Page 72 of Clean Out of Luck

“That’s mine,” Jack says.

“Oh, thanks for getting it for me.” I grin and stand up to go hang it in my locker. The look on Scarlett’s face in the photo is giving me the courage to tell her how I feel.

I pull out my phone and call her again. No answer. It’s time to do something that might get me in trouble with her. And I can’t wait to see what she’ll do about it.

I text Phoenix.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Scarlett

Phoenix leavesa voicemail on my phone, which I don’t have a chance to listen to, but then he also sends two texts.

The second I finish sending files to an attorney, I look at my phone. It must be an emergency if he’s trying this hard to get a hold of me. I hope nothing’s happened with Grandma. Or that Mom hasn’t fallen into the swamp again.

PHOENIX

Why aren’t you answering Wade’s calls?

Wade is worried about you, so now I’m worried about you. Do I need to come home?

I stare at the empty coffee cup on my desk. I wonder if I were to scream inside it, if it would mute the sound of my frustration. Picking it up, I stare at the last few drops in the bottom. I’d better not risk it. It might amplify the sound of my misery.

My brother is threatening to come home because I won’t talk to his best friend about my feelings. Okay. Obviously, Phoenix doesn’t know that. This means Wade is playingcompletely unfair, getting my brother involved in something he doesn’t even understand.

I glance at Claire across the room and see that she’s watching me.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Debating on if I should start in on something else or clock out at a reasonable time.”

She straightens the pens on her desk, placing them in a perfectly straight line to the left of her computer. “I printed those files for you the other day.”

I glance up sharply. “What?”

“Yes, they’re on the shelf over there.” She gestures behind me. “Don’t say I never did something for you.”

We have a very old-fashioned system in the Serendipity Springs Courthouse. While we still file everything electronically, we’re also required to print and file a physical copy of each court transcript. And sometimes it takes forever. Even worse? The lawyers and attorneys are allowed to request physical copies as well.

“Claire. You can’t. You’ve just totally ruined my perception of you. You can’t change up on me now and start being nice. That would be unusually cruel.”

She smirks as she taps a stack of papers to straighten them. “It’s called psychological warfare, Scarlett. It’s my favorite.”

I stand up and grab the court document that’s ready for the lawyer who requested it. I can’t believe she actually printed it for me. That was rather sweet of her.

Weird.

There are too many things that aren’t adding up.

Too many things aren’t making sense.

On girls’ night I wished that Claire would be nice to me. I wanted her to do just one nice thing for me, so I knew she was human. Maybe the mopismagic.

I had wished Wade would kiss me—while holding the mop. And he did. That was definitely the wildest thing….but it seems strange that all of my wishes have come true. And how ridiculous do I sound, thinking that my mop is something that can magically grant my wishes?

I’ve heard the rumors that Serendipity Springs is magical. The Serendipity itself…now that building has lore out the wazoo. And what’s strange is that my wishes are just passing moments, not things I’ve given a lot of thought to.

“Why are you still staring at the papers?” Claire asks.

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