“I’m Seth Masterson, by the way—your new neighbor.”
Neighbor? I quickly tried to picture the houses that were nearest to our new place, wondering which one he belonged with. I suddenly realized I still wasn’t speaking.
Shifting my bag back up on my shoulder, I extended my hand. “Kenna Mangum. It’s nice to meet you. Which house is yours? I’m still trying to get familiar with our street.”
Seth chuckled and nodded toward the lockers. “I meant I was your new locker neighbor.”
“Oh!” I felt stupid. So much for making a good first impression, I guess.
Seth slipped his hand into mine, shaking it. Immediately, trails of warmth traveled up my arm, something I’d not been expecting. It was almost . . . magical. Unable to help myself, I began studying his aura, noticing lots of pink and purple in it, but there were flecks of dark spots that confused me. Maybe he had a temper? Or maybe he struggled with something? I couldn’t figure out what was going on with him.
“Are you all right?” Seth asked; and I snapped out of my musings, heat flushing my skin as I realized how hard I’d been staring at him. We were still holding hands.
Immediately I dropped mine, flustered. “I, uh, sorry.” He was going to think I was a nut job. I quickly tried to think of something to explain my behavior, but then decided to go with the truth. Laughing, I shook my head. “No, I’m not all right, actually. I’m on sensory overload, a little. I’ve been home schooled my whole life because my family used to live in a very remote area.” Okay, so it wasn’t the complete truth, but it was still true. “This is my first year at public school and I’ve never really had the opportunity to hang out with kids my own age before. I don’t know anyone here. I didn’t mean to be rude. You just caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to me.”
Turning, Seth opened his locker and tossed some things inside. “That makes total sense; and you didn’t offend me. I thought maybe my natural charisma made you dumbfounded.” Shutting his locker, he turned and leaned against it, staring at me with a slight smile. “Guess I was wrong.”
Sighing, I smiled back and shook my head slightly. “You’re not wrong.” Oh my gosh! Did I actually say that? The guy was a complete stranger. If he didn’t think I was crazy before, he definitely would now.
Instead of running for the hills, Seth flashed me a full on, wide smile. Dear heaven above, I could feel my heart doing this weird flip floppy thing inside me. If I thought he was good looking before, his smile made him even a thousand times more. Briefly, I wondered how many other unsuspecting females had fallen prey to that perfect grin.
“I think I like you,” Seth said with a chuckle. “You’re so . . . straightforward. It’s kind of refreshing.” Some of those dark flecks in his aura grew, giving hint to the fact that something about less-than-straightforward people bugged him. “What’s your first class?”
“English,” I replied. “Creative writing, actually.” I’d chosen that class because I loved writing. It didn’t matter if it was spells, magical lessons I’d learned and copied into my Book of Shadows, or simply writing in general, I couldn’t get enough of it. I had notebooks filled with short romance stories I’d written over the years in my spare time, mostly fan fiction based on movies and television shows I’d seen, or favorite characters from the books I’d read. There was only so much a person could do out in the middle of the woods. I got creative with how I spent my time.
“With Mrs. Parker or Mrs. Thompson?” he asked, bringing me back to the present.
Glancing at my schedule, I looked for the teacher’s name. “Um, Parker.” I turned the paper so he could see.
“Well, now I have a reason to enjoy that class. I hate writing, but all the other English classes were full.” He continued to study my paper. “Looks like we have some other classes together, too. I’m in this math class, and biology.”
I smiled. “That’s cool. I’ll at least know one person now.”
Seth continued to smile, his eyes drifting not so subtly over me before returning to my face. “I’d be happy to introduce you to more people, if you’d like. Come on. I’ll walk you to class.”
Shutting my locker, I fell into step beside him, casting a quick glance over at him when he wasn’t paying attention. So far, today was looking pretty good.
Chapter Two
“Hey, neighbor. How’d the rest of your morning classes go? Did you survive?” Seth spoke as he stepped beside me and began twirling out his locker combination.
Smiling, I nodded. “I think it went okay. Everyone I’ve met seems pretty nice, so far. I have a ton of homework already, though. I’m not too thrilled about that.”
Seth tossed his belongings inside and slammed his locker shut before turning to look at me. “Damn those teachers. I swear, every single one loves to pile on the homework. I guess they think we don’t have better things to do.”
“I really don’t have anything better to do,” I admitted, sounding like a complete loser. “I mean, since I don’t really know anyone or what all there is to do around here, that is.”
Glancing over me, Seth smiled. “I can help change some of that. Do you have lunch plans?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I was going to find the cafeteria and see if the food looks any good. I brought a lunch for today, though, in case it was unappealing.”
Giving a disgusted sounding snort, Seth shook his head. “You don’t want to waste your time in that place. Why don’t you come with me and I’ll introduce you to some of my friends? We hang out at lunch together every day.”
A secret burst of joy shot through me at the invitation and I couldn’t help my wide smile. “I’d really like that. Thank you.” I shifted my purse strap higher onto my shoulder.
Seth grinned wider, too, his eyes never leaving my face, zeroing in on my mouth.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious and wondering if perhaps there was some of my breakfast still stuck in my teeth.
“Nothing,” he replied, still grinning. “You’re just really pretty.”
I didn’t want to blush, but his remark caught me off guard and I quickly tried to stutter out an appropriate reply. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”
He laughed. “Did you just call me pretty?”
“I . . . I, uh, didn’t mean to. That’s not what I meant.” Dang it. Social bantering was so not my thing.
Leaning closer, he nudged my shoulder with his and winked. “I know. I’m just enjoying giving you a hard time.” Having no clue what to say to that, I simply continued to grin like an idiot, feeling way out of my element. Thankfully, he didn’t seem too intent on continuing the torture. “Come on, let’s go.”
“What kind of car do you have?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going so it wouldn’t feel awkward.
Seth’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at me. “A black 1966 Plymouth Barracuda with gray racing stripes. I love old-school muscle cars.”
“Did you restore it?”
“No. My dad bought it off a guy when I was about thirteen, and he restored it. He gave it to me when I got my license.”
“Nice dad.”
“He has his moments,” Seth agreed, but immediately I noticed a change in his aura. “What about you? What do you drive?”
“Actually, I’m more of a motorcycle girl,” I replied, enjoying the look of surprise on his face.
“Seriously? Like to ride or drive?” He seemed completely interested.
“Both. My dad restores and designs them. We’ve been building a custom one for me, together.”
“For real?” he asked again, and I could tell he was seeing me in a new light. Maybe most girls weren’t into mechanics like I was. Smiling at his incredulous look, I nodded. “That’s awesome,” he continued. “I’d love to see it sometime . . . if that’s okay with you.”
It was so much more than okay with me. “I’d like that,” I replied, feeling all warm and fuzzy over our bonding moment. My first impressi
ons of Seth were all good ones, so far.
Seth held the door open for me, adding “gentleman” to his repertoire, and we exited outside. Immediately, I knew which car on the lot was his. The black paint and chrome glistened in the light of high noon, showcasing the car beautifully.
“What do you think?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the vehicle.
“Looks pretty cherry to me.”
“Cherry.” Seth chuckled and glanced over at me. “I think you and I are going to get along fine.”
Gosh, I hope so, I thought to myself, wisely choosing to keep my mouth shut while continuing to stare at the car as we walked toward it.
Arriving, Seth led me around to the passenger side and opened the door. I’d seen my dad do the same for my mom and me at least a million times, but having a guy, who was definitely not my dad, do it for me made my heart flutter a little. I wondered if Seth was always this polite.
As soon as he joined me inside, he fired up the engine and it purred smoothly as he backed out of the parking spot.
“So, what other things might I find surprising about you?” he asked casually, causing my heart to race for an entirely different reason. I wondered what he’d say if he knew I was a witch . . . as in a real witch that actually did extraordinary magic.
“I’m a pretty kick-ass fighter.” I volunteered, instead.
“Fighter?” He sounded confused. “Like karate or something?”
“Like put me in front of any opponent and I will kick their ass.”
Brow furrowing, he glanced over at me. “I don’t know you well enough to know if you’re teasing me or not.”
I laughed. “I’m not teasing. My dad is . . . well, let’s just say life hasn’t always thrown the best of things at him. He had to learn to be tough. Because of his experiences, he wanted me to be tough, too, and to know how to take care of myself.”
“So you’ve had defense classes then?” Seth asked, still not getting at all what I meant.
“Yeah, something like that,” I agreed, deciding not to press the issue. Hopefully there would never be a need to use those skills, anyway. “What about you? Do you ever do any fighting?”
“Only if you count tackling guys on a football field fighting.”
“You play? Offense or defense?” I loved football—at least I thought I did after watching games on television with my dad, occasionally.
“Defensive tackle, when I play both ways, that is. Normally I’m the quarterback. You like football?”
“I do. Well, I’ve only actually ever watched it on television. But I have permission to do a special tryout for the cheer team after school today. I’ve taken dance lessons most of my life, but your cheer line is the closest thing your school has to a dance class. If I make it, I’ll get to cheer and do the half time routines at the games.”
“Well, I hope you do. It would be awesome to have you there.”
Instantly, I felt the foreign feeling of heat creep back into my face. I didn’t know why I was blushing, but I was absurdly pleased that Seth wanted me at his sporting events.
“So, where are we going to eat?” My random subject change was totally obvious, but I really did want to know where we were going. In all honesty, Seth had put me so completely at ease I hadn’t even thought twice about jumping into a car with someone I’d just barely met. For all I knew, he could be taking me somewhere to accost me. I could practically hear my dad berating me for not being cautious enough. I needed to pay better attention to my surroundings and be aware, like he taught me.
“To a great Italian restaurant my best friend’s family owns down on the Waterfront called Nicolazzo’s. It’s a pretty awesome place—mostly Italian food, but they do offer some Irish dishes, too.”
“That’s an interesting combination. Is that your friend’s last name? Nicolazzo?”
“No. Blackstone is their last name, actually. My friend’s name is Jett. He’ll be there and I’ll introduce you. He goes to school with us, too.” Seth turned the car down another street and I could see flashes of the water between the buildings. “His dad is Irish and his mom is Italian. Nicolazzo is her maiden name. I guess her father has a family restaurant with the same name back in Italy, where she was raised. Her dad let her bring all his recipes to start her own place, here, after she got married. The restaurant is divided in two—the downstairs is more of the fine dining side, and the upstairs is more casual, kind of a pizza parlor, fun, hang-out place. They have pool tables, a few arcade games, darts, and a jukebox. They do pizza by-the-slice for the high school lunch crowd.”
“Sounds awesome.” My stomach chose that moment to rumble, quietly enough that Seth didn’t seem to notice, thank goodness. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until right now. “Does your friend play football with you, too?”
Seth nodded. “Yep. You’ll meet him and his girlfriend, Megan. Don’t let her get under your skin. She can be slightly bitchy. That’s just her personality.”
Wonderful, I thought to myself. Hopefully I’d find some common ground with her. I didn’t want to make enemies on my first day.
“There’ll be some other guys from the team, too, and some of the cheerleaders. I’ll introduce you to them so you know some of the girls before this afternoon.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.”
Seth maneuvered his car into a parking spot on the street that was clearly marked “reserved.” I glanced at him in question and he grinned.
“One of the perks of knowing the owners.” He smiled and turned off the engine. “You ready?”
I nodded and reached for the door handle.
“Wait! I got that.” Quickly jumping out, he ran around to my side and opened the door.
“Thanks.” I felt flustered, again. “You’re really polite.” Groaning inwardly, I began cussing myself out. Way to point out the obvious, Kenna. I stared up at the two story dark gray building with its many windows encased in white trim. A large red sign hung on the front of the building with gold lettering that read “Nicolazzo’s” on it. All sorts of delicious aromas floated in the air and the hum of voices and clattering silverware tinkled from inside.
“They have patio seating out back, so you can eat and enjoy watching the boats out on the waterfront.”
“That sounds wonderful. I bet it’s beautiful at night.”
“It is. All the tables are lit with glass lanterns—it’s actually kind of romantic, if you like that sort of thing. I’ll have to bring you back sometime to try their pasta. You’ll love it.”
I was pretty sure that was a not-so-subtle invitation for real date; and to be honest, I really didn’t hate the idea at all. Seth seemed like a pretty awesome guy. “I think that would be fun.”
“Then it’s a date,” he replied, grinning. “If you’ll give me your phone number I’ll text you later and we can set it up.”
“I’m on Facebook, also,” I added, wondering if I sounded too eager. “I don’t really have any friends on it. I’m new.”
“Perfect. I’ll send you a friend request and we can message back and forth.” He held the door to the restaurant open for me and I stepped inside, immediately seeing a hostess at a stand inside the door. “We’re just going up for lunch, Carrie.” Seth added, pointing toward the stairs and the young woman smiled and nodded.
Placing his hand on the small of my back, he guided me across the room and we began to climb. I couldn’t help sucking in a deep breath of anticipation. I was about to meet a whole bunch of new people.
I hoped they liked me.
Chapter Three
Eyes darting around, I resisted the desire to bounce to the rhythm of the music playing from a jukebox in the corner, instead taking in the ambience of the place. I loved the polished wood paneling on the walls, sporting more of a seaside motif vs. an Italian one. Artfully strung fishing nets were hung here and there about the space with other seafaring items tacked onto them—everything from starfish and seashells to the steering wheels from the helms of ships .
. . at least I assumed they were off actual ships. They looked old.
At the far end of the room were pool tables with several people crowded around one, watching a couple of guys play. From where I stood, it looked as if the room continued on around the corner, but I couldn’t see what else was back there.
Red, vinyl covered booths outlined two of the interior walls and wooden tables were randomly placed throughout the middle of the room. There was a long counter with warmers, displaying several different kinds of pizza. They smelled heavenly and my mouth immediately watered.
“Hungry?” Seth asked, smiling at me.
I nodded. “Even if I wasn’t before, I would be after smelling this food.”
“Wait until you taste it.”
Following him, I grabbed a plate and stepped up to the buffet, finally deciding on a piece with pepperoni and olives. I also grabbed one of the small Caesar salads from a chilling rack and a bottle of water. Joining Seth at the register, I dug in my bag for some cash.
“Both of these,” Seth said, gesturing to my food, too, as he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket.
“You don’t need to do that. I can pay,” I protested.
“So can I.” Handing the woman some money, he grinned at me. “It’s the least I can do after capturing you and making you change your plans.”
“It wasn’t a big deal, really. I was happy to come.” My heart was doing this crazy little flip-flop thing every time he smiled at me. I liked it—or him—at least I thought I did. I enjoyed the way I felt when I was around him. It was kind of like this crazy adrenaline rush. I’d never had a chance to get close to anyone my own age before, except for the son of my parents’ best friends, Brad and Shelly. But he was a couple years younger than me, so that really didn’t count. Besides, we didn’t get to see them very often.
“This way.” Seth nodded toward the corner. Gathering my plate, I quickly followed after him. “We’ll need to come here on the weekend sometime. They have live bands on that small stage over there, and everyone comes to dance.”