Page 47 of Bad Luck Club

Augusta cleared her throat. “I didn’t do anything. It was pointless since confidence isn’t an issue for me.” She nodded sideways toward Harry. “He needs it more than any of us. He’s more mouse than man.”

Harry’s face flushed, his eyes narrowing with rage, but he settled for giving her a dirty look.

Cal tipped his head, staring at her. “Augusta. Do you really think you’re confident, or is it something else?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I know what I like and where I stand. If that’s not confidence, what is?”

“We’re all supposed to do our challenges,” Harry said, rubbing his buzzed hair. “Even if we don’t think we need them.”

“That’s right,” Bear said. “Now, Auggie, if we knew exactly what we needed to do to be happy, we wouldn’t be here. That’s why your sponsor’s the one who assigns challenges to you. Cal knows your whole story. His challenges are meant to help you.”

From what little he’d seen of this group, Lee was starting to suspect “challenges” really meant dares.You don’t like to make a spectacle of yourself? I dare you to run naked through downtown.

No, thanks.

“It’s Rule #3A,” Bear continued. “‘Life isn’t a group project. If you don’t do the work, no one else will.’”

God, how many rules were there? Were they written down somewhere, or did Bear and Cal make them up as they went along? He got the sense the truth was closer to the latter.

“Fine,” Augusta said in a snippy tone. “I didn’t do the challenge. Seriously, you wanted me to compliment five strangers, Cal? How doesthatrequire confidence? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were setting me up to get mugged.”

Harry muttered something under his breath, and although Lee didn’t hear him, he caught the gist. Only a fool with a death wish would attempt to mug her.

Rather than look offended, she nodded and gave Harry a look that made him shrink into himself.

“Augusta,” Cal said gently. “Maybe now is a good time to remind everyone—and yourself—why you’re here.”

Her mouth set into a firm line again, and she seemed to grow taller as she puffed up with self-righteousness. “That’s a really good question. Maybe it’s to help all of the other losers in this group.”

More like bully them.

“Really?” Nicole asked, looking down her nose at the older woman. “At least the rest of us are still talking to our families.”

Some of the air leaked out of Augusta’s attitude. “That was my kids’ choice, not mine.”

“True,” Cal said intently, meeting her gaze. “But why did they choose it?”

Augusta shot daggers at him but didn’t say a word.

This was supposed to be a support group? Did these people even like each other?

Bear tapped his two index fingers together, then brightened like a dimmable lamp switched up to high. “What do you say we revisit our reasons for being in this group? It’ll help Lee get his feet under him. Now, obviously, we’ve already gotten to the crux of Augusta’s problem, so why don’t you go next, Harry?”

Harry looked startled, and his cheeks flushed again. “I…uh…I went out on an internet date. Everything was going really well, until I found myself talking about a conspiracy theory I’d just heard about.”

“It was more likethreetheories,” Dee said gently. “And one of them was that wearing a tinfoil hat would save you from the sun’s gamma rays.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Blue said. “It could have been worse. Remember, I went on a date with a guy who actuallyworeone to the coffee shop where we met?” She cast a glance at Lee and gave him a weary smile. “That was one of the things that drove me to answer Bear’s Craigslist ad. I realized I was purposely picking losers with no motivation so I wouldn’t have to deal with men like Remy. Taking charge of my life isn’t enough…I need to stop letting other people define who I am.”

That gave Lee pause. He was interested in Blue, but she had serious issues with men. Maybe she wasn’t a good rebound option for him. Or vice versa.

“Well,” Dee said, “Icame because I felt like a loser.” The blunt way she said it was almost impressive. “I’m a single mom with a deadbeat ex,” she continued, “and my job… I had a good one before the kids, but I stopped working for too long to find anything halfway decent. Now I make cold calls all day, trying to get people to buy tickets for cruises to the Bahamas when we all know it’s a rip-off, but my kids still have to eat.” She pushed out a heavy sigh. “I joined because I don’t want to feel this way anymore.”

A tear slid down her cheek, and she swiped it with her balled-up hand.

Lee felt a twinge of something he couldn’t interpret—sympathy, maybe—but he didn’t know what to say, or even if it would be appropriate to say something. In a way, she reminded him of his mom. A career cut short. A partner who didn’t carry his weight.

Blue reached over and put a hand on Dee’s arm, and the woman gave her a grateful smile.

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