But I couldn't let myself go hug another man when I was on a date, not even a date generated on dubious pretenses. And speaking of that date, I studied him to see how he reacted. He stared at the table and gulped, then shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "We must be the millionth customer, or something like that."
The waitress chose that moment to stop by and say, "Are you interested in dessert tonight?"
Ethan looked at her, then at the molten chocolate cake on our table, then back at her.
"Uh, we're good. Thanks. This dessert should do it."
The waitress stared at him for a long moment, frowning, then shrugged, said,
"Whatever," and left.
I turned my head with the pretense of watching the waitress leave so I could see Owen's and Rod's reactions. Both of them looked surprised, then Rod rolled his eyes and shook his head. Owen's eyes narrowed in a challenge. I braced myself.
Ethan reached for his cappuccino, but the cup scooted away from him. He tried again, and it darted sideways. I watched, wondering how he'd rationalize this one.
"Boy, it's slippery," he said after a while. "I'm glad I stuck to one beer."
I put a bite of chocolate cake into my mouth—no sense wasting it, and it kept me from having to say anything—and glanced at the guys. Now Owen was grinning smugly while Rod looked frustrated. I got the feeling this was no longer about verifying Ethan's response to magic. Magical men appeared to be just as competitive as anyone else with a Y chromosome.
It then started snowing gently over our table. White flakes danced and spun in the air, then settled on us and on the table before vanishing without making us cold or damp. It was a truly spectacular sight, and no one else in the restaurant gave it a second look.
Ethan closed his eyes for nearly a full minute, then opened them again to see that it was in fact still snowing indoors. He then looked at me with a desperate plea in his eyes. "Tell me I'm not going crazy."
"Why would you think you're going crazy?"
"Either I'm having vivid hallucinations or some very strange things are happening here."
"Like what?"
"Well, first there were the people with wings. And by the way, they still have wings.
It wasn't a trick of the light. And then my beer turned into a Coke. And then we got dessert worthy of the Ritz, but the waitress doesn't even notice and asks us if we want dessert. I can't catch my cup, and now it's snowing inside a restaurant. Water I could understand from a leaky ceiling, but snow?" He shook his head. "And now you're going to tell me that none of that happened, and you're mad at me for telling the waitress we didn't want dessert."
I glanced toward Owen and Rod. Owen, who looked just a wee bit smug, gave me a solemn "go ahead" nod. I turned my attention to Ethan and asked, "Do you see things like that often?"
He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up on end. "Would it sound totally crazy if I said I did?"
"Try me."
"Okay, then. Yes, I do see things like that every so often, more often lately."
"How long have you lived in New York?"
"Just since law school."
"And where did you live before that?"
"A small town upstate."
"Did you see weird things before you moved to New York?"
He shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have noticed if I had. I never took my nose out of a book. I'm crazy, right? This is turning out to be a great date."
I leaned toward him across the table. "Have you ever considered the possibility that you really are seeing people with wings? Or that you've really seen elves and gnomes around town, or that gargoyles come and go from churches and buildings? Or that some people seem to be able to flick their wrists and get whatever they need?"
He stared at me like I'd grown wings myself. "How did you know?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.
"Because I see them, too, and I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy. In fact, I know that fairy at the other table. Her name's Trixie, but she prefers to be called Trix. I work with her."
His mouth hung open. "Huh?"
"Do you believe in magic?"
"Magic? You mean like pulling rabbits out of a hat and card tricks?"
"No, more like making things appear out of thin air—for real"
"I've read all the Harry Potter books, all the Lord of the Rings books, and the entire Narnia series, among others, but otherwise I haven't given it much thought."