Twisted Luck Read online

  Annie peered at me over the rims of her glasses in a no-nonsense librarian way. “You need to do better than your best, Olivia. Babu doesn’t help just anyone. If she decides to help you at all.”

  A call came over a loudspeaker, the male voice asking for Annie in a hushed, earnest tone like he was narrating a game of golf.

  “Break time is over.” Annie leaned in and bussed my cheek with a kiss. “I’ll get you details. Hang in there.”

  I fumbled for her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Thank her profusely for considering this. And thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Liv.” She hesitated a moment and squeezed my hands back. “I would have never expected this sort of…trouble…for you.”

  I sighed. “You’re not the only one who’s surprised.”

  ****

  I left the library to find I’d missed three voice messages. I listened while I walked to my car, the clouds parting to reveal brilliant sunlight that kissed my skin. The first caller wanted to put a sign in my yard to advertise their home security system. Good luck with that.

  The second was from my mom, confirming the time for lunch. We’d sort of glossed over that aspect earlier.

  The third was from my boss. Well, ex-boss since they’d fired me Friday. He sounded stressed and incredibly contrite when he asked to speak to me. That peaked my interest. Maybe luck was going to straighten that out, too.

  I had loved my job. I did graphic design for a large advertising company and got to live my art dream every day. My dream job had turned into a nightmare with a sabotaged project that had lost them a huge account. I couldn’t prove who had done it, so I was blamed, judged, and fired.

  I texted my mother and told her I’d be there around noon. Mom didn’t text well, but I didn’t want to discuss Leo yet. A phone call would lead into a diatribe without lunch. I wanted lunch, especially if Samuel was footing the bill.

  Wait.

  Now I was going to be footing the bill somehow, and Samuel liked an elegant lunch even if it was homemade. I frowned at that. We were going to need a budget. No way in hell was I supporting two demons to live high on the hog for the next decade. It just went against my practicalities.

  I got a “K” in response with a totally screwed up smiley face that she tried to redo twice before she gave up. I shook my head, amused.

  Next, I sucked in a breath and channeled my inner cool as I dialed my boss.

  “Olivia,” Roger Danburg said, relief ripe in his voice. “I’m so glad you called.”

  “Indeed.”

  “First, I wanted to clear up a few things. I believed you when you’d said the project had been sabotaged, and I spent the weekend doing the research to prove it. I’m thrilled to let you know you were right.”

  My brows flew up in shock. “I’m surprised, seeing you told me I was a lying bitch and you’d find a way to have me sent to prison or whatever nonsense. But thank you.”

  “Heat of the moment,” he dismissed. “My head was on the chopping block, too.”

  I thought rats on a sinking ship had to be kinder to each other, but whatever. My rush of good luck made me a little braver than I would normally be. I had nothing to lose since I had no job. “So get to the point, Roger. I have a job interview in ten minutes.”

  “Don’t bother going.” His voice rose on a note of panic. “We’d like to sweep this under the table and have you come back to your position here.”

  “And sweeping involves…”

  “Well, you come back.”

  “That’s it? Because this new job offers more vacation and a good raise. They’re incredibly excited at the opportunity to work with me, especially since they’d bid against us on the Merritt account and lost. They know that was my project.”

  Roger sucked in a breath and muttered, “Dammit.” He cleared his throat. “The ball is in your court, Olivia. I like your work.”

  “You like my work? That’s it. I worked like a dog for you, and you called me a bitch at the end.” Angry, I took a moment to center myself. “Who was behind this?”

  “I’m not going to discuss—”

  “You know all I have to do is pick up the phone and half the team will tell me in two seconds.”

  Now he sighed. “Ganfer. They fired him.”

  That didn’t surprise me. Mike Ganfer had been the team leader, and I had no clue how the man had stayed employed that long. He talked the talk and knew all the tricks, but when it came to getting the job done… Let’s just say he wasn’t a true team player. He was a team drinker.

  I adjusted the phone. “Sad to lose your right hand man, huh.”

  “The man had a sick wife and a drinking problem, and in his day, he had been a genius. He kept begging me to overlook things, and I didn’t have the heart to fire him.” Roger cleared his throat. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you all this, though.”

  I knew exactly why. The good luck spell seemed to have a truthfulness streak in it. Maybe I could push Roger into revealing more boundaries. “So…why are you so hot to have me back? You could fill my job tomorrow.”

  “You’re good at your job. You’re creative and work out of the box as well as in. You’re loyal and work hard. Plus, the client and Mr. Davenport want you back. Desperately. Hang on.”

  He covered the phone and murmured something to someone. “Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat again. He really needed to get that checked out.

  “I’m sorry, Olivia. Friday was a shambles, and I didn’t react in a professional way. I knew both sides of the story and should have listened. But more pressing, I need to get you to commit to coming back. They’re in a meeting. Now. Waiting for your response.”

  “Wow.” A blast of something purely triumphant and…vindictive…spread through my chest, along every nerve. I’d kissed Roger’s ass for a solid year with barely a nod in my direction. Success so sweet burst forth, and I could almost taste it on my mouth, better than any box of chocolate, any fine drink, any sunset on the Riviera.

  “So…will you come back?”

  So many things I wanted to say but decided to test the waters since I wasn’t quite sure how this luck thing worked. “I’d like a raise.”

  “Name your price,” he said in a tired voice that smacked of surrender. “You want Ganfer’s job—fine. You can have that and his pay rate. I have no clue why they want you that desperately, but they do. Just say yes.”

  Oh, sure. He wanted me back, but he didn’t feel I deserved that raise. Christmas morning lost all charm as I contemplated my new pile of presents, waiting for me to indulge. This was the position I had coveted, slaved for, drooled over. The control, the power, the outlet for creativity abound… I wanted this.

  I almost said yes. Almost. But something tacked that “yes” to my tongue and made me pause.

  Before me, in my mind, I saw a crossroads with me heading up the path to Ganfer’s job, enjoying his larger cubicle, being able to order lunch daily instead of bagging it. Creating ads that mattered, that broke boundaries, that won huge clients. Sweet, sweet revenge, vindication, and success all on the tip of my fingertips, waiting for me to snatch it.

  But the other crossroad begged exploring, and I could hear my mother’s voice as a moral compass as I peeked down that path. I saw me stressed out in the larger cubicle, working twice as long and hard, screwing up because I didn’t have enough experience yet, ending up fired anyway, my resume in a shambles. No amount of good luck was going to help me. Not at this point in my life.

  I closed my eyes, drew in a breath, and sighed. “Roger, in your honest opinion, what do I deserve?”

  “Deserve?”

  “What would you recommend that would keep Davenport happy, still make you look good, and yet compensate me for what I’ve done so far. We both know I’m not ready for Ganfer’s job. Make me an offer that’s fair.”

  “Uh.” I could almost hear him blink in surprise. “Ten percent raise, another week of vacation, and I’ll hook you up with a better work space.”r />
  That raise would cover Jessie’s portion of rent and then some. My workspace was shit, so I liked that, too. Warmth of a different kind replaced the vindication, and a haze of peace washed over me. “Done.”

  “Olivia.” A breath of relieved air whooshed from his end of the line. “Thank you.”

  “But I’m taking this week off, Roger.” I had to solve this whole soul thing first. “And a week when my mother gets married.” I didn’t want to even go there, but better to get the time off now.

  “Whatever you need. I’ll email another contract to review and see you next Monday.”

  I hung up, stared at my phone for a moment, and laughed. One straight from the heart, one of pure happiness and joy. For once, I had gotten what I deserved.

  And I thanked whoever upstairs, looking over my shoulder. Despite selling my soul, that good in me was still there, fighting.

  Maybe all hope wasn’t lost.

  ****

  “Liv!” My mother beckoned from the dining room as I made my way through Samuel’s house to the elegant kitchen at lunchtime. “I have everything laid out on the table. Come, tell me what you think.”

  I now looked at Samuel’s sprawling house with fresh eyes that tabulated the wealth like a calculator on crack. The kitchen had top-of-the-line quartz counters, elegant appliances a professional chef would sell a kidney to use. The cabinets held every pot, pan, spice, and sundry a chef could wish for.

  My mom sat at the head of an ornate, antique dining table that gleamed with polish beneath the heaps of wedding junk. The matching hutch behind her held priceless china, the chandelier overhead sparkled with Waterford crystal. The antique rug I sank my bare feet into was probably worth more than a whole herd of chefs’ kidneys on some foreign black market.

  Before, I’d thought my mom damned lucky for landing a sweet, hot Sugar Daddy. After her shitty life and struggle, she deserved to live the good life. Sure, she was self-sufficient and didn’t need a man for support, but there was something comforting about knowing she had a safety net.

  My soul was footing the bill for this nonsense, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. It just wasn’t fair. She deserved an awesome, rich man because she was amazing, not because her soul was worth a fortune.

  “Mom,” I greeted. I gestured to the piles of wedding paraphernalia spread over the table. “What’s this?”

  “Well, Samuel suggested that you and I spend the week hammering out wedding details, since you’re no longer employed.” She beamed, her cheeks pink with excitement. “He said for me to spare no expense and make this my dream wedding. He also said for you to send him a resume.”

  Resume, my ass.

  “Sure,” I choked out, trying to fake excited on both accounts. “That’s kind of him.”

  Her hand swiped a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “Can you imagine,” she lowered her voice and placed her hand beneath her throat, “me, having a dream wedding with the perfect man?”

  “You deserve to be happy, Mom.” With some other guy who doesn’t want to rob you blind of your most valued possession.

  “My last wedding was a hasty set of vows in the courthouse with a bouquet of gas station roses and you in a diaper.” She touched my sleeve.

  I looked up from the brochure I was scanning. The bittersweet smile on Mom’s face was one laced with the pain we’d both suffered. “We made it through.”

  “I wish it had turned out better.”

  “You did fine.” I didn’t want this to turn into a maudlin tear-fest, so I forced a laugh. “And I didn’t do much better with David. We seem to have a penchant for picking the wrong guy the first time around.”

  Mom frowned as she studied me. She brightened and gestured with a hand. “But now I have Samuel, and maybe…you liked Leo a little bit?”

  Oh hell, leave it to her to work that right in. Fast. “It’s a little early to tell.”

  Mom leaned forward on her elbows with a smile that edged on too bright. “But he’s just your type, honey. I could just feel the chemistry between you two.”

  “I definitely feel a…pull. I can’t deny that.” Signing a contract with virginal blood did that. I cleared my throat as she beamed. “I do have great news to share.”

  “Do tell,” Samuel said from behind me. “We could all use some good news.”

  I jumped, startled.

  Mom beamed harder as she glanced up at him. I swear that woman’s cheeks were going to fall off with all this…smiling hard. He brushed past me to drop a kiss to one of my mother’s very pink cheeks.

  “Go ahead, Liv.” Mom settled her pink cheek against Gabriel’s arm as he stood next to her.

  I cleared my throat. “Well, I got my job back.”

  “That’s wonderful.” My mom extended a hand toward me. I took it, and she squeezed my fingers hard.

  “Indeed,” Samuel agreed with a quirk of his lips that reminded me too much of Leo. He slung an arm around my mom’s shoulders and hugged her close, the picture perfect boyfriend. “So what happened?”

  I swallowed down the bile as my mom cozied up to him. “Well…”

  I quickly briefed them over the phone call. My mom listened intently, her eyes bright as she almost held her breath.

  Samuel, however, furrowed his brow and cocked his head as I told my tale. Change rattled as he slid his hand into his pocket, yet another Leo-ism. Only this change jingled in annoyance.

  I finished, and my mom clapped her hands again. I never noticed how much she did that before, but given she’d taught preschool for years before turning her sights to home interior design, it made sense. She was happier than she’d been in a long, long time. Too bad it wouldn’t last.

  “That’s wonderful,” she exclaimed. “A raise and you’ll still have time to help me plan this wedding. I don’t think we could get any luckier than that.”

  “Yes, excellent good fortune,” Samuel remarked dryly.

  “Yeah.” I dared to glance at my mother’s boyfriend. “No need for me to fill out a resume for the family business.” I doubted they hired humans, anyway.

  The change stopped jingling, and Samuel narrowed his eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask for more. I’m sure a company like that would reward your skill set handsomely.”

  “In this economy?” I laughed at his hidden displeasure. “You deal in…acquisitions. I’m sure you’ve seen an impact.”

  “Our market is quite steady at this point.” He squeezed my mom’s shoulders as she glanced up at him, concerned for his welfare. “No need to worry, Muriel.”

  My mom smiled, the picture of serene acceptance. “We have everything we need. A roof over our heads, food on the table. I’m not worried in the least. I know you can handle it.”

  I snorted internally. No way was Samuel going to live on Ramen cooked in a cramped, dingy apartment. But my mom would, and she’d be just as happy. Been there, done that.

  “Well. I think this calls for a little toast.” My mom rose.

  Samuel stepped aside. She paused, and he bent to kiss her lips. They created the perfect picture of romance with his dark hair and good looks contrasting with mom’s blonde bob and slender frame. My heart ached, wanting that to be real in the worst way.

  Mom gestured to the kitchen. “I’m going to get some champagne.”

  Oh, God. No. “There’s no need—”

  “Of course, whatever you want.” Samuel smiled fondly. “I have the perfect bottle chilling in the wine cellar.” He cocked his head in my direction. “I’m always prepared for the best of news.”

  “That he is,” Mom called, on the move.

  “You want me to get that?” Samuel asked.

  “No, no. I need to stretch my legs,” she sang, her steps retreating down the steps.

  And with that, I was left alone with the devil himself. Or not. Whatever he was, anger flashed over his face as he took a step closer. The heat of his body blasted me, which seemed weird, but then again, he wasn’t human. “How did you do that?”


  “Do what?”

  “Resist.” He stared hard at me as if trying to find a way inside my brain. “You should have taken the better position. There was no contest.”

  I blinked. “I thought about it, and yeah, it was a sweet deal, but I didn’t have the experience. I instead asked for what I was worth.”

  He blinked, too, staring into my eyes like he was trying to search my owned soul. “How?”

  “I—I don’t know.” Fear swirled as bile bubbled in my throat. I sensed something huge was on the line, something that could cost my mom dearly if I wasn’t honest. “I was able to look at the options and took the choice that worked the best for my situation.” I shrugged as his glower grew darker. “That’s what I do.”

  His lips pursed into a thin line as he glanced over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Leaning down, he hissed, “When you wished, what did you wish for.”

  He didn’t know? “Luck. The good kind.”

  His face went white like a ghost or like paint chip True White. His fingers opened and closed as if he wanted to grab my throat in that huge palm and choke it.

  Terror gripped my heart. I held my breath and tried to sort this out over the pounding of my heart. Obviously, Leo hadn’t told him everything. I would bet a winning lotto ticket that Leo would be getting an earful later, too.

  “Let’s get something very straight, Olivia,” Samuel said through gritted teeth, his voice tight with anger. “You will not botch this up. Do you understand? Leo has already messed this up on his end. You cannot get in the way. If you do, your mother will suffer a quick soul reaping, and you’ll be left here, alone, with all that guilt. Do you get it?”

  I licked my quivering lips as I stared into his glittering black eyes. “I get it.”

  “Do you?” He leaned closer and tipped my chin with a long, cold finger. The scent of his cologne seared my nostrils with its cloying, musky scent. “Did Leo lay down the rules? Because rules are important.”

  “We…talked.” But obviously, not enough. He’d never mentioned rules. Desperate situations called for even more desperate lies.

  “I will not accept anymore botch-ups. He’s going to be the boyfriend your mother so desperately wants you to have. You are both to present a happy couple and get her down the aisle. Do you understand?”