It was all Michelle could do not to nod in agreement with Luke when he commented on the warmth of the tea shop. She could already feel the prickling of perspiration along the edge of her scalp and worried that her plot to keep her cloak on might be more difficult than she thought. As he dusted the confetti out of his hair--a process that Michelle found positively adorableshe unfastened the single clip of her cloak by her collar, adjusting the cloak a bit more loosely around her body.

"I'd say you look a fair sight better than I do."


Michelle smiled at that and folded her hands in her lap, the color rising in her cheeks and the warmth of even a little blush compounding her current heat problem. She fidgeted her thumbs until Luke mentioned the menu, and then took up her own to look at.

Im sure the special would be fine, Michelle said quietly. Anything you like. Something nice and cold would be nice, of course, considering how warm it was inside her cloak, but she couldnt very well say that without removing her cloak.

Michelle laid down her menu and drew a very small envelope from her pocket, turning it between her fingers for a moment before she set it on the tabletop and slid it with her fingertips across to Luke. I made this for you, she said, feeling distinctly awkward. It isnt anything very much, but its kind of fun, I think. She hoped he would think so too. Now that shed sucked up her nerve and given it to him, she was just sure that he was going to think it was utterly stupid.

Inside the white envelope was a small, red card with a black-rimmed white heart on the front. When opened, along with the Happy Saint Valentines Day that was scrawled inside, a little strawberry-flavored candy heart would appear bearing a traditional Valentines Day greeting along the lines of Be Mine, or Youre cute. A new candy would appear each time the card was opened until the spell wore off. Michelle had worked rather hard to get it right, although she would never mention that bit of information. Shed mostly focused on getting the flavor right, as her first attempts tasted like old chalk. What she didnt realize was that shed made a small mistake when she added the phrases. Michelle had used magic to collect the phrases from a bag of conversation heart candies that one of the girls had in the dorm. Michelle hadnt realized that there were a number of candies in that bag with phrases that could be construed as somewhat embarrassing. What she didnt know couldnt embarrass her, though, and Michelle was blissfully ignorant. Wellnot so blissful, perhaps, as she felt a rather sick twist in her stomach as she decided once and for all that Luke was going to hate the card. It was too late, now, however, and she pushed the card past the center of the table before she drew her hand back in to her lap and gave Luke a nervous glance.

((The phrase list: www.haversack.com/haversack/hearts.htm ))