Crushing On The Wrong Joshua (Crushing on You 3)

“That old-maid most likely never married, maybe that's why she doesn't care if my love life stays barren forever or if I grow old alone!” Amber muttered under her breath.

“You're going the wrong way, dear,” the librarian said.

Amber startled and looked up. How had she moved so quickly that she was now standing in front of Amber?

“I'm okay, thanks, though,” Amber sighed and tried to go around her.

“No, dear,” the librarian smiled, “I really do think you should check again.”

“Why do you care?” Amber asked.

“Just a quick double check, dear?” the librarian asked, “What could it hurt?”

“Fine, whatever,” Amber sighed and headed back towards the fiction books.

“That's the spirit!” the librarian cheered with a grin.

“Well, she's not a full basket of cookies, is she?” Amber thought to herself.

She scanned the long row of shelves carefully. The top shelf held nothing of interest, nor did the next one. The third shelf was full of smutty titles like, “Push 'em up, Girls, and He'll Love You For Life,” that made Amber blush. The fourth shelf was tame in comparison even if it lacked the inspiration Amber was searching for. The fifth shelf looked more promising. A bright red book with gold lettering on its spine made Amber drop to her knees to get a closer look.

“The Secret Book of Spells for Ladies in Love,” Amber read the title out loud.

Carefully she pulled the book from the shelf and

looked at its cover. The front of the book was as blood red as its spine and the title was repeated. A white heart with a gold arrow cutting through its middle, graced the background. The book was warm against Amber's skin as she contemplated opening it. Amber never spent much time pondering the universe, if it didn't have to do with school, shopping, or of course, Joshua Nelson.

She usually accepted that things were the way they were and everything happened for a reason. Amber had read many books that talked about theories of how magic or energy work could be feasible, but had never paused to consider if she believed it to be real or not.

“Ah, the heck with it,” Amber sighed, “What could it hurt?”

She opened the cover and read the title page. It listed only the book’s title. No author, year published, nor even a publisher's name. She turned the page expecting to find the information. The next page was blank so Amber turned to the next one.

“WARNING!”

The word blared up at her from the page.

“Here we go,” she thought to herself, “This is where they say it's a joke book or only for entertainment purposes.”

“WARNING!” Amber read on, “The spells found in the book you have just opened are very real. Many women, both young and old, have sat where you are sitting. Yes, you, knelt there on the floor of the library. Many women have thumbed these pages and asked for help of the sages of love, who have gone before her, but be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart! The following pages hold very real spells that will produce very real results! Results may very. Use with caution.”

Amber blinked and reread the passage to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Her heart fluttered as she turned to the next page and scanned the table of contents. Goosebumps rose on her flesh and her hands trembled as she looked through the list of spells. The list went on and on. There was a spell for everything.

“Make him forget his ex-girlfriend. Make him blind with love. Make him think only of you. Make him love you. Renew the spark in your relationship. Bring your lost soldier back home. Keep his eyes from straying. Conceive a child. The list went on and on. None of the spells to seem to fit Amber's situation, though. She sighed and turned the page to finish reading the table of contents. At the very bottom of the page she read.

'A Simple Notice Me Spell...................Page 107'

“That sounds more like it,” Amber grinned and flipped through the pages until she reached page one hundred seven. She skimmed through the warning at the top of the page that mentioned something about being careful about one thing or another. Amber was too excited to bother with warnings right now. She had already read the warnings at the front of the book. What she wanted to read now was the spell.

“For this spell you will need two candles. One of your favorite color and one in the favorite color of the person you wish to notice you. The candles need not be large nor decorative. The colors must be accurate. You will also need matches and something to write with.”

“That should be easy enough,” Amber chuckled to herself, “You can buy candles almost anywhere.”

Her cellphone vibrated in her back pocket causing Amber to jump and knock several books from the shelf. She quickly shoved them back onto the shelf, praying the librarian hadn't seen the mishap. They always hated when patrons re-shelved books themselves. Amber pulled her cellphone from her pocket and swore under her breath. How was it already seven o'clock?

“Hey, Dad!” she said cheerfully.

“You ready, kiddo?” he asked, “I've been waiting out here for fifteen minutes.”