After they’re far enough up the beach, Alec turns toward me. “I think they started drinking a little too early.”
I turn away from their departing figures and frown, still shaken by Iris’s behavior. “That was quite the welcome.”
Alec cringes. “Sorry about that. Was she awful to you?”
I give him a sheepish smile and respond without actually answering. “Are you surprised?”
He lets out a sympathetic smile and reaches for my hand. “No. But for what it’s worth, I’m glad you came.” He tugs me forward and places his hands on my waist. There’s a twinkle in his eyes. “You look nice.”
Charlotte assured me the long orange maxi skirt and white crop tank top was the perfect outfit to wear to a beach party. I’m glad I listened. I look him up and down. He’s wearing navy-and-white pinstriped swim shorts and a navy-blue muscle tank.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” I can feel myself blush. “It looks like a great party.”
“Yeah, well, some people are having too much fun.” He directs his gaze where Ava and Iris walked off to. “But you made it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I did, and now you owe me.”
Alec leads me a short distance to the refreshment table, where a bowl of pink liquid sits in the center. He pours a drink and offers it to me. “A token of my gratitude.” He bows dramatically.
“Funny,” I say as I laugh. I look into the cup, checking out the drink.
As if he can read my mind, he laughs and says, “It’s just punch.” He gives me a boyish smile. “My parents and their friends are all over this joint. I couldn’t get away with sneaking a single ounce of booze. Trust me.”
“But Iris and Ava are getting it somewhere, right?”
Alec shrugs. “They probably brought it. My parents would never say anything to them, though. My parents intensely dislike their parents, so it’s not worth the drama.”
I laugh. “But you’re still friends with them?”
Alec shrugs. “Keep your enemies close, right?” He winks.
“Well, then cheers,” I say, a teasing tone in my voice as I raise my cup in the air.
“Cheers,” he says. “To you for finally escaping from prison.”
We tap our drinks together and take a sip, our eyes never leaving each other’s.
“So, are you free from now on, or does your carriage turn back into a pumpkin at midnight?”
I smile and tilt my head. “I don’t know about tonight, but we can start going running again if you want.”
He grins. “I’ve been training, you know? You’re not going to be able to blow me out of the water this time.”
“Is that so?”
He nods, his confidence bolder than I remember. I think I like it too much.
“I’ll accept that challenge.”
He waggles his brows. “Now that we have that settled, come with me.”
He whisks me away, past the volleyball game, through the throng of guests, and down to where a bunch of familiar people are lighting off fireworks. I remember a lot of them from our pool game at Island Grille. Brett gives me a quick wink and a wave. Trisha wraps me in an excited hug. And the rest of them offer friendly smiles that make me feel an overwhelming sense of happiness. It’s like I might actually fit in with Alec and his friends—well, most of them. I sour at the thought of Iris and Ava, but the feeling fades quickly when Alec grabs a handful of sparklers and a lighter off a long table and motions for me to follow him closer to the water.
Alec lights the first sparkler, and it crackles to life. He hands it to me then lights one for himself. I wave my wand and watch as sparks shower from the stick and vanish into the night. I follow his lead and start to create random shapes. I barely notice that I’m using magic until I realize the heart I just made is lingering in the air longer than anything Alec is creating.
“Hey, Kat,” Alec says, getting my attention. “What does this spell?”
I pay close attention to the words he’s waving into the air, not missing a beat when I read, “Kiss me.”
I must be blushing. My neck and cheeks feel warm, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. “Smooth,” I tease.
Alec takes my burnt-out sparkler from my hand and places mine and his in a bucket of water, then interlaces my fingers with his, he starts to run up the beach.
I laugh at his spontaneity. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere away from here.”
We find a quiet spot on top of a sand dune, farther back from the party, where the noise becomes a faint background music to our perfect night.
“So, tell me, Summer Girl. How do you like it here? And be honest.”
“I like it,” I tell him without an ounce of hesitation. “I didn’t think I would. And at first, I didn’t.” I laugh. “But this place—” I look across the water and smile. “It’s grown on me. It almost feels like home.”
The look he gives me next isn’t a smile exactly, but I feel it deeply—like he’s been holding his breath since the day I arrived, waiting for me to say I’ll stay, then maybe I’ll choose him. It’s ridiculous, I know. My thoughts are just fantasies, obviously, because there’s no way I can be feeling this strongly for a guy I barely know.
He squeezes my hand. “Then you must like living with Rose. I know you were unsure at first.”
I nod. It was only a month ago, but it feels like it’s been so much longer. “Turns out, she’s pretty great.”
“My parents seem to think so. I mean, she has helped Apollo Beach through a lot.”
“A lot of what?” I’m so curious. Sometimes I think Rose downplays her legacy in this town.
“Well, apparently around two decades ago, there were a lot of violent crimes. Your grandparents led the effort to put an end to it all.”
I make a mental note to ask Rose about that later, but the next few moments are silent. A gentle breeze blows between us as we stare out at the water. It’s a beautiful night. The bay is calm, the stars are twinkling brightly upon us, and the thin crescent moon rests peacefully in the sky.
I start to absentmindedly imagine the sand in front of me twirling, and it begins to follow my thoughts. It’s such a subtle movement that Alec doesn’t notice. If he did, he would just think it was the wind. A hint of a smile plays on my face as I create a stronger breeze and swirl more sand into the tiny cyclone. The more I practice, the easier my powers become. It’s intoxicating. As the wind grows more powerful, my creation grows into something that resembles a miniature tornado.
“Do you see that?” Alec squints and leans forward to get a closer look.
My heart jumps. I notice Alec react, and my heart races with panic. Charlotte’s words come back to me. The moment you begin to lose yourself in your magic, hold your necklace tightly. It will guide you back to calm. It’s your best tool to keep you from using your magic beyond your limits. I heed her warning and clutch my emerald in my palm. I close my eyes and will the wind to calm.
“That was strange,” Alec says a second later.
My eyes open to find nothing but a crater of sand where the mini tornado was swirling moments ago. “What’s that?”