street was full of oblivious people. Children screeched and shrieked as they chased each other around the fountain. Arcs of water shot up from the ground at varying intervals to catch them off guard, and they screamed again. A chocolate lab lapped at one of the streams of water. It continued licking the air after the water disappeared and then turned in a circle trying to find where it had gone. She scanned the way sheâd come but didnât recognize the street or the buildings. Was it one block or two to get back to the one sheâd followed when she left Ashe? Shit . Rachel looked up to find someone watching her from inside one of the shops. Lettering on the window identified the shop as LUX, an organic skin-care boutique. She could just make out the staring womanâs short, curly brown hair and milky skin behind the shop windowâs pale pink letters. The woman popped her head out of the doorway. âAre you okay, hon?â Straightening, Rachel tried to return the smile. âI think so. Just a little dizzy. And lost,â she admitted. âWell, where are you trying to go?â âIâm not sure. We stopped at an office so Ashe could drop something off, butââ âAshe Riley?â the woman asked. She tried to remember when heâd introduced himself the day before and came up blank. âUm, maybe. Does he build houses?â âDesigns them. And does contractor work when forced. Iâm Everley Hayes, by the way. Come on in outta the heat.â She pushed the door wide. Her capri yoga pants and tank top hugged her toned body. A gush of cool air caressed Rachelâs skin. âIâm Rachel.â âCan I get you something to drink? Iâve got coconut water or sparkling water with orange slices in it,â Everley said. âRegular water is fine, thanks, if you have it.â âGood call. Plainâs probably the way to go if youâre not feeling too hot.â Everley walked to a glass-front cooler and pulled a bottle out. The plastic was thin and crackled when she handed it to Rachel. Rachel wanted to rub it on her neck, but she settled for uncapping it and taking a long swig. Her head unfogged enough to chase some of the dizziness away, though her hands continued to shake. She took another sip. âThanks.â âSo, what did Ashe say to tick you off?â âSorry?â Rachel asked. âI figure he mustâve done or said something to make you walk off and get yourself lost.â âI was justââ Following a ghost, she finished silently. âI thought I saw someone I recognized. But it wasnât him.â It would never be him. âThen if youâre not mad at Ashe, want me to give him a call and tell him where you are?â Her pulse had slowed to an almost normal pace and she let out a steadying breath. âIf you donât mind. I donât want him to have to tell Catch I got lost on his watch.â âYou definitely donât want to piss off Miss Sisson. Gimme just a minute,â Everley said. As Everley pulled out her cell phone, Rachel turned to check out the store. White built-ins lined the blush-colored walls. Milk bottles and mason jars and round metal tins with screw-on lids glinted in the sun. Their milky contents were offset with labels and tags with the shopâs logo printed in charcoal and pink. Baskets on a table in the front window overflowed with slabs of soap that were swirled and lined with a fusion of sultry colors. Rachel touched one. One side was rough with crushed almond shells and bit at her fingers through the plastic. A slip of paper was tucked into the weave of one of the baskets. Before realizing what it was, she smoothed it out with a finger and read it. I wish I could tell her no. With a sharp breath, she let the wish curl back on itself. But it was too late. Sheâd granted the wish without meaning to. And whoever had made the wish in