“Here,” Maggie said, coming out of the bathroom to pull an off-the-shoulder, midnight-blue sweater from her closet. “Wear this.”
I took the sweater and threw it on. It hit just below the waistline and sat perfectly across my collarbones. It was exactly the look I’d been hoping for. “How is it that you can dress me better than I can dress myself?”
Maggie laughed. “’Cause I know you better than you know yourself.”
I grinned and sat down to put my boots on. Then I pulled the dagger Gareth had given me from my bag and carefully tucked it in the waistband of my jeans. I pulled the sweater over it and checked in Maggie’s full-length mirror to make sure it was covered.
A few minutes later, I was putting on a thin layer of lip gloss when headlights flashed across the wall. “He’s here,” I said, peering out Maggie’s bedroom window. Ty’s familiar black car was parked in the driveway. “I think I’m gonna throw up,” I continued as Ty walked toward the door.
“It’s not like you’ve never hung out before, Styles.”
“I know, but this is . . . different.” I tugged on my hair, trying to smooth it into place.
Maggie walked over and pulled my hands away from my scalp. “Stop that. You look beautiful, and he’s gonna think so too.”
“You really think so?”
Maggie put her hand on her hip. “Please, when have I ever been wrong?”
“Never.” I grinned. Downstairs, the doorbell rang. I jumped, and the light overhead gave a tiny flicker.
“Come on,” Maggie said with a laugh. “Let’s go save him before my dad starts doing his ‘famous’ impressions.” She cocked her head at me and, with a voice that perfectly mirrored her father’s phony Humphrey Boggart accent, said, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
Giggling, we linked arms and walked down the stairs to where Ty was talking casually with Maggie’s dad. He was wearing his leather jacket—which I’d finally returned—and a long-sleeved gray thermal with a pair of dark jeans and boots. He looked incredible.
Swallowing, I forced myself to focus on the stairs so I wouldn’t trip and fall on my face.
After listening to Donald Duck and Bill Clinton remind us several times to stay safe and wear our seatbelts, we managed to say good-bye to Mr. Dawson and head outside. Maggie dutifully crawled into the backseat with a wink as Ty walked me to the passenger side of the car and held the door open.
“Thank you,” I squeaked as I sat down. Oh my God. I cringed at the shrill sound of my voice. Behind me, Maggie snickered. I turned around and gave her a quick glare. She responded by kicking the back of my seat, as if to say, “Chill out! Take a deep breath!”
I rolled my eyes but sucked down a mouthful of air anyway.
Ty walked around the car and got inside. He cranked the car and backed down the driveway in one fluid motion. “I didn’t want to say this in front of Maggie’s dad,” he began, his cheeks turning slightly pink, “but . . . uh . . . you look gorgeous tonight.”
My cheeks burned, but I smiled. “Thank you,” I said, grateful that my voice seemed to have returned to its normal state.
“And we all know, I, of course, look fabulous!” Maggie chirped.
My laugh had always been a little too breathy for my liking, but it blended with the deeper tones in Ty’s laughter as we chuckled at Maggie’s comment. I liked the way it sounded—our two voices together in harmony. A flash of warmth rushed through me.
“How’ve you been?” Ty asked. “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you much since Serena’s house.”
“I’m okay. Worried about Gareth. I can’t reach him on his phone. He called a few days ago, but since then nothing. Everything else’s been quiet.”
“He’s probably just being extra cautious,” Ty suggested.
“Yeah . . . maybe.”
“No sign of the Scavengers?”
“No, not that I know of anyway. I haven’t seen anything strange, and Serena hasn’t had any more visions about them, so I’m guessing whatever Gareth is doing must be working.”
“Are they still in the area?”
I nodded. “She thinks so, but she’s too afraid to do any real spell that would tell her for certain. She doesn’t want to attract any more attention.”
“Well, no news is good news, right?”
“Right,” I agreed. “Although I really wish Gareth would call. I’ll feel a whole lot better once I hear from him.”
“I’m sure he’ll call soon,” Ty said.
“I hope so.”
“And how about you, Maggie?” Ty turned his attention to her, and Maggie immediately launched into an animated narrative of her week. I watched Ty’s face as he listened, my heart fluttering as I studied the planes of his cheekbones, the strong set of his jaw, his lips that were quirked up into his crooked grin. I resisted the urge to fan my warm cheeks.
After parking the car and paying for out tickets, we walked into the carnival grounds. The cheerleaders had really outdone themselves this year. The fairgrounds were brightly lit with colorful lights, and speakers hanging from the light posts blasted popular country music. There was a large selection of rides, including a Ferris wheel and a Tilt-A-Whirl, and there were tons of booths that had games where you could win prizes. The smell of popcorn and funnel cakes wafted through the air, and my mouth began to water. In the back corner of the fair there was a haunted house, and there was also a haunted corn maze as part of the festivities.
“Wow,” I said, taking it all in.
“What you said,” Ty replied, his face in equal awe. Maggie, who was grinning like a five-year-old, nodded.
I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet. “What do you want to do first?”
“Oh, look,” Maggie said, pointing toward one of the booths. “There’s Lily Owens!” She waved, and a girl I recognized from school with strawberry-blonde hair waved back. “I think I’ll go hang with her for a while.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but snapped my lips back together when Maggie glared at me.
“You guys have fun. I’ll meet up with you later, okay?”
I let out a huff. I’d been counting on Maggie as a wingman, but as she wiggled her fingers at Ty and grinned at me with a smile that would’ve made the devil cringe, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
I mumbled under my breath as she winked at me and then skipped over to where Lily Owens was waiting. “Why, that little—”
“So,” Ty said, “are you hungry, or do you want to hit up the rides first?” He was beaming a smile that made me feel all gushy inside.
“I could definitely eat.” I tried to say it casually, but in truth I was starving. I’d been too nervous to eat earlier.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Ty said with a grin, “because there is a booth over there that claims they have corndogs so good they’ll make you want to slap your mama!” he finished the last part with an over-exaggerated Southern accent that made me laugh.
“That sounds great! Although I must warn you, I can pretty much eat my weight in corndogs. They’re my favorite.”
Ty grinned and put one of his hands over his heart in mock surprise. “Beautiful and loves corndogs? Be still my beating heart!”