Glimmers of Glass (A Glimmers Novel #1: Cinderella)

Chapter 13

I sat on one of the couches with my muscles poised to spring. I felt like a cat. An antsy, paranoid, ready-to-snap-at-any-second cat.

Rain sprinkled down onto the glass, tiny drops that were barely more than heavy mist outside. They sprinkled the backward Pumpkin Spice logo on the window. I flinched as a dark-haired guy walked past, but it wasn't Tyler.

My phone buzzed on the table. I looked down.

Lucas: Good news! I talked my way into US History. You're in that one, right?

It was a sign of my nerves that I wasn't excited about the text. I picked up the phone, then set it back down.

"Here you go," Elle said, making me jump. She handed me a coffee and a small muffin wrapped in a crinkled paper cup. "You okay?"

"I'm good," I said, too quickly. "Sorry. Was just thinking."

"About anything interesting?"

"No," I said. "Definitely not."

Elle didn't believe me but smiled. "Is Imogen with you? Sorry I can't make the movie tonight. I promised Kyle I'd go to his grandma's birthday party."

I remembered, just in time, that Imogen had said she'd try to get Elle to a movie with us that evening. "The more bonding the better!" Imogen had said, though I knew part of it was just her excitement at being part of an actual professional godmothering case. Imogen could get jealous sometimes, but she'd turned her envy into motivation to help instead of motivation to sulk around and complain, which just went to show that we were growing up.

Or maybe she was growing up. I seemed to be spending a lot of time sulking and complaining at having the case at all.

"That's okay," I said. "Grandmas are a big deal."

"Especially Kyle's," she said. "She thinks she's a psychic. Purple scarves and tarot cards and everything. She keeps telling me I can make business here better by 'charming the coffee' like my 'mother used to do.'" She rolled her eyes. I forced a laugh. "At least she remembers what we were like before," she said. "Anyway, I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Sure thing," I said. "Hey, I'm meeting a friend here in a few minutes. Would you bring a shortbread cappuccino over when he gets here?"

"You got it," she said. She walked back to the counter, and I went back to watching the windows.

After what felt like an hour, his figure appeared through the streaked glass. I recognized his profile from under his dark blue hoodie. I tapped my wand's handle, activating the glamour I'd set up earlier. It settled around my face. It would wear off as soon as I threw the love spell on him and another glamour on Elle—I wasn't about to try to keep all three spells going at once. It was a lot of magic in a short amount of time and I had to time it just right.

The bell on the door jangled, its bright sound cutting a sharp line between the gray day outside and the warm brown nest of Pumpkin Spice. Tyler stepped in, pulled his hood down, and looked around for me. I could see him taking in the room. He saw me and sauntered across the room to my brown couch.

He sat down on the brown sofa next to me, not too close but close enough that I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. "Am I late?" he said.

"Nope," I said, though it felt like it. "Right on time. I ordered for you. I hope you don't mind." I batted my lashes at him. It was a corny move, but it always worked for Imogen, and he didn't seem put off by it.

"Not at all," he said. "You seem like you'd have pretty good taste."

I smiled at him, then realized we had literally nothing else to talk about. Small talk wasn't my thing. It was just one more important godmothering skill the faeries had forgotten to give out at my christening. I sipped on my coffee, trying to buy time, and said, "So. Basketball. How long have you been playing?"