Seth wants to take me out for pizza tomorrow night, and he gets my number to text me details before I return to my table with Sammy and Elise. I sit down. "We have to leave."

"Why?" asks Sammy. "From here, it looked your conversation went well."

"It did," I say with a proud smile. "Guess who has a date with Seth." I lean in close, and my friends do the same. "But I'm going to screw this up if I sit here and try not to look at him. Because I'll either stare at him like a stalker or —"

"We could switch seats," offers Sammy.

"No, he'll think I don't want to look at him. Or that I'm—"

Elise cuts me off instead of trying to sort out a solution. "Got it. Let's go."

I breathe a sigh of relief that she gets me and ask a waitress near us for our check.

"Where are you going on your date?" asks Sammy.

"Out for pizza." I frown, but I don't need to worry, because Sammy answers my next question before I can ask it.

"Jeans and your green blouse that crisscrosses at the waist."

Elise nods in agreement as our waitress thumps the check folder down on our table. "And go hungry. Werebear like a woman who eats."

I chuckle as I pull bills out of my wallet, because I'm not one to miss a meal. "That, I can do."

As we begin to walk out of the café, Sammy whispers in my ear, "Glance at him and wave casually."

Seth is on my left, and my friends are on my right, so I turn to look at him, and as I lift my hand to wave, I slam into a table. Sharp pain radiates through my hip as silverware crashes to the floor, and like a fart you just can't keep in when you cough, my magic zaps out of my fingers to make the chair beside it topple over too. Oh god.

And right on cue, two sizzles almost in unison come from Sammy and Elise. The cutlery flies back up to the table and is set right again while the chair is put back in place.

Sammy whispers, "Nobody saw a thing. Just keep walking."

I look back at Seth, who is standing with a puzzled look on his face, and this time, I stop moving to give him a quick wave. He grins at me and waves back before I turn around and manage to walk out without causing any more damage.

The moment we're outside, I lift my shirt to see the red welt. “Ouch.”

"That's going to be a nasty bruise," says Elise. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I look at my friends with gratitude as I lower my shirt. "You guys really are the best. Thanks for putting up with me."

Elise puts an arm around my shoulders. "Stop. You always have our backs too."

"She's right," says Sammy. "Besides, you’re the best roomie ever. You have great clothes and never complain when I borrow them."

I laugh. My mother owns a clothing boutique, and when I phased out of my black era, she hopped on it like white on rice. She taught me about classic style. And even now that I'm gone, I get a care package every month with a few new outfits. I have so many clothes that I could never wear them all more than a handful of times, and Sammy takes full advantage of it.

When we get to Sammy and Elise's cars, the reality of what just happened hits me. While I've had a few dates in the past, they've been few and far between. I did better with random drunk hookups in college because I could pretend my awkward actions had to do with alcohol. But something about this one feels very real, and even though I'm nervous, I really want to go. I squeal. "Oh my god! I have a date!"

"That you do, honey," says Elise, and she gives me a hug goodbye. "A super-hot one, and he could be your soul mate."

"Elise," warns Sammy. When we first arrived in Maine, Elise told us she was excited to have us here, because werebear clans recently discovered children like Elise's, who have both a witch and a werebear parent, get both sets of abilities. It makes the clan stronger, and they believe it will be what saves them in the future from the human hunters who want to eradicate werebear forever.

So of course, Elise, as the next in line to be her clan's medicine woman, wants to bring as many witches into the clans of the Northeast Kingdom as possible. She's been trying to find us mates since the day we got here. But fortunately, Sammy put her foot down and saved us from a multitude of blind dates and setups.

I get why Elise would want us to be as happy, though, so I say, "I hope he is. Because they can't help but love you. Right?"

Sammy rolls her eyes at me. "That is not where you're supposed to go with this. All I need is for you to find a soul mate, too, and then you guys will gang up on me." She uses her teacher voice to say, "Get in the car."

Elise and I laugh as I tug my door open to go home.

I should have known Sammy saw through my comment about soul mates having no choice in love, because once she pulls out onto the main road, she gives me a sideways glance. "What's this self-deprecating talk about a man only loving you because he has no choice?"

"I know. I'm worthy and all that. It was a joke."

She lets out a small noise of disbelief. "The hottest guy in the cafe just asked you out. Let that sink in for a moment."

I cringe a little as I recall the sugar packet tearing open and how awkward I was. "Maybe he is my soul mate, because I was so not cool."

"You do realize that plenty of people understand what it's like to be nervous. Besides, he was smiling and laughing the whole time you were talking to him. You're definitely as cool as you need to be in his eyes."

Maybe I am. Seth didn't have to insist I sit down and talk. And even after I was my odd self, he still asked me out. "So the guy is attracted to dorks. I suppose it does happen."

"You are not a dork." Sammy reaches over and touches my arm. "You're one of the best friends a girl could have. Nina, you're an incredibly empathetic person and can talk to animals. Who wouldn't want you in their life?"

I think about all the dogs I've helped in the past, and how, besides Pixie, I've helped dozens of other dogs with behavioral problems in the few months I've been here. I do have a gift. "Actually," I say, "he's damn lucky I like him."

Sammy gives me a huge smile. "I can't wait to hear every last detail about your date. I have a good feeling about this guy for you."

I smile back because I do too.