Page 22 of Luck of the Draw

It was a fair question. It was a giant crucifix, and a little graphic, to be honest.

“No, and I usually take it down after FaceTiming with my nonna. I’m more of a lapsed Catholic, but she asked me to hang it up in my new apartment, and I don’t want to be the one to give her a heart attack.”

Her expression changed, her eyes warm as whipped honey. “You’re close to your family, aren’t you?”

The moment felt like it had changed, the heat running out of it and a different kind of warmth taking its place, so I wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the futon. I pulled a crocheted blanket over us, and she snuggled into me as if we’d been together forever. Something tugged at my heart, and I found myself wanting more of this. Whatever it was.

“Yeah, sometimes I think we’re a little too tight, though I wouldn’t change it for the world. But my brother and my dad are pissed at me for moving here. They don’t understand why I’d duck out on the family company to live here by myself and work as a bartender.” I shrugged. Because maybe they had a point.

“Why did you?” she asked. “It must be hard for you to be away from them.”

I could tell her the whole saga, but I didn’t want to change the way she was looking at me—seeing pity in her eyes would be too much for me—so I settled for a piece of the truth. “I had the future mapped out, and when it changed, I needed to change too. I knew if I stayed there I wouldn’t be able to breathe.”

She snuggled in closer. “Then Dottie was right about you too. You really were in the right place at the right time.”

I’d never felt it more keenly.

I dipped my head and kissed her forehead. “Let’s just lie out here and watch some TV for a while.”

She nodded, and I grabbed the remote and turned to HGTV.Property Brotherswas playing, and I grinned at her. “Maybe we can get some ideas for my place. You know, fancy it up so it’s only sort of a shithole by the time Tina gets here.”

She laughed and tightened her hold on me, but something was sparkling in her eyes. “You know,” she said after a moment, “I usually watch this alone.”

From the way she said it, I couldn’t be sure what she meant. Whether she’d prefer to be alone now. Whether she was maybe planning on sneaking out before I caught her.

So I asked, “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect.”

Chapter Seven

Dee

By lunchtime,I figured I had to be in a coma. That was the only way I could explain why I was still at Dylan’s place. Why he was still looking at me like I was the sexiest woman alive. Why we’d had sex in every room of his apartment…okay, it was small, but still. I was going to be sore for days, but it would be worth every bit of discomfort.

But after he made us grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch—with Gruyèrecheese, not American!—I realized that I would need to wake up from this fairy tale soon. The Bad Luck Club meeting was at three, and I really needed to go. Besides, the longer I stayed and put off the inevitable, the harder this was going to be. So after we ate, I found my phone and went into the bathroom to text Sam.

I need you to come pick me up. Are you free?

She responded immediately.Are you still with the hot bartender?!?!?!

I couldn’t help smiling.Yes, but I need to go home, and I don’t have my car.

You don’t want him to take you?

No.

I’d given it plenty of thought over the last hour, as it became painfully obvious that I would have to leave la-la land and return to my everyday life, with random knitted atrocities tucked all over the house and workdays full of strangers shouting obscenities at me for cold-calling about the cruises. Better for me to leave him here, where all the memories were good, rather than endure an awkward drive to my place. It would be a clean break.

Sure, she sent. Undoubtedly she had questions, but I knew she would wait to ask them later.When and where?

I sent her a pin of my location, then texted,Give me an hour.

Call me a glutton for punishment, but I was greedy and wanted a little more time with him. Lord knew when I’d ever have an experience like this again, but even as the thought floated into my head, I knew the answer. Never. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I would be devastated to walk away.

I left the bathroom wearing Dylan’s T-shirt, wondering where my dress had ended up. I would need to change, and now it all felt awkward.

He smiled when I walked into the kitchen and held his arm out to me. He was rinsing the skillet under the kitchen faucet.

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