Signed, Sealed, and Smitten (Only Magic in the Building)

by Melanie Jacobson

No, it’s the ladder. The fairytale ladder. The rolling ladder.

That smile, though. That smile, in a silky whisper, spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

Jay Martin might want to date me for real, and not as a distraction because I’m convenient. At least, I’m sure he believes that’s what he wants right now.

It’s how quick his mind is, how curious he is about everything, how he uses history to understand the world the way I do, how seriously he takes his work while not taking himself seriously, maybe to his detriment. Even more than that, it’s his heart. The soft place in it for this city and his

Because if he feels even half of what I do, I cannot walk away from that. I’m not sure I can walk away as it is, and I don’t even know where his heart is. At best, I have a guess. A hope, while I’m being honest. And that’s too much. More than I should have.

But I know you, Phoebe. I see who you are when you’re letting yourself be happy and climbing through hidden passageways. I see how no matter how professional you try to dress at work, you always include something subversive and bright and fun in your outfit. And I can’t figure out why the best things about you are the things you keep trying to suffocate.”