You can do it, Sedona. There’s no need to panic. Everything will be okay. Just put on your big girl panties, smile, and pretend that you can’t feel everything he is thinking.

If I had a dollar for every time I’d rehearsed this small mantra, standing here at the window of my bookstore, Shelf Indulgence, I’d have enough to leave Havenwood Falls and explore the world for the rest of my life.

Not that I truly wanted to leave the only place I’d ever felt safe enough to call my home, but you get the idea.

I sounded like a broken record that kept skipping and repeating the same old tired words. Part of me wished I could toss aside my reservations each time I decided to bravely face the possibilities of dating.

The problem was there was nothing normal about beginning a new relationship, especially when you held the special gifts I did. My mother used to tell me how unique being an empath was, and that when my ability was paired together with my other inherent powers, I would become a force to be reckoned with.

Those pep talks ended by the time I reached my teens, replaced by the now familiar fear that echoed in her heart. She was careful to prevent it from ever shining out through her eyes or filling her voice when she spoke. I didn’t need those nonverbal cues to know what she was feeling.

The empathy I’d been raised to believe was a gift morphed quickly into a curse—one that kept my peers at arm’s length, their soft whispers following behind me as I walked down Havenwood Falls High’s hallways. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to invite me to sit with them at lunch or bond over fun sleepovers.

Even though many of them were part of the hidden supernatural community, somehow their fangs, claws, and weirdness weren’t nearly as dangerous as being able to reach into them and pluck out their secret feelings.

It wasn’t until I found comfort in running Shelf Indulgence and escaping into the beloved books I cherished that I made my peace with who I was—am.

“I could always cancel,” I murmured, my stomach churning with nerves. “It’s only a first date . . . nothing important.” My throat dried the second I spotted Robert crossing the street, headed in my direction. “God, I hate this.”

A deep, familiar voice answered. “One of us needs to leave this store and have a life, Sedona. And considering I can’t, that leaves the burden firmly on your shoulders.”

Maxwell appeared beside me, his fingers twirling the end of his mustache. I often wondered if he realized he did that—if it was a nervous habit he’d failed to break. I couldn’t quite cross out an alternative thought that it was his way of impersonating a villain because right now, my dearest friend wasn’t enabling my cowardice at all. He was supposed to agree wholeheartedly with me and suggest I spend the evening secluded quietly in my apartment with a delicious glass of wine and a book.

“I still think you made that up, Maxwell. I’m sure if you tried hard enough, you could leave and go haunt Willow over at Coffee Haven. You know . . . expand your horizons and all.”

A look of horror and disapproval blazed across his ghostly features.

Did I forget to mention Maxwell was a ghost?

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you suggest that, young lady. Do you really think I’d stay here and witness your weekly neurotic diatribe about the woes of dating if I could simply waltz out of here?”

I knew Maxwell well enough to remember that beneath his offended pout, he was teasing me. Like he said, we pretty much went through this conversation each time I foolishly agreed to go out with someone. We both had our parts to play.

Clenching my hands into fists, I straightened and drew in a deep breath. “How do I look? Am I presentable enough?”

Despite my blasé attitude toward dating, I still found myself making an effort, a small sliver of hope surfacing that maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

“You look beautiful as always. Although,” he paused for a moment, casting a glance outside as Robert drew closer. The corners of his lips twitched into an almost smile. In stepping off the curb, my date had misjudged the slickness of the ground, his feet slipping over ice. To some, winter in Havenwood Falls was far from the magical wonderland that I viewed it as. Robert’s mouth formed a silent curse word.

Maxwell cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to our conversation. “I believe your beauty is wasted on this human.”

There was no mistaking the sneer in his tone. My dear friend didn’t approve of my dating someone outside our supernatural community.

“You know why I agreed,” I retorted, steeling myself to once again remind him that there were slim pickings for me no matter how hard I tried.

Who would want to date an empath?

“Heathens,” Maxwell exhaled in disgust. “In my day, men would be lining up around the town square for a chance to be with you.”

“Well, pity we can’t just hop in a time machine and find me these rare males.” I laughed, desperately hoping it disguised the sadness I couldn’t always bury. Truth be told, I was lonely. Just once, I wanted to experience the toe-curling, heart-racing, giddy swooning love I read about.

My gaze remained with Robert now—the moment I’d been waiting for. The closer he came, the sooner I would sense his intentions. Over the years, I’d become pretty good at protecting myself from the overwhelming crush of emotions that surrounded me. It was one of the first spells I perfected when I came of age and could practice magic on my own. Invisible to the naked eye, a silvery aura encased me, thinning only when I purposely lowered my guard to get a reading of someone.

He must’ve sensed I was watching because a huge smile lit his face when our eyes met. Everything seemed normal as his intentions mentally reached me—nerves over whether he could impress me, a list of topics to cover over dinner just in case we ran out of things to say, and that he believed I was one of the prettiest girls he’d ever laid eyes on.

That last one made my own smile grow. What girl didn’t like knowing others thought she was attractive?

Robert was only a few steps away from the store’s door when I caught the briefest of flashes of another feeling—one that instantly brought the shutters around my heart. Sighing sadly, I knew I couldn’t forget and pretend he hadn’t just cast aside those other emotions for one that made my skin crawl.

Lust. The lewd kind that left you feeling stripped bare and vulnerable in front of a group of men catcalling and yelling for you to shake what the good lord gave you.

I was far from being a prude, so lust in general wasn’t something to make me retreat. There was nothing wrong with finding someone good-looking and noticing how they made your body respond.

That wasn’t how Robert was feeling right now. If anything, he was contemplating how long it would take him to get me flat on my back, legs in the air, as I screamed his name in worship.

“Blech,” I uttered, already heading to the door. “Be right back, Maxwell.” Not giving him a chance to reply, to convince me I didn’t have the luxury of turning yet another man down, or to list the million reasons he worried I would become the Cat Lady of Havenwood Falls, I was out on the street. I was the queen of excuses, and I didn’t feel guilty for the lies I told Robert, or the fake disappointment I expressed over having to cancel the plans he had for us.

It took everything I had not to shudder when he rubbed my arm, his touch lingering longer than was appropriate. Another blast of lust shot out from him, and I took a few steps backward.

I couldn’t run back inside the bookstore fast enough, leaving Robert standing on the sidewalk, confused over how I could possibly choose something over him. His arrogance was another turnoff—something he’d managed to hide when he’d asked me out earlier in the week.

“What was the reason this time?” Maxwell asked, exasperated. If he rolled his eyes any harder, they would’ve fallen to the back of his head and down his body, before coming to a stop in his feet. Snarky ghost.

“Unexpected inventory audit,” I answered weakly. Even I could hear what a lousy reason it was. “In my defense, he was a pig.”

His brows furrowed in concern. “You can’t keep doing this, Sedona. Do you honestly want to end up like me?”

“I could think of worse things to become.” In trying to lighten the conversation and perhaps deflect the lecture I sensed brewing within him, I couldn’t deny he had a point. “Next time I’ll go, okay? Just not with him.”

He snorted. “What was wrong with this one?”

My face flushed. “Let’s just say, if given the chance, he’d rather have skipped dinner and dived right into dessert.”

A deep baritone laugh burst from Maxwell. “He found you attractive and that upset you? You do know what happens when two people like each other, Sedona? Please tell me I don’t have to inform you about the birds and the bees.”

The very thought made me squirm uncomfortably. “I already know about sex, smart-ass.” I shook my head at him. “I just don’t like it when the guy I’m with is more interested in getting between my legs than really getting to know me.”

“And here I thought I was the old-fashioned one,” he retorted quickly. “You can’t hide away in here forever, Sedona. Sexual sparks are a good thing. You need chemistry.” His voice grew louder and more passionate. “The heroes in those romance books you love won’t keep you warm at night. You need someone real.”

“Says the ghost that won’t leave either.” It was a low blow, but I was feeling defensive.

In the years since I’d taken over my grandfather’s bookstore and made it my own, I’d never once seen Maxwell leave. He’d simply appeared one day, and no amount of questioning would get him to reveal where he’d come from.

“My circumstances are different.” His response was gruff. As an empath, I couldn’t get a fix on his emotions, my gifts reserved solely for the living, but in this case, I didn’t need to rely on my gift to know what he was feeling.

We were both defensive.

“I’ll try harder next time,” I promised, wishing I could reach out and touch him without my hand passing through. “He just wasn’t right for me.”

“You can’t afford to be so selective. You need to seize the moment before time slips through your fingers. Take it from me.” His voice trailed off.

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him why, to perhaps prod a little to see if he would finally open up and share.

I didn’t get the chance, however, as the door to the store opened, startling me. Maxwell disappeared, leaving me standing there like a fool, talking to myself. Most times that wouldn’t bother me. Most of the town believed I was weird anyway, so nothing really surprised them.

As my heart began racing and my mouth instantly dried, all I could think was two things:

One, I hoped this guy didn’t think I was a freak too.

Two, the stranger standing in the doorway, his gorgeous blue eyes fixed completely on me, was by far the sexiest man I had ever seen.

And when he spoke, I knew I was in trouble.