“Are you gonna go see him?”
Mike let out another heavy breath. “I don’t know yet. If I saw him right now, I might slam him into the nearest wall.”
The little spot between Rachel’s eyes scrunched and he knew what she was thinking: If Lucky was as dangerous as Mike feared, slamming him into the wall might not be the wisest move.
“So I’ll wait,” he told her. “I’ll wait a while and figure out the best way to approach him.” I’ll try to get my head screwed on straight about this.
I’ll try to remember I loved him once.
I’ll try not to hate him for what he put us through.
T essa handed LeeAnn Turner her change, thanking her for her business, then listened as the bell above the bookstore door signaled her departure. Then she joined Rachel and Amy in the overstuffed easy chairs that sat in a grouping near the door.
Rachel peered over the big yellow coffee mug she held in two hands, asking, “Where’s this cat you guys keep talking about? I’m starting to think you just made her up.”
“She’s really shy,” Amy replied. “She hides if anyone other than Tessa and I are here.”
“Here, kitty kitty,” Tessa called, peeking over her shoulder to look between the rows of bookshelves. But she didn’t see Brontë anywhere. “Well, maybe if we just talk quietly, she’ll decide to venture out.”
“So . . .” Rachel began, “I told Mike about Lucky this morning.”
Tessa hissed in her breath in worry. She knew how much Lucky’s departure had wounded a family that had already suffered one major tragedy by the time he’d left. Lucky and Mike’s little sister had disappeared on a family camping trip when they were kids and no trace of her had ever been found. So when Lucky had left home without warning, it had only heaped misery upon misery. “How’d he take it?”
“Hard,” Rachel said, looking sad. “In one sense, he was relieved, but in another, I think it upset him in a whole new way—it reminded him how long Lucky’s stayed away without ever contacting them.”
Amy sighed. “Did he call their mom and dad? Are they coming up from Florida? I mean, wow—this has to be huge for them.”
“They’re on a month-long cruise of the Grecian isles right now,” Rachel said. “They left on Sunday, the same day we came home from seeing them. Mike isn’t sure they can be reached, and even if they can, he’d rather wait until they’re back.”
Tessa and Amy nodded in understanding. When Anna had vanished—over twenty years ago—it had rocked the whole town, and it had shaken Mike and Lucky’s family right off its very foundation. And probably, it occurred to Tessa now, it had a lot to do with how Lucky had turned out.
“So . . .” Then Rachel put on a smile, clearly trying to focus on something besides Mike’s pain. She looked to Tessa. “What else were you getting ready to tell us when LeeAnn came in?”
Oh yeah , that’s right. She’d been ready to share just when the door had opened. “Well, I have some good news,” she said. She thought it was good anyway. Now that she’d moved past the shock of it. Mostly. “I might have a client. And my first decorating job since leaving Posh.” Posh Designs was her old firm in Cincinnati.
Rachel’s eyes lit with happiness for her, and Amy—Destiny’s poster child for cheerfulness—clapped her hands together excitedly. “Oh Tessa, that’s so great!”
“And it’s about time someone around here started appreciating your talents,” Rachel added. “So who’s the lucky Destiny-ite who finally got wise?”
“Welllll . . .” she began, “it’s Lucky Romo.”
As her friends’ faces both froze in horror, she could have heard a pin drop. She’d had a feeling they might not be crazy about the idea, but . . . she’d probably made Lucky sound pretty scary. Because he was pretty scary. Yet . . . in other ways, maybe he wasn’t—he’d helped her locate a missing cat, after all.
“Are you crazy?” Amy
Mike let out another heavy breath. “I don’t know yet. If I saw him right now, I might slam him into the nearest wall.”
The little spot between Rachel’s eyes scrunched and he knew what she was thinking: If Lucky was as dangerous as Mike feared, slamming him into the wall might not be the wisest move.
“So I’ll wait,” he told her. “I’ll wait a while and figure out the best way to approach him.” I’ll try to get my head screwed on straight about this.
I’ll try to remember I loved him once.
I’ll try not to hate him for what he put us through.
T essa handed LeeAnn Turner her change, thanking her for her business, then listened as the bell above the bookstore door signaled her departure. Then she joined Rachel and Amy in the overstuffed easy chairs that sat in a grouping near the door.
Rachel peered over the big yellow coffee mug she held in two hands, asking, “Where’s this cat you guys keep talking about? I’m starting to think you just made her up.”
“She’s really shy,” Amy replied. “She hides if anyone other than Tessa and I are here.”
“Here, kitty kitty,” Tessa called, peeking over her shoulder to look between the rows of bookshelves. But she didn’t see Brontë anywhere. “Well, maybe if we just talk quietly, she’ll decide to venture out.”
“So . . .” Rachel began, “I told Mike about Lucky this morning.”
Tessa hissed in her breath in worry. She knew how much Lucky’s departure had wounded a family that had already suffered one major tragedy by the time he’d left. Lucky and Mike’s little sister had disappeared on a family camping trip when they were kids and no trace of her had ever been found. So when Lucky had left home without warning, it had only heaped misery upon misery. “How’d he take it?”
“Hard,” Rachel said, looking sad. “In one sense, he was relieved, but in another, I think it upset him in a whole new way—it reminded him how long Lucky’s stayed away without ever contacting them.”
Amy sighed. “Did he call their mom and dad? Are they coming up from Florida? I mean, wow—this has to be huge for them.”
“They’re on a month-long cruise of the Grecian isles right now,” Rachel said. “They left on Sunday, the same day we came home from seeing them. Mike isn’t sure they can be reached, and even if they can, he’d rather wait until they’re back.”
Tessa and Amy nodded in understanding. When Anna had vanished—over twenty years ago—it had rocked the whole town, and it had shaken Mike and Lucky’s family right off its very foundation. And probably, it occurred to Tessa now, it had a lot to do with how Lucky had turned out.
“So . . .” Then Rachel put on a smile, clearly trying to focus on something besides Mike’s pain. She looked to Tessa. “What else were you getting ready to tell us when LeeAnn came in?”
Oh yeah , that’s right. She’d been ready to share just when the door had opened. “Well, I have some good news,” she said. She thought it was good anyway. Now that she’d moved past the shock of it. Mostly. “I might have a client. And my first decorating job since leaving Posh.” Posh Designs was her old firm in Cincinnati.
Rachel’s eyes lit with happiness for her, and Amy—Destiny’s poster child for cheerfulness—clapped her hands together excitedly. “Oh Tessa, that’s so great!”
“And it’s about time someone around here started appreciating your talents,” Rachel added. “So who’s the lucky Destiny-ite who finally got wise?”
“Welllll . . .” she began, “it’s Lucky Romo.”
As her friends’ faces both froze in horror, she could have heard a pin drop. She’d had a feeling they might not be crazy about the idea, but . . . she’d probably made Lucky sound pretty scary. Because he was pretty scary. Yet . . . in other ways, maybe he wasn’t—he’d helped her locate a missing cat, after all.
“Are you crazy?” Amy
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