don’t use it to wish for a Barbie doll or a new bike or something stupid like money, you know what I’m saying?” Ruby paused for a moment until Piper met her eyes again. “Do you have something you want that bad?”
Piper hesitated, but then nodded.
“Okay, then.” Ruby pushed up from her chair and walked over to stand next to Piper. “You need to face east.”
Piper stood up as well. “Which way is east?”
“ You know which way is east.”
“ No, I don’t.”
Ruby sighed. What the hell were they teaching kids in school these days? “Where does the sun rise from?”
Piper closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. “Over there,” she said, pointing toward the big window at the front of the office.”
“ Okay.” Ruby felt a wave of love rush through her. Kid was smart. “Now you know where east is. Face it.”
Piper turned to face the window.
“Close your eyes. Good. Now cup it in your hands, place your hands over your heart, and make your wish, but don’t say it out loud. Just think it in your head, three times.”
Piper cupped the coin in her hands and pulled them in to her chest, her brow furrowed in concentration. After a long moment, her face smoothed out.
“Now what?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
“ That’s it. You can open your eyes now.”
The girl opened her eyes. “How long does it take?”
“ It takes as long as it takes,” Ruby said. “But it will happen, if you believe it. Do you believe it?”
Piper let out a deep breath, but then a soft smile broke on her face and she nodded. “Yes.”
“ Good.”
Piper held the coin out to Ruby. “Tha nk s.”
Ruby shook her head and walked back to the desk. “It’s yours now. If anyone else touches it, it’ll break the wish. Keep it in the pouch and carry it in your pocket during the day, then put it under your pillow at night. Then, when the wish comes true, you put the pouch somewhere safe and hide it until you need it again.”
She watched as Piper gingerly took the pouch, tucked the coin inside, and put it into her front pocket.
Ruby sat back in her chair and tried to remember the words the way her grandfather had said them all those years ago. “Now, I don’t know what you wished for, but whenever you feel like you don’t have any control over your life, you just remember that wish, and try not to get upset. You’ve got old Irish magic working for you now, and that’s the most powerful thing on earth.” Something like that, anyway.
Piper sat down in the chair opposite Ruby. “Whose turn was it?”
“ Mine, I think.” Ruby flipped her card over. The four of spades. She slapped, getting her hand in just under Piper’s.
“ Damnit.” Piper pulled her hand back, but she was smiling, and her face was a hell of a lot brighter than it had been all day.
“ That’s what happens when you get cocky,” Ruby said as she gathered her winnings from the center of the desk. “I may be old, but I’ve still got a trick or two left in me, and don’t you forget it.”
***
Two million dollars.
It had been all Nate had been able to think about all day. At the lumber yard, at the farmers’ market, driving back home, those three words repeated over and over in his head. Two million dollars. Two million dollars. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten the offer, and what he couldn’t believe even more was that he’d turned it down.
Two million dollars.
He pounded another nail into the support post on Number Four as hard as he could. Freya’s car was gone, so there was no one to be bothered by it, but even pounding nails wasn’t making the pit in his stomach any less hollow.
Two. Million. Dollars.
That money could get Piper through college. Twice. He could set Ruby up with enough to be comfortable for the rest of her life and still have some left over to get state-of-the-art everything for the kitchen in the restaurant.
But instead, he was here, in Crap Creek, Idaho, fixing the stupid railing on
Piper hesitated, but then nodded.
“Okay, then.” Ruby pushed up from her chair and walked over to stand next to Piper. “You need to face east.”
Piper stood up as well. “Which way is east?”
“ You know which way is east.”
“ No, I don’t.”
Ruby sighed. What the hell were they teaching kids in school these days? “Where does the sun rise from?”
Piper closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. “Over there,” she said, pointing toward the big window at the front of the office.”
“ Okay.” Ruby felt a wave of love rush through her. Kid was smart. “Now you know where east is. Face it.”
Piper turned to face the window.
“Close your eyes. Good. Now cup it in your hands, place your hands over your heart, and make your wish, but don’t say it out loud. Just think it in your head, three times.”
Piper cupped the coin in her hands and pulled them in to her chest, her brow furrowed in concentration. After a long moment, her face smoothed out.
“Now what?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
“ That’s it. You can open your eyes now.”
The girl opened her eyes. “How long does it take?”
“ It takes as long as it takes,” Ruby said. “But it will happen, if you believe it. Do you believe it?”
Piper let out a deep breath, but then a soft smile broke on her face and she nodded. “Yes.”
“ Good.”
Piper held the coin out to Ruby. “Tha nk s.”
Ruby shook her head and walked back to the desk. “It’s yours now. If anyone else touches it, it’ll break the wish. Keep it in the pouch and carry it in your pocket during the day, then put it under your pillow at night. Then, when the wish comes true, you put the pouch somewhere safe and hide it until you need it again.”
She watched as Piper gingerly took the pouch, tucked the coin inside, and put it into her front pocket.
Ruby sat back in her chair and tried to remember the words the way her grandfather had said them all those years ago. “Now, I don’t know what you wished for, but whenever you feel like you don’t have any control over your life, you just remember that wish, and try not to get upset. You’ve got old Irish magic working for you now, and that’s the most powerful thing on earth.” Something like that, anyway.
Piper sat down in the chair opposite Ruby. “Whose turn was it?”
“ Mine, I think.” Ruby flipped her card over. The four of spades. She slapped, getting her hand in just under Piper’s.
“ Damnit.” Piper pulled her hand back, but she was smiling, and her face was a hell of a lot brighter than it had been all day.
“ That’s what happens when you get cocky,” Ruby said as she gathered her winnings from the center of the desk. “I may be old, but I’ve still got a trick or two left in me, and don’t you forget it.”
***
Two million dollars.
It had been all Nate had been able to think about all day. At the lumber yard, at the farmers’ market, driving back home, those three words repeated over and over in his head. Two million dollars. Two million dollars. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten the offer, and what he couldn’t believe even more was that he’d turned it down.
Two million dollars.
He pounded another nail into the support post on Number Four as hard as he could. Freya’s car was gone, so there was no one to be bothered by it, but even pounding nails wasn’t making the pit in his stomach any less hollow.
Two. Million. Dollars.
That money could get Piper through college. Twice. He could set Ruby up with enough to be comfortable for the rest of her life and still have some left over to get state-of-the-art everything for the kitchen in the restaurant.
But instead, he was here, in Crap Creek, Idaho, fixing the stupid railing on
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