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source, and there it was – a young woman, barely more than a girl, standing all alone near the speaker system. She figured if she stood there, no one would try to talk to her because it would be too loud.”
    “Didn’t it bother her?” I asked.
    He shook his head. “She’s deaf. Her parents brought her to the fundraiser and they apparently like to use her disability as a political tool. She’s convinced they don’t even love her. I can’t say if that’s true or not, since they weren’t really thinking about her one way or another when I ran across them, but in her mind she was all alone in the world. She was standing there, by the speakers, playing death scenes in her mind… a gun, some poison, maybe slit her wrists.”
    I closed my eyes. “What did you do?”
    “A little suggestion. A mood lift. I couldn’t just undo the depression, not without a lot of tools and time that I didn’t have available, but I forced her to smile. Did you know that smiling can make you feel better?”
    “I usually smile when I’m happy.”
    “Try smiling when you’re not,” Matthew said. “It works wonders. So I made her smile and I suggested she call her doctor.”
    “Did she?” I held my breath, eager for the answer.
    “Yes. I drove by her house the next day on a pretext to make sure. Just in case she hadn’t, I brought a potion I hoped would do the trick, but it turned out to be unnecessary. I’m a minimalist – the more you go mucking around in someone’s mind the more chance you have of creating an inconsistency.”
    “An inconsistency?”
    “Like getting caught in a lie.” Matthew took a sip of his soda and leaned back against the padded blue bench seat. “I didn’t mean to turn to such a dark subject. I’m sorry.”
    I didn’t mind in the least. The story had given me a glimpse into who Matthew really was, and I liked what I’d seen. I wasn’t a fool – I was sure he also used his telepathy and mind magic to help him in his political career – but at least there was this side to him as well.
    “So is that why you won’t just help me forget about Evan?” I found myself asking. “Inconsistencies?”
    “Among other things.” Matthew set his soda down and slid closer to me along the boat’s bench seat. “Cassie, you’re a strong woman. You don’t need my help getting over a bad breakup.”
    I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I nodded.
    “In two years, I’m going to run for the U.S. House of Representatives,” Matthew said. “After two or three terms there, I’m going to try for governor. After that, maybe senator. I’ve got serious goals and there’s no way I’d give you a second look, let alone tell you my secrets, if I didn’t think you were strong.”
    My heart gave a little involuntary flutter. Looking at it that way, he had just given me extremely high praise.
    He raised his hand slowly, cupping my face and tilting it slightly upward. He was going to kiss me and what was more, I wanted him to do it. When his lips met mine, soft and warm, I reacted to the touch, pressing my body closer. It didn’t inspire the sort of magical abandon that Evan’s kiss did, but there was something to be said for having a clear enough mind to savor the moment.
    Matthew pulled away. With a jolt, I realized that not only had I been thinking about another man while he’d kissed me, comparing their techniques, but he’d heard every word of it.
    “It’s okay,” Matthew said. “These things take time.”
    “Let’s talk about something else,” I suggested.
    “Health care?”
    I latched on to the random topic eagerly. Though he did most of the talking, it did have the desired effect – I didn’t think about Evan again for the rest of the day.

3
    K AITLIN MANAGED TO SLEEP WELL THAT night, after I brewed a sleeping potion for her. I wasn’t so lucky. Even after drinking the potion I tossed and turned all night long, drifting off for a few minutes before suddenly waking. That happened to me