Free A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison

still thinking about magic.
    “Do you believe in true love? The ever-after kind?”
    Both the question and his tone of voice startled me. It wasn’t like Jon to sound so melancholy. Probably, he was still worried about me. “I don’t know. For some people, maybe. Like you and Andy. You two will be together forever. But not everyone’s that lucky, you know?”
    “Yeah, I guess.” I thought I saw sadness flicker over his face, but then he grinned and I was sure I’d imagined it. “You want to walk out together? I can wait,” he said.
    “I don’t want to hold you up. I’m not sure how long I’ll be. Andy’s probably wondering where you are by now, so go home.”
    He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something else. After a moment, he said, “I’ll see you in the morning, then. Don’t stay too late.”
    When the bells jangled at the entry, signaling his departure, I grabbed my list out of my pocket and ran to the kitchen. But then I stopped. I thought about the question Jon had just asked me, and I recalled the sadness I’d seen in his eyes. Had I mistaken the reason he’d asked about love? Could he and Andy be having problems?
    But, no. They were the happiest couple I knew. I set my worry aside. But I also promised myself I’d pay closer attention to Jon. Just in case.
    Spreading the list on the counter, I tried to decide what I wanted the most. Okay, strike that. I already knew the answer to that question, but what I really needed to do first was test out the magic, see how it worked and figure out the rules. Which meant it would be smart to start with the easy stuff. I had to be somewhat responsible, after all.
    I flipped on some music, grabbed my apron, poured myself a glass of wine, and washed my hands. I’d baked all day and had to concentrate to keep my mind empty so that I didn’t accidentally cast a spell. I’d spent the time repeating the recipes over and over as I measured and mixed, because I didn’t want any other accidents until I’d practiced it a little.
    Tonight was a different story. This baking was personal, and I was going to test my limits—find out exactly what I could and couldn’t do. In baby steps, of course. It would be rash and ill-fated to jump in with both feet otherwise. Right?
    Yeah, that’s what I thought. So, while plenty of ideas swarmed through my brain, I forced myself to let them float away for now. Payback could wait a bit longer. Unfortunately, so could crazy sex. Instead, I was going to use the magic for something simple and small, but something good.
    Maddie would never know what hit her. If it worked.
    I focused on exactly what I wanted to accomplish in Maddie’s chocolate chip cookies, going light on the magic. I thought about the outcome I wanted, just as Grandma had instructed me to do, and I worded my wish accordingly.
    When I finished with her recipe, I moved on to brownies for me. This recipe was almost more important, because while I’d been cautious in what I’d wished for Maddie, I could be far freer with myself. Scary.
    I thought about the wish I wanted to make. How I wanted my life to be different and exciting. How I wanted to go out and do things and not be stuck at home all the time. Decision made, I measured out the ingredients and dumped them into a bowl. When I was ready, I closed my eyes, and said, “My wish is to have men find me alluring and interesting and to ask me out on dates, so I can see what I’ve been missing. Oh. Not just any men, but sexy, handsome men.”
    The energy began at my toes, moving through my body, and swirling around me as I stirred the brownie batter. I repeated the wish a second time—just to be sure—and then I poured the batter into a pan. After sliding the pan into the oven, I paced the kitchen, not able to settle down. I wanted the wish to work. I wanted it more than I’d wanted anything in a very long time.
    When the brownies were finally done, I hovered over them as if they would jump out of the pan and