Knock on Wood by Linda O. Johnston

tell you what,” Stuart said. “While I’m around helping out, all meetings will need to include me. If things get dicey I’ll help to find a solution—which may include allowing Gemma to bow out gracefully if things get difficult for her.”
    â€œWe recognize this is sudden,” Lou said, “but we only met Gemma yesterday and got this idea then. We also had to consider it further and run it by all of you.” He paused, then spoke again. “You’re willing to offer her the job under those conditions, right?” He demanded this of apparently everyone in the room, since he looked from one to the other, even at me. He was seated again, but his expression was grim—even as he once again crossed his fingers.
    Under other circumstances, that might have looked ludicrous, and I might have laughed.
    But this was Destiny. And Gemma’s destiny, at least for the near future, might depend on superstitions, as mine did.
    At least the aura of bad luck hadn’t seemed to affect the bookstore itself, nor its new owners, but just those who attempted to talk about the fate of the prior owners. And certainly those prior owners themselves. But at least that shouldn’t be Gemma’s worry.
    â€œLet’s have a meeting at the store this afternoon,” she said. “The three of you plus Stuart. Lou, I appreciate your efforts to convince me for the good of Destiny, and at this moment I’m thinking favorably about the opportunity—even though it’s far from the position of librarian that I came here today about, assuming it was going to be offered to me. But if all goes well this afternoon, then I’ll probably accept.”
    Lou stood and clapped so loudly despite his still-crossed fingers that I saw the male librarian’s head come through the door. “Hear, hear,” he said. “Thank you, Gemma. And thank you all. And, of course, my fingers will remain crossed until I hear that all has been worked out and Gemma will be running the store. Which she will. She has to.” He crossed his fingers on his left hand, even as he knocked on the wooden table with his right.

six
    We started to leave the library a little later, and I think I felt as bemused as Gemma must have. As we walked toward the bookstore, my phone rang. I checked the caller ID. It was Justin.
    I’d been able to get a few moments alone with him after the presentation as I’d anticipated, and he had walked Gemma and me to the B&B last night. My good night kiss with Justin had been brief but warm, and suggestive enough to ensure that I would remember it.
    Now, standing on the library’s top step as the others filed past, I smiled at the thought as I pushed the button on the phone to answer. “Hi,” I said. “I’m in your neighborhood now, at the library. We’re about to pass the police station on our way back to the stores.”
    â€œStores? Plural?”
    â€œLong story,” I said, “but yes. In fact, we’re going to the Broken Mirror first.”
    â€œSounds like a story I’d like to hear. Things are under control at the moment. How about if I walk with you?”
    Of course I agreed. In fact, I knew I’d appreciate his take on the atmosphere among the people I was with. Were the bookstore heirs actually happy about the situation, or were they holding their tempers inside, along with their grief, as they were being ordered by the city employee, Lou, to compromise or face the potential wrath of the Destiny government?
    And the wrath of those running a town based on superstitions could be pretty scary.
    In fact, it might have been Mayor Bevin’s edict that no one could talk about what had happened to the original owners of the Broken Mirror Bookstore that had rained bad luck down on those who disobeyed. Or maybe it had been whatever superstitions had been in effect that had caused the death of Preston Kunningham when the murder of