White Witch by Trish Milburn Read Free Book Online Page B

step outside, I look for Toni, Eric and Paige but only find Keller sitting at the table, looking as if he’s been waiting for me. My heart rate triples, and my nerves go all jittery. It’s not magic this time, at least not the bad kind. Without my realizing it, my brain signals my feet to propel me forward.
    “Where’d everyone go?” I ask as I near the table.
    “Eric had to go to work down at the Amoco station, and Toni’s mom picked up her and Paige.”
    “Oh.”
    “You okay?”
    “Yeah, fine.” I shrug. “Embarrassed. Made quite the impression on my first day. God, that even sounds strange. It seems like this day has been a week long.”
    Keller licks his lips as if he’s marshaling his courage. “You’re probably wishing you were back at your old school, huh?”
    I look into his dark eyes, trying to gauge if he’s fishing for information, if he has any clue what really happened with that gust of wind. If he suspects, he’s very good at hiding it.
    “My mom home schooled me, so no. Today had its drama, but I  . . . I like it here.” And I like him way more than is safe or sane for either of us.
    “Would you like a lift back to your car?”
    I hesitate for a moment then nod. “Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
    I feel him watching me as I dump the contents of my tray into the garbage can. I certainly hope it’s because he likes me and not because he’s trying to figure out what his Spidey sense is telling him is wrong about me.
    Please don’t think too hard, Keller, please.
    I swing my leather tote onto my shoulder and follow as he leads the way to his Tundra.
    “Nice truck,” I say for lack of anything more interesting. Guys like compliments on their vehicles, right?
    “Thanks. Go ahead and get in. I’ll be right back.”
    I slide into the passenger seat then watch in the side mirror as he runs inside. A minute or so passes before he comes out with a cup. When he gets into the truck, he extends the cup to me.
    “What’s this?”
    “Chocolate milkshake. They’re better when you drink them.”
    I let go of whatever reserve I’ve been hiding behind and laugh. It feels like I’ve opened a release valve after the stress of the last few minutes. For now at least, he’s good for my state of mind. I offer a smile before taking a sip of the shake.
    He smiles back, and I know deep in my bones that no matter how crazy and irrational it seems, I feel like I’m already halfway to falling in love with him. How is it possible that I feel safer with him than I ever did with my own family? His protector vibe should frighten me because I’m the thing he protects others from, but it curls its arms around me in an unexpected embrace. For a moment, I relax and let myself experience what it might be like to be carefree, to not have to carry worry around like a lead weight in my stomach.
    Before I do something insane like declare my undying love for someone I met eight hours ago, I take another long drink of the shake.
    Keller starts the truck and heads for the school parking lot. “So, what does your mom do?”
    “She’s an art dealer,” I say, pulling from the fake background I’ve created for myself. “Works with artists to get their work into galleries and shops across the country.”
    “Sounds interesting.”
    “Yeah. She travels a lot.”
    “That sounds even better.” Something about how he says it, how he looks like he’s staring far beyond Baker Gap, gives me the oddest sense that he feels . . . trapped. Like I had within the coven’s compound.
    I catch myself before I reach out to touch his arm, to offer what, I don’t know. Comfort? Understanding? I shift my gaze away from him, pretending I hadn’t detected that unexpected sense of longing. What would a normal girl say now?
    “What about your parents?”
    “Mom’s  . . . she’s gone.”
    I hate the hurt I hear in his voice because I understand what it’s like to lose a parent. “I’m sorry. My, my father’s gone,