She was in desperate need of a man.

Preferably one with an extra $200,000 lying around.

Alexandria Marie stared into the small homemade campfire in the middle of her living room floor, wondering if she’d gone insane. The piece of paper in her hand contained all of the characteristics she hoped her soul mate would have. Loyalty. Intelligence. Humor. A strong sense of belonging and a passion for animals. A good income.

The majority of her ingredients were already in the oven. Her brother was still irritated despite one hair from a male family member. A blend of scented herbs, most likely to give him a tender side. And the small stick for...well, she hoped it didn’t mean what she was afraid it did.

She took a deep breath and tossed the list into the silver bucket, where it burned. She felt stupid for casting a love spell, but she had no other options and little to lose. She justified her eccentricities as the owner of an eclectic bookstore in a trendy upstate New York college town. It’s like asking Earth Mother for the perfect man.

As the flames leapt, Alexa reached over and grabbed the fire extinguisher. The rising smoke reminded her of the burnt pizza crust on the bottom of her toaster oven. She wrinkled her nose, sprayed the middle of her carpet, and went to find a glass of red wine to celebrate.

Tara would have to be sold by her mother.

Her family’s residence.

Alexa reached for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and pondered her predicament. Her bookstore was fully mortgaged. The cafe expansion would necessitate careful planning, and there was no money to spare. She looked around the Victorian loft apartment and quickly realized there was nothing for sale. Nowhere, not even on eBay.

She was twenty-seven years old and should have lived in a chic condo with designer clothes and a date every weekend. Instead, she adopted homeless dogs from a local shelter and purchased fashionable scarves to dress up her outfits. She believed in living in the sun, being open to new experiences, and following her heart. Unfortunately, none of those characteristics will save her mother’s home.

She sipped the ruby red wine and realized there was nothing else she could do. No one had enough money, and when the tax collector arrived, there would be no happy ending. She wasn’t exactly Scarlett O’Hara. And Alexa didn’t think her last-ditch attempt at casting a love spell to entice the perfect man to her door would be successful.

The doorbell went off.

Her mouth dropped open. Was it really him? She considered her soiled sweatpants and cropped shirt, wondering if she had time to change. She stood up to go through the closet, but the bell rang again, so she walked over to the door, took a deep breath, and reached for the knob.

“About time you answered the door.”

Her hopes were dashed. Alexa scowled as she looked at her best friend, Maggie Ryan. “You were supposed to be a man.”

Maggie snorted and entered. She flopped onto the sofa after waving her hand in the air and showing off her cherry red nails. “Of course, keep dreaming. I’m not going to set you up again because you scared off your last date. What exactly happened here?”

“What do you mean I frightened him? I was afraid he was going to attack me.”

Maggie cocked her brow. “He leaned in to kiss you good night. He felt like an idiot because you stumbled and fell on your ass. Al, people kiss after a date. It’s a tradition.”

Alexa scooped up the bucket and tossed the remaining trash into a bag. “He had tons of garlic at dinner and I didn’t want him near me.”

Maggie took a long swig from her wine glass. She extended her long black leather legs and hooked her high-heeled boots over the edge of the battered table. “Remind me again why you haven’t had sex in the last decade?”

“Witch.”

“Celibate.”

Alexa laughed as she gave up. “All right, you win. Why are you bothering to show up on a Saturday night? You look great.”

“Thanks. At eleven o’clock, I’ll meet someone for drinks. Would you like to come?”

“On your date?”

Megan smirked and drained the rest of the glass. “You’ll make for better company. He’s a snob.”

“Why are you going out with him?”

“He looks good.”

Alexa sighed and sat down next to her on the couch. “I wish I was like you, Maggie. What gives me so many hang-ups?”

“Why don’t I have any?” Maggie’s lips twisted in self-deprecation before pointing to the bucket. “So, what’s the deal with the fire?”

Alexa let out a sigh. “I was working on a love spell. Um...get a man.”

Her friend laughed and threw back her head. “OkaY, how does that relate to the bucket?”

Alexa’s cheeks erupted. She’d never get over it. “I made a fire to honor the Earth Mother,” she said quietly.

“Oh, my God.”

“Listen to me. I’m in a desperate situation. I still haven’t met Mr. Right, and another minor issue arose that I needed to address, so I combined both of my requirements into one list.”

“What kind of list?”

“One of my customers told me she bought this book on love spells, and when she made a list of all the qualities she looked for in a man, he showed up.”

Maggie appeared to be interested now. “A man appeared in her life with all the things she wanted?”

“Yep. The list must be detailed. It can’t be too broad, or the universe will get confused with your desires and send nothing. She promised that if you cast the spell correctly, the right man would appear.”

Maggie’s green eyes sparkled. “Let me see the book.”

Nothing beats another single female to make you feel better about your man-hunt. Alexa tossed her the small fabric-covered book, feeling less stupid.

“Hmmm. Please show me your list.”

She motioned to the bucket. “Burned it.”