Free Moon White: Color Me Enchanted with Bonus Content by Melody Carlson

off.
    Liz’s house is on the bluff that overlooks the ocean, and I’m guessing it’s worth at least a million. Of course, they’re just renting for now. “If we stay here, we’ll probably build,” she tells me after a quick tourof the impressive home. “My mom doesn’t like this kitchen anyway. Have you had dinner yet?”
    “Nope.”
    “Well, I could fix us something or we could go into town.”
    I shrug. “Whichever.”
    She gets a sly smile now. “I was thinking if we went into town, well, we might see someone . . . you know, like run into a couple of guys we both sort of like.”
    I nod. “Yeah, that could happen.”
    “If not, we could at least get something to eat.”
    “And if we didn’t care about watching the hometown team getting its clock cleaned, we could stop by the football game.”
    She grins. “Yep, that’s sort of what I was thinking too.”
    So we get into her car and head for town. We stop at Jack Hammer’s, the local burger dive, and order some dinner. Not really ready for beef just yet, I stick with the fish sandwich and fries.
    “It’s so good not being vegan anymore,” I admit as I take a big bite of my fish sandwich. “Eating out could be a real challenge around here.”
    “I’ll bet.” She nods as she picks up her burger. “And your energy should be coming back to you too.”
    “Yeah.” Of course, I’m also thinking of the energy potion in my shoe bag. “It should.”
    “And before long you’ll probably be dancing the shoes right off me.”
    I force a laugh. “Oh, I doubt that.”
    “No really, you’re good, Heather.” She looks serious now. “But I think your stamina was definitely lagging.”
    “I know. I’m glad that Naomi gave me a piece of her mind.”
    “And she doesn’t do that too often, either.”
    “Not even with your mom?” I ask. “I mean, since they’re such good friends?”
    “They talk, but I can tell that Naomi keeps a lot of opinions to herself. I guess that’s for the best.”
    “Yeah.”
    “I’m surprised at how much I’m starting to like it here in Westport,” she says. “I wish we’d come here under different circumstances. Did you see the letters to the editor today?”
    I shake my head as I sip my drink.
    “Well, let’s just say I’m glad my parents were already on their way to the airport when the paper came. It was pretty sad.”
    “That’s too bad.”
    “Yeah, I hate it when debates gets all heated and emotional. People can say and do some pretty mean things. My dad is having this big meeting with the chamber next week, but I’ll bet there will be protesters. It’ll probably turn into a local media circus.”
    I just shrug. “Not much you can do about that.”
    “No. I just wish it would hurry and get over with.”
    I want to ask her which way she wishes it would go, but I have a feeling she’s still uncertain. And I suppose, since I’m starting to appreciate her friendship, well, maybe I don’t really want to know if she’s supporting the development. Maybe ignorance really is bliss in certain situations.
    We see a few kids from school at Jack Hammer’s, but not the ones we’d hoped to “run into.” So we head on over to the game. The score already looks dismal and it’s only the second quarter.
    “There they are,” says Liz in a quiet voice, nodding down toward the front of the student section.
    I reach into my purse and give the little white bag a squeeze, then actually slip it out and into my coat pocket. What can it hurt? I’mcareful to keep my thoughts focused on Hudson, though. No way do I want this to backfire and attract the wrong guy. I suppose I feel just a little bit silly. But I shove those doubts away. I know they only invite bad energy. Instead, I smile and think about how cool it will be when Hudson realizes that he’s madly in love with me!
    “Let’s sit up here,” says Liz, pointing to an empty bleacher.
    “So far away from them?”
    She nods and sits. “Yes, make them come to