Read Online A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison - Free Book Online Page B

stay alive.”
    “You’re not dying.” I loved my grandmother. I didn’t want to think about her being gone.
    “Right now? No. But someday.”
    “There’s always Alice,” I pointed out, changing the topic.
    “You needed it more. She’s doing just fine right now.”
    Exasperated, I asked, “What if I don’t want magic?”
    “Why wouldn’t you want it? It’s a gift. Think of how you could change your life!”
    And that was the problem. I couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs . “I didn’t say that. But if I don’t, what happens?”
    Grandma’s expression relaxed. “That’s simple. You can either pass it to Alice or back to me.” She snorted. “Or you can try your mother, for all the good that will do.”
    I grinned. Mom was Mom. I loved her the way she was.
    “What do you want?” Grandma asked.
    “I’m not sure.” Maybe I was crazy, because I wasn’t sure I wanted this gift. While I knew my grandmother meant well, it sort of seemed like cheating to me. Not to mention the supposed possible hazards.
    But then I looked around my living room at the remnants of a half-lived life. Memories of Marc’s betrayal came next, along with the pain of the past year. Then Nate’s sexy face popped into my head, along with images of Maddie and her new boyfriend, Jon and Andy, and even Vinny and Grandma. I thought of all the dates I’d never gone on, all the men I didn’t know, and all the possibilities I’d let pass me by.
    All because I’d married a man who was now married to someone else.
    “What do you want?” Grandma asked again, a glint of hope in her gaze.
    I wanted to make her happy. But my decision couldn’t be based on that. It had to center on me. On what I wanted.
    I closed my eyes. All that stuff floated right there in front of me, so close I could touch it. Did I want the next year to be more of the same?
    No, I didn’t. It couldn’t be.
    There was only one thing I could do. Only one thing I wanted to do. Like I’d said earlier, it was time to live again, to have some fun again, and hey, if the process took a bit of gypsy magic to get me going, why not? After all, it was mine to use.
    “I’m going to keep it, Grandma.” The decision made, I opened my eyes and smiled at her. All the anxiety dissipated, replaced with pure anticipation for the future.
    I, Lizzie Stevens, was about to learn exactly what I was capable of.
    “So long, Miss Mouse,” I whispered.

Chapter Five
    I looked at the list I’d written and focused on number one. While another dose of retribution at first sounded appealing, it probably wasn’t the most practical way to begin. Think about it. I didn’t yet know enough about how the magic worked. Anything I did to Marc needed to be done correctly, and I couldn’t get my mind off some of the things my grandmother had shared with me. Possible repercussions and all that.
    In all honesty, it was a fairly pitiful list I made. You’d think creating magical goals would be easy, but it wasn’t. For one, the fact that whoever I enchanted would need to eat whatever I baked—well, that limited what I could realistically accomplish. For two, the whole concept, while exciting, was more than a little panic-inducing.
    Before I could give it any further thought, the office door opened. I tucked the paper away and smiled at Jon.
    “I’m out of here, Lizzie. Are you all set for the day?” he asked, his tired gaze taking in the note pad on my desk, the stacked files, and the order on my computer screen.
    “Almost, but I’ll be in early tomorrow to finish up the samples for the wedding show.” Each year we participated in several wedding expos throughout Chicago. This weekend was the largest of them all, and in order to have enough samples ready, Jon and I had been on a baking blitz. Tiring, but fun, too. Plus, we needed the new business.
    “I’ll meet you here at six, then.” He turned to exit but stopped and faced me again. “Lizzie?”
    “Yeah?” I asked absently,