Read Online The Curse Keepers Collection by Denise Grover Swank - Free Book Online Page B

disappointed when she realized that Collin wasn’t here for the reason she thought. Not that she’d ever know the real reason.
    She ambled over to him, heading Lila off at the pass, not that Collin didn’t give Lila an appreciative glance. But then who could blame him? While I had more of a girl-next-door look, Lila had long, thick dark hair, gorgeous dark eyes and skin, and a chest that drew attention from most bodies to walk in carrying a Y chromosome in their DNA strands.
    “You want your table from yesterday?” Marlena asked, looking like a kid on Christmas. Marlena had been married for ten years and had three kids. She’d told me once that she had to get her romantic thrills living vicariously through me. Marlena wasn’t about to let this guy get away.
    “Actually, I was looking for Ellie. Is she still working?”
    Marlena turned in my direction, her eyebrows rising. Her mouth stretched into a conspiratorial grin. I couldn’t help but laugh.
    “As a matter of fact she is, but she’s got another twenty minutes before her shift ends. How about I seat you at a table in her section? I’ll send her over to take your order.”
    She led him to a table for two by the windows overlooking the street filled with tourists. With the discovery of the colony, Manteo was about to be overrun with curiosity seekers. When I thought about all those people hanging around with scary spirits breaking free, a chill ran up my spine.
    My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check who was calling. Myra. She’d tried to call me while I watched the news reports that morning, and she hadn’t answered when I’d called her back. I stepped into the back room, watching Collin from around the corner.
    “I’ve only got a second,” she said. “Did you hear the news?”
    “Yeah, the town’s going crazy about it.”
    I heard someone call Myra’s name in the background. “How are you doing with all of this?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
    I watched Colin leaning his forearms on the table, scanning the room. Part of me wanted to tell her about Collin and what had happened the day before, but she’d worry about me. Myra had enough to worry about. “Of course, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
    “Well . . . the curse . . . ” The person calling her name was more insistent. “I have to go, Ellie.” I heard the hesitation in her voice.
    “I’m fine. Go do what you need to do. If we’re busy in town, I can only imagine how crazy it is there. We can talk later.”
    “If you need anything, you call me, okay?”
    “Thanks, Myra.”
    I wondered if Daddy had heard the news or if he was coherent enough to understand. I wished I’d taken more advantage of his lucid day. I’d completely blown it.
    After returning my cell phone to my pocket, I held out my right palm and gasped. While the pink of the burn mark was fading, the harsh lines of a square surrounding a circle seemed to be darkening. I didn’t remember anything about what the mark was or what it meant from the stories. Why hadn’t I asked Daddy yesterday? Why had I been so stubborn in my disbelief? When I thought about how real this all was, my stomach flip-flopped from nerves. How was Ellie Lancaster, waitress and maid from Manteo, North Carolina, going to save the world?
    Unfortunately, the answer was sitting at a table in the New Moon, staring right at me.
    A slow smile spread across his face, and my stomach performed more acrobatics that had nothing to do with the curse, and everything to do with the hormones rushing through my body. I needed to get a grip and stop acting like a teenage girl with a crush. I needed to save the world, not find a boyfriend.
    Although a boyfriend would be a nice side benefit.
    As I walked toward him, I reminded myself that Collin was not boyfriend material. It didn’t take a genius to see that Collin Dailey was a “love ’em and leave ’em” kind of guy. He was a guy used to getting his way with the charm he