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me and a gin drink for Finn.
    Finn winked at me and I giggled. I had on a cream-colored asymmetrical dress. The bodice was dotted with little bits of sparkle and accented with a short pleated taupe skirt. Finn always loved my legs, and I looked for clothes that would give him a little eye candy too. He looked sexy in everything he wore, so it was the least I could do.
    “Ok, spill, babe. How do we Time Spell ?” The waiter had just dropped off our drinks, and Finn downed a few sips of his.
    “What? Now? We’ve had all day to talk about it, and you never mentioned it.” I picked up my mojito, tasted the light sugar rim with my tongue, and sipped the minty drink. Talking hadn’t been on the day’s agenda. “I thought maybe you had let it go.”
    “Why not now?” He shrugged. “Tell me. What do I do?” He leaned forward with both arms on the table.
    I hesitated, but those damn sparkly blue eyes lured me in every time. I couldn’t turn Finn down. “Can you do a Fade Spell ?”
    “Me? Fade? Absolutely. Put a check in that box.”
    He finished off the drink and motioned to the waiter to bring another one to our table. I could tell he was feeling confident.
    “Um, ok. Well, you need something that links you to the past.” I spun my sapphire ring on my right hand and held it up to him. “This is what my grandmother gave me. This is what allows me to open and close the seam.”
    He eyed it. It wasn’t the first time Finn had seen the ring. Several times, I had caught him studying the stone on my finger. “Can’t I just use yours?”
    “No, Finn. You could use it, but really, you need to find something of your own that has meaning. I can’t Time Spell without this.” My witchy tingle slightly vibrated in the back of my mind.
    “Ivy, if it’s something that belongs to you, it does have meaning to me. Let me try with the ring.” He winked.
    I countered his unwavering persistence. “Why don’t we practice this back in Sullen’s Grove? We can find something you can work with and take our time. Ok?”
    “No.” His voice was surprisingly crisp. “Babe, how hard can it be? I need something old, open a door, fade, walk through, got it. No problem.” He had worked halfway through the next drink.
    Our waiter arrived with two steaming plates and ceremoniously bestowed them on us. The minute servings were adorned with strategically placed garnishments. There was no way these gourmet meals would fill us up. I was surprised by the presentation of a chilled bottle of champagne and two fluted glasses.
    Finn winked at me again. “We’re celebrating tonight.” The air around him felt recklessly playful.
    Now it was my turn. I put my hand on his wrist. “Babe, don’t you think you should slow down?” I hadn’t even finished my first drink, and Finn was on number three.
    He ignored me and held out his glass for the waiter to refill.
    “Ok, so after you walk through the seam, what happens next?” He cut a bite of steak on his plate.
    “I just start looking around for something or someone.” I eyed him suspiciously.
    “That’s it? You aimlessly walk around?” He laughed.
    My feelings were hurt. “No, it’s not that simple. You’re making it sound like it’s not a big deal. It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility to travel to the past.” I had lowered my voice and leaned in closer to him. “Finn, this is really serious. You can’t travel if you don’t respect the rules I have in place. There is no talking, no touching, no interfering, never use the Radiance Spell until you are back on this side of time. You have to stay faded the entire time.” I had my knife tightly gripped in my hand, and realized my jaw was clenched. “Sorry, I’m sorry.”
    He put his hand on mine and I took a deep breath. “We don’t have to do this. I just wanted to share one more piece of you. If you don’t want me to Time Spell , let’s just forget this whole conversation. I don’t need to know. I have all I need of