickup line on her right there in front of God, angels, and these strangers. Finally, her brain caught on that it was part of the act. “I’ve never seen you before.”
He frowned and placed a hand over his heart. “Ouch!”
“Sorry?”
“I guess that means you haven’t seen my channel,Christmas Magic?”
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Here he was, working on his channel, and she’d bunked him down to unknown.
His hands paused in their shuffling and cutting and reshuffling. “It’s okay.” His voice was low, and it made her look up. In that second, she was captured by his gorgeous gray eyes. They were like marble with flecks of white and silver and rimmed in black. More than that, they held something real that warmed her from her head to her toes.
“Get on with it!” someone yelled from the crowd, breaking the feeling of intense connection they shared.
Breck laughed. The sound was all for show, like the hat or his sweater. It was wonderful and brought a smile to her lips, but it wasn’t the real him. She shook herself. How would she know that? She’d only met the guy thirty seconds ago.
“Okay, pretty lady, I have a present for you.” He pulled out a small, ring-sized box from his coat pocket. “You hold on to that, but don’t open it yet, okay?”
“Okay.” Her anticipation of what Breck was going to do next outpaced her former melancholy and any shyness that would have normally kept her from looking around. Her problems were all right there, but they’d taken a back seat to her curiosity for the moment. If she could bottle this guy up and take him home, she would.
She held the box in her left palm.
He grabbed the corner of the deck. “I’m going to fan through the deck. You tell me when to stop.”
She nodded, watching his every move. He began fanning, the cards clapping together as he went. When he was a little over halfway through, she said, “Stop!”
He lifted his top hand to show her and the crowd the card. “Do you like that card?”
She considered the king of hearts. Ironic that she’d end up with that one today. The picture wasn’t the normal king of the deck; instead, it was Santa holding a plate of cookies. “Sure.” Her voice was flat in her ears.
He took the card out, making a show of not looking at it himself while he folded it in half lengthwise and then the other direction. “Some kids ask how Santa gets down the chimney to deliver presents—especially when there’s a fire.” He took out a lighter and lit the card on fire. “Well, it’s simple, really. He’s magic. And he loaned me just a little bit of that magic today.”
Breck tapped the top of the present in her hand. “Open it.”
She bit her bottom lip and tugged at the ribbon and then tore through the wrapping paper. Inside the small box was a white card with red and green Christmas decorations. “No way,” she said.
Breck chuckled. The warm sound reverberated through her. That was the real him. She paused, locking eyes once more. His eyes danced like sugarplum fairies. Her smile widened.
She set the box on the table and pulled out the card, holding it up for the crowd to see. They all leaned in for a better look as she unfolded it once, then twice, to reveal … “It’s the king of hearts!”
The crowd clapped eagerly. Breck bowed. “Thank you all for stopping by. Don’t forget to check out my channel:Christmas Magic!”
They slowly dispersed, the children exclaiming over the last trick.
Harmony turned to Breck. “How’d you do that?”
He wagged his finger, his smile flirtatious. “I’ll never tell.”
She laughed. It was nice to know that a man found her attractive and interesting—even if it was just for a few minutes. “Because a good magician never reveals his secrets.”
He laughed too. “Can I get your name and number?”
Her happy, airy feelings came to a screeching halt. Flirting on the street was one thing; getting involved was a whole other level that she wasn’t ready for—might never be ready for. “Uh, I don’t think—I mean, you’re cute and all, but—”
He cocked his head. “You think I’m cute?”
