Unlucky Charms Read Free Page B

took Gemma’s order—also wine—I looked around. Carolyn had been standing at the table where Brad Nereida sat. He was maybe my age, and he and Lorraine had several children—which may have been why they ran the Wish-on-a-Star children’s shop. Was Lorraine’s absence a result of them being unable to get a sitter that night, or had Lorraine simply decided she wasn’t interested in my talk?
    If so, I wouldn’t hold it against her. But she and Brad had presented a couple of talks since I’d been in Destiny. I’d attended them out of friendliness and politeness, since I didn’t have children or any likelihood of children in the near future.
    Maybe I’d skip the next one.
    â€œHey, Rory,” Carolyn said. “And Gemma.” She looked concerned, and her voice was so low I could barely hear her. Was something wrong? “Have you heard about—”
    She didn’t finish, just stared forward. I turned to see what she was looking at. No, who she was looking at. It was Justin, who’d come out the doorway from the bar to the patio.
    â€œHave we heard what?” Gemma prompted, as I’d have done if I hadn’t been staring at Justin.
    He’d joined us after all, and much sooner than I’d anticipated. My heart rate accelerated a bit, as if I’d just been touched by the best good luck symbol in Destiny—although I wasn’t sure what it might be. Maybe it was one of the toys I’d designed, which remained in the bag-on-wheels at my feet under the table.
    â€œI’ll talk to you about it later,” Carolyn finished.
    I looked at her and saw that her gaze remained on Justin. Whatever it was she had to say, she obviously didn’t want him to hear it. Why? Was bad luck involved? And did the fact I was even wondering such a thing mean I was really settling down as a Destiny resident, with superstitions edging their way into my sense of being?
    â€œHi, ladies,” Justin said as he reached the table. His greeting took all of us in, but his eyes met mine before he looked around and smiled at Gemma, sitting beside me, and then at Carolyn, who’d taken the other seat.
    â€œPlease join us,” Gemma said, preempting the same invitation I’d been about to issue.
    â€œYes, please do.” I looked around and saw a few empty chairs at nearby tables. Justin did the same and went to fetch one.
    I used the brief opportunity to look at Carolyn. “What’s wrong?” I asked softly.
    â€œSomeone’s stealing things and more,” she said, so fast and so quietly that I had to replay her words in my mind before they sank in. But as Justin pulled his chair up to the table—between Carolyn and me, as it turned out—and sat down, she just gave me a small smile, shrugged, and turned away. “So how have you been, Justin?” she asked. “I didn’t see you at Rory’s talk.”
    â€œNo, unfortunately something came up and I wasn’t able to get there.”
    Justin was one good-looking guy. The hair on his head was thick and dark, and the dusting of facial hair at this hour emphasized it. He had gorgeous blue eyes and sharp, angular features, and a smile that generally made me feel happy—and more—in return. In fact, he was a very special guy to me. Inside, I kept apologizing to Warren, especially at times when Justin and I found ourselves getting close. Very close.
    As usual, instead of an official-looking uniform, he wore a light blue shirt over dark trousers. And, in keeping with Destiny tradition, he wore an amulet—a bronzed acorn, which meant good luck, and also supposedly kept the wearer young. Not that Justin, who at age thirty-five was only a year older than I was, needed the latter just yet.
    Right now, he was responding to Carolyn but looking at me, as if in apology.
    What could I do but accept it?
    Though I could still joke about it. “So you mean that a case was so