Like Isaac had felt my powers even before I’d known I had any—and how I’d always been able to taste his, even before I’d known what it meant.
“That’s why you shook his hand,” I said.
He shut the tailgate. “It’s the quickest way to know if someone’s like us.”
“So you don’t trust him either.”
“For totally different reasons than you.” He put his arms around my waist. “But I guessed what you were thinking: Natalie disappeared and magic doesn’t reveal anything about her whereabouts, so maybe someone with powers took her. Caden’s this guy you don’t know much about. On the surface, it’s easy to accuse him of foul play.”
That just about summed it up. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“Josh had seen Dan and Caden together last year, before Dan left for college.” Isaac gave me a reassuring squeeze. “But since he gives you the creeps—he does give you the creeps, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then we’ll keep an eye on him.” Isaac brushed my lips with his. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 11
Saturday, Kaylee and I drove to Peabody to look for dresses. Two hours and three stores later, we’d finally found several real candidates. I stood in the three-way mirror, trying to decide if dark green was my color.
“Isaac really thinks Natalie ran away from home?” Kaylee asked from her changing room.
“His parents do too. She can be a bit impulsive, jumping into things without thinking them through.”
“I guess.” Kaylee stepped in front of the large mirrors and modeled a shimmering sand-colored strapless dress that hugged her curves as if it had been custom made for her. “But if I was going to disappear, I’d at least tell you.”
“You’d better. What do you think?” I twirled in a circle, causing the smooth satin of the slip-style dress I wore to fan out like a trumpet.
“I like the low scoop back on you,” Kaylee commented.
I moved my hair to the side, revealing bare skin all the way down to my waist. “I don’t know. I want to wow Isaac.”
“If that doesn’t have his eyes glued to you all night, nothing will.” She ran her fingers over her hips. “Do you like?”
“Josh won’t be able to keep his hands off you.”
She smirked. “That works for me.”
I ducked back into the dressing room to try on the next dress. “You know, guys get off so easy.”
“How’s that?” Kaylee asked. From how muffled her voice was, I could tell she was changing too.
“They can wear the same suit as last year.”
I let the green dress fall to the floor and slipped into a corset-style crimson one. A matching ribbon crisscrossed in the back, leaving just enough skin to be elegantly sexy. The soft silk traveled over my waist, down my hips, and to the middle of my thighs before flaring out. “I’m going to need your help with this one.”
Kaylee exited her dressing room, wearing a cute black number. Her lips puckered when she saw me.
With one hand keeping the dress from sliding down, I looked at my stomach. “What? Does it make me look fat?”
“No. I wish I had found it.”
I scoffed and turned my back to her. “Tie me up, will you?” I held the side of the mirror as she pulled the ribbons, securing the fabric in place. “That one’s cute,” I said, pointing with my chin to her reflection in the mirror. The dress had a gold strap that went over one shoulder and around her ribcage just under her boobs. “Josh will love you in either dress.”
She stepped back, letting me know she’d finished helping me. She held her hair at the back of her head as she twisted to admire her reflection. “I’m not sure which I like better.”
“I don’t know what the other one looked like, but the jaw of every guy in the room will drop with that one,” a deep voice said from behind.
Kaylee and I spun to find Reed watching us. He smiled awkwardly. “Hi.”
“Ah, hi,” I stammered.
Kaylee nudged me with her elbow.
“Oh! Sorry. This is my best friend, Kaylee. Kaylee, this is Reed. He applied for the job with my dad.”
“The one Caden got?” Kaylee whispered.
“Yep,” I replied out the side of my mouth.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I needed new boots for work.” He held up a shopping bag. “The two of you are hard to miss. Your dates are lucky men.”
“Thanks.” Kaylee took one last look at herself in the mirror before exclaiming, “I’m getting this one.” She dashed back into the fitting room.
“Wait!” But it was too late. I could hear her unzipping her dress to take it off. “I can’t get out of mine without help,” I muttered. I turned to face Reed. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt.
“I got the job,” he said.
“That’s great.” Dad must have decided two assistants were better than one. “When do you start?”
“Monday. I think we’ll be gutting the doctor’s office.” He slipped a hand into the pocket of his flannel jacket.
“Dad told me you know how to make custom cabinets.”
“I’m good with wood. I think that helped tip the scales in my favor during the interview.”
Yep, I was sure of that because my dad wouldn’t hire someone for his flawless skin and piercingly good looks. Jarring my appraisal of his features was a steady crinkle sound coming from his pocket. My gaze dropped to where his hand had disappeared.
“Would you like one?” Reed asked, pulling two pieces of candy out of his pocket. They looked like the same chocolates Dad had bought.
“Oh. No, thanks.” But even as the words left my mouth, my hand twitched, ready to take the tiny treat from him.
Reed held his hand a little higher. “I got them from your house.”
My stomach let out a faint rumble that I hoped he didn’t hear. “Sure, thanks.”
Afraid the chocolate would melt and I’d get brown fingerprints all over the dress, I stuck the entire thing in my mouth. It was as good as I remembered.
“School dance?” Reed asked with a glance at my dress.
I nodded. The simple movement had my brain swimming in my skull, reminding me it had been hours since I’d eaten. I rested a hip against one of the tan chairs to steady myself and looked at the dressing rooms, wondering how long it would take to change into jeans and a sweater.
“You know, I could assist you,” Reed offered.
I felt the heat of embarrassment rise to my cheeks. “I’m sure she’ll only be a minute,” I said louder than I needed to, hoping Kaylee would remember she’d helped me into the dress. “I don’t want to hold you up.”
“You’re not.” With a jerk of his head, he flicked his long blond bangs out of his almond-shaped eyes. They looked familiar, but I was sure I hadn’t met him before the day of the interview. “I’m heading to grab something to eat. Would you and your friend like to join me?”
No way was I going to accidentally lead another guy on. I tucked my hair behind my ear, preparing to politely let him know we weren’t available. “We can’t. We’re meeting our boyfriends after we’re done here.”
I looked back over my shoulder. Still no Kaylee.
Reed set his bag down. “Let me help you.”
“Really, it’s okay. I’m sure Kaylee”—my volume rose when I said her name—“is just about finished.”
He motioned with his finger for me to turn around.
