you two to make me gorgeous, make me stand out.”
“This is about Eric, isn’t it?” I ask.
Paige looks up. “See, it’s even obvious to you, and I’ve known you less than a week. Why are men so oblivious?”
“Part of their inferior brain function,” Toni responds in a sage, matter-of-fact way.
“Well, I’m tired of waiting for him to notice, damn it. Either he notices me tonight or I’m through.”
“Try flirting with someone else,” Toni suggests.
“You know me, I don’t flirt. No, instead I pined away for Eric since sixth grade.”
I sit beside Paige. “You’ve liked him that long?”
“Pathetic, isn’t it?”
“On his part for not noticing.”
Paige turns her head to look at me. “I have to admit, when I first saw you and how Eric looked at you, I was prepared to hate you. But I can’t. You’re too likeable.”
I smile. “Thanks. I think that’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”
“Okay, so we have our mission,” Toni says with a clap of her hands. “Operation Make Paige Irresistible.”
We spend the next half-hour choosing clothes, applying makeup, selecting jewelry and transforming Paige’s deep russet hair with generous amounts of styling products. By the time we finish, Paige is a smokin’ vision in a white, off-the-shoulder blouse, jeans that hug her shape in all the right places and giant silver hoops dangling from her earlobes.
“Holy tamales, you’re hot,” Toni says.
“Really?” Paige is looking in the mirror as if she isn’t sure it’s her staring back.
“I second the hotness,” I say, absolutely loving this gal-pal time. “And if Eric doesn’t notice, I will personally toss him off the nearest mountaintop for you.”
Paige spins and hugs us both at the same time. “You guys are awesome.” When she pulls back, she eyes Toni. “I just wish you had a date.”
“She might if she tried.”
We all turn at the sound of Mrs. Dawes’s voice.
“Don’t start, Mom.”
“But, honey, you’re a beautiful girl if you’d just let yourself be. I mean, wear something feminine, make yourself attractive like Jax here.”
Something snaps inside me. Mrs. Dawes’s tone is too much like my Aunt Silda’s. “Don’t do that.”
Mrs. Dawes turns a surprised expression toward me and my tone. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t compare Toni to me. She’s beautiful just the way she is.” Sometimes being what others consider flawlessly beautiful is a type of curse, but it comes with being a post-Salem witch. With great power came great beauty, for all the witch families who have survived into the present.
“It’s okay, Jax,” Toni says, resigned. “I’m used to it.”
Mrs. Dawes doesn’t say anything else, but her look says she and Toni will be continuing this discussion later. “Well, I’ll leave you girls alone. Have a good time tonight, but don’t be out too late.”
“We won’t,” Paige says in a small voice, a little more scared of Mrs. Dawes than either Toni or I.
When her mom reaches the bottom of the stairs, Toni turns and slowly walks toward the window.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
Toni shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first person Mom’s compared me to and found me lacking.”
“But that’s not fair.” Paige sinks onto the end of the bed.
“Hey, life’s not fair,” Toni replies. “It’s not fair my dad died and made Mom overprotective. It’s not fair she can’t accept me for who I am. But, hey, I’m pretty lucky all things considered.”
She doesn’t sound like she feels lucky, and I can’t blame her. I know something about family expectations and not living up to them.
“Does she think being in a band is a bad influence or something?” I ask.
Toni turns toward me. “You could say that. You see, Jane Austen didn’t have pink streaks in her hair and didn’t play drums. And I’m supposed to be the next Jane Austen or Willa Cather or somebody literary and famous. You know what Toni is
“This is about Eric, isn’t it?” I ask.
Paige looks up. “See, it’s even obvious to you, and I’ve known you less than a week. Why are men so oblivious?”
“Part of their inferior brain function,” Toni responds in a sage, matter-of-fact way.
“Well, I’m tired of waiting for him to notice, damn it. Either he notices me tonight or I’m through.”
“Try flirting with someone else,” Toni suggests.
“You know me, I don’t flirt. No, instead I pined away for Eric since sixth grade.”
I sit beside Paige. “You’ve liked him that long?”
“Pathetic, isn’t it?”
“On his part for not noticing.”
Paige turns her head to look at me. “I have to admit, when I first saw you and how Eric looked at you, I was prepared to hate you. But I can’t. You’re too likeable.”
I smile. “Thanks. I think that’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”
“Okay, so we have our mission,” Toni says with a clap of her hands. “Operation Make Paige Irresistible.”
We spend the next half-hour choosing clothes, applying makeup, selecting jewelry and transforming Paige’s deep russet hair with generous amounts of styling products. By the time we finish, Paige is a smokin’ vision in a white, off-the-shoulder blouse, jeans that hug her shape in all the right places and giant silver hoops dangling from her earlobes.
“Holy tamales, you’re hot,” Toni says.
“Really?” Paige is looking in the mirror as if she isn’t sure it’s her staring back.
“I second the hotness,” I say, absolutely loving this gal-pal time. “And if Eric doesn’t notice, I will personally toss him off the nearest mountaintop for you.”
Paige spins and hugs us both at the same time. “You guys are awesome.” When she pulls back, she eyes Toni. “I just wish you had a date.”
“She might if she tried.”
We all turn at the sound of Mrs. Dawes’s voice.
“Don’t start, Mom.”
“But, honey, you’re a beautiful girl if you’d just let yourself be. I mean, wear something feminine, make yourself attractive like Jax here.”
Something snaps inside me. Mrs. Dawes’s tone is too much like my Aunt Silda’s. “Don’t do that.”
Mrs. Dawes turns a surprised expression toward me and my tone. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t compare Toni to me. She’s beautiful just the way she is.” Sometimes being what others consider flawlessly beautiful is a type of curse, but it comes with being a post-Salem witch. With great power came great beauty, for all the witch families who have survived into the present.
“It’s okay, Jax,” Toni says, resigned. “I’m used to it.”
Mrs. Dawes doesn’t say anything else, but her look says she and Toni will be continuing this discussion later. “Well, I’ll leave you girls alone. Have a good time tonight, but don’t be out too late.”
“We won’t,” Paige says in a small voice, a little more scared of Mrs. Dawes than either Toni or I.
When her mom reaches the bottom of the stairs, Toni turns and slowly walks toward the window.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
Toni shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first person Mom’s compared me to and found me lacking.”
“But that’s not fair.” Paige sinks onto the end of the bed.
“Hey, life’s not fair,” Toni replies. “It’s not fair my dad died and made Mom overprotective. It’s not fair she can’t accept me for who I am. But, hey, I’m pretty lucky all things considered.”
She doesn’t sound like she feels lucky, and I can’t blame her. I know something about family expectations and not living up to them.
“Does she think being in a band is a bad influence or something?” I ask.
Toni turns toward me. “You could say that. You see, Jane Austen didn’t have pink streaks in her hair and didn’t play drums. And I’m supposed to be the next Jane Austen or Willa Cather or somebody literary and famous. You know what Toni is
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