Page 21 of Just My Luck

She stood with a triumphant look on her face. “You can think about it, but you know I’m right. This is going to work.”

I stood, still reeling from the conversation.

Sloane took one step forward and planted her hand against my chest. My heart hammered, and I prayed she didn’t notice.

She smiled and my stomach swooped. “I’m going to be the best wife you’ve ever had.”

She left me slack jawed and staring as she sauntered around the brewing equipment and disappeared down the hallway.

NINE

SLOANE

Holy shit,I did it.

I had asked Abel to marry me, and he hadn’t said no.

He hadn’t said no.

The singular thought zipped through me as I typed the wordsIs a fake marriage for a trust fund considered fraud?into the search engine on my phone. When only a few articles relating to immigration laws popped up, I blew out a quick sigh of relief.

I also cleared my search history... just in case.

Walking in the summer sun down Main Street, I mentally high-fived myself.

Girl, you’ve got this. We’re both getting what we need. Besides, Dad would be proud of your entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll be married on paper, but no one even needs to know.

A tiny pang of guilt pinched my side when I thought of my friend Sylvie. She’d probably be hurt that I’d married her brother and didn’t bother to tell her... even if it was just a business arrangement.

The guilt gnawed at me.Maybe tellingoneperson wouldn’t be so bad...

I returned the polite smiles and friendly waves as I passed people on the sidewalk.

In my time living in Outtatowner, I was getting better at recognizing the faces of townies and those of tourists spending their weekends and summer months in the small, coastal town. The tourists held an excited glint in their eye as though they were awestruck by the towering dunes and clear Michigan waters.

The townies still appreciated the view but held it more in quiet reverence. The sandy soil and coastal breeze were more like the steady hum of breath or the thump in their chests—always reliable, and always there.

When I passed the Sugar Bowl—the best bakery in three counties and Outtatowner’s local gossip spot—and peeked through the large front window, I didn’t spot Sylvie working. A small sigh of relief passed over me. I would find a better time to break the news to my best friend that I was considering marrying her mysterious brother in order to get my life back on track.

Abel and I hadn’t made any final decisions, so I was confident that talk could wait for another day. With the line to the Sugar Bowl nearly out the front door, I glanced across the street at the little café near the corner. The coffee wasn’t nearly as good, and the pastries were almost always stale.

I was grumbling with indecision when a movement caught my eye.

Down the road in the direction of the beach, a man stood wearing sunglasses. He leaned against the light post with one ankle casually draped over the other... but not just any man—him.

And he was staring right at me.

Doubts that Ben had seen Jared in Wegman’s Grocer evaporated. There he was, standing in the middle of a bustling sidewalk, staring right at me. The blood drained from my face and my knees wobbled. My tongue went thick and fat. I could hardly swallow, and it felt like sawdust lined my throat.

The connection between Outtatowner and me was so slim I had thought it would be impossible to find us. In fact, Granddad was the father of my dad’s second wife. He was the grandfatherly figure I’d known as a child, but technically we weren’t even related by blood. When I fled California, taking Granddad’s last name and moving in with him was a comfort.

After the fire was ruled arson, my doubts that I had actually escaped became more real. Maybe hecouldfind us. I simply hadn’t wanted to believe a place like Outtatowner wouldn’t be safe for us.

My heart squeezed as the world narrowed around me. My breaths sawed in and out of my lungs, and I was struck with fear, unable to move.

“Sloane, right?” The words behind me barely registered, but I blinked in their direction. “Hey, are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Royal King stood holding the door to his tattoo shop open as he stared at me with bewilderment.

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