Twisted Magic (Book 2 of the Ink Series)

Lovely

I carried the iced coffee I bought out to the outdoor veranda of the Shore café. It was night. The smooth fingers of the wind swirled around me. I stared at the water in the distance. Watching the waves strike the shore.

There was a certain calmness about the night, I could feel it on my skin. I was sure Hutch would insist it was my body becoming in tune with nature.

I brought my coffee to my lips staring over the brim at the sparkling stars, and the lonely seagulls flitting overhead.

I sat my cup on the table catching sight of Hutch approaching the boardwalk, his hands inside the dark hooded sweatshirt he wore. He smirked when I stood up to greet him.

"About time," I said sitting back down. "I was beginning to think you stood me up."

Hutch raked a hand through his messy hair. "I fell asleep."

I frowned. "Is it too late for you to be out?"

He shook his head. "No, don't think that. It's always good to have a nap, doll." He snagged my coffee taking a sip. "How'd your night pan out?"

I wasn't sure if this annoyed me or turned me on that he was so...intrusive. I reminded myself we swapped a great deal of spit and that sharing a beverage wasn't a big deal.

"Did you want a coffee? The café is still open for another fifteen minutes." I offered, jerking my head toward the door.

Hutch shook his head. "Nope. Why don't we take a walk down the boardwalk? We can take a stroll around the annual festival."

This was the first time I heard of it. "I didn't know there was a festival. I love festivals." I smiled.

Hutch wrapped an arm around me. We weaved past the people walking the opposite direction of us on the boardwalk. "Maybe I can win you one of those silly stuffed animals."

I nodded. I was a cheese ball. What could I say? And I was sure if I seen a festival when I first moved to Cherry, I might have felt a little happier about moving to such a place. Festivals reminded me of home, of fun, of all the good parts of being a kid back in Georgia.

"Have you taken a moment to look at the book," Hutch asked.

The more we walked the closer we got to the blinking lights and cheesy music.

"Not really, I plan on it though."

"You will be surprised the things she was capable of. It's very enlightening." Hutch pulled me closer. He was my bodyguard among the chaos of Cherry's festivities. The closer we were the hotter it was. And I wasn't the only one who it was bothering, Hutch drug his sweatshirt over his head, revealing a light-blue t-shirt underneath. He shot me a smile, and we hurried through to the first game we could find. He was willing to play, and I was ready to cheer him on.

The first game was the classic; knock the milk jugs over variety. Hutch fingered the baseball; he tipped his head in my direction. "When I knock these over what prize do you want?"

I laughed. "Oh you're cocky, don't be so certain you even will. They glue those things together I heard." I crossed my arms and backed up, so he was free to fail.

He bit down on his bottom lip studying the stacked bottles. He pulled back and let go releasing the ball. The ball sailed through the air knocking every bottle over.

I clapped my hands, cheering for Hutch. The man running the game shuffled forward taking the remaining balls back from hutch. He tossed a thumb over his shoulder staring me down. I pointed at the giant brown bear, clapping my hands with glee that I was now the rightful owner of one.