I was about to ask when Noah tightened the lid on his water bottle and grabbed an apple, hefting it.
‘I’m headed back to finish this painting,’ he said awkwardly, then stalked back out to his studio.
All three of us watched him leave with interest.
‘What?’ said Lara, when I nudged her with my elbow. ‘It’s not illegal to look.’
She turned to Tiff. ‘Why don’t you join us? We’re going into town so Molly can figure out the deal with her weird magical ring. We can grab cardamom-spice lattes at Lorraine’s after.’
Tiff hesitated – her default was to say no to any sort of social outing – then nodded. ‘Actually, sure. Let’s do it. There’s something I want to check out in town.’
‘Ah,’ I said knowingly. ‘The hot bookshop owner.’
‘Oh, shut up,’ said Tiff. Her fingertips sparkled as she tried to remove the flush from her cheeks.
I raised an eyebrow. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one with a complicated love life.
The weather was perfect as we strolled into town along the boardwalk. The sun shimmered in the deep-blue sky, and a languid breeze rolled over us, its cool touch making every outfit from a T-shirt to a light cardigan feel just right for the day. This was part of the magic of Summerween at Whisperwind Cove: thebetweennessof it all.
‘Wow, everyone’s out today,’ said Tiff, with a nod down to the beach, which was packed with striped umbrellas and kids playing frisbee. Swimmers splashed around in the shallows, squealing when a too-large wave came their way.
‘I see you keeping an eye out for a half-naked Finn,’ teased Lara as I scanned the water for the younger of the Tucker brothers.
I gave her a playful shove. ‘Oh shush.’
My ring was crackling again. I twisted it, trying to get it to settle down.
‘There’s really something up with that thing, isn’t there?’ asked Tiff curiously.
‘I can’t even take it off,’ I grumbled. ‘Fat fingers.’
‘You should try detergent,’ said Lara, blowing a kiss at some elderly cyclists in form-fitting Lycra. Inspired, they picked up their speed.
I rolled my eyes. ‘You’re already in boss mode, huh?’
Lara chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t be your boss, silly. Just a superior. And you’re actually thinking about it?’
‘I’m currently on a ring research mission.’ I raised my hand, letting the ring flash in the sunlight. ‘But after that I might.’
‘Don’t let Mom hear you prioritizing a ring over your career,’ said Tiff drily.
‘I think a ring would suit you too,’ said Lara, tapping her own ring finger pointedly.
‘Oh, absolutely not.’ Tiff shielded her eyes from the non-existent glare. ‘Damien and I, we’re not there yet.’
‘He can’t hear you, babe,’ said Lara placatingly. ‘He’s on a whole other continent. Unless he’s secretly on his way here to surprise you.’
Tiff blinked, as though she hadn’t considered this. ‘I don’t … no, there’s no way.’
Hmm, this was interesting. Tiff and Damien had been together for two, maybe three years, even if most of it had been spent on opposite sides of the world. Given the amount of time they spent messaging and on video calls, I’d assumed that their relationship was moving towards something more. Although what would that even look like?
Tiff took my hand, regarding the ring. She touched it, then shook her head – apparently it reserved its magical zaps for me.
‘Whatever’s going on with this thing, Molly, its magic is tied to you. I can feel that there’s a charm on it, but I’m not getting anything from it.’
‘It’s like pop rocks on my finger,’ I told her. ‘Sometimes it’s stronger, and sometimes it ebbs away, but I’m not sure what it’s trying to tell me.’
‘It’s trying to tell you that we need frozen lemonades,’ said Lara, hurrying over to a vendor who was set up by the side of the boardwalk. He was a young guy with a cheerful smile and hair in a braid that ran all the way down his back, andeven under the umbrella of his stand, I could tell from the way he filled the cups that he had magic.
