Page 31 of With a Little Luck

Lucy starts to smile, then thumps me softly on the chest. “For the record, I do agree with Penny. If she gets to know you like we do, she is going to love you.”

“Thanks, Luce.” I give her a sideways hug, then wait for her to pretend to be annoyed by the affection and brush me off.

I hurry back to my room to change my shirt. Lastly, I snatch my red dice from my desk and shove it into the jacket’s inside pocket.

There’s no way I’m leaving it behind tonight.

84

Chapter Eleven

It’s a short ride to Maya’s neighborhood. I know she lives offVista del Sol—only because Quint mentioned it once, having been to her birthday party in middle school—not because I stalked her or anything. But I’ve never been to her house. There are some pretty nice homes in the area, the sorts with lion statues flanking their pillared stoops and working fountains in circular driveways, but as the limousine pulls up to the curb, a part of me is relieved to see that Maya’s house isn’t some behemoth mansion. It’s bigger than my house, with a better manicured yard and flower beds, but not overly fancy. White stucco walls, red-tiled roof, a front door painted bright Mediterranean blue and a lemon tree out front. It’s … welcoming.

I step out without waiting for the driver, who gives me a disapproving look, because evidently you’re supposed to wait for him to open the door? I was never taught proper limousine etiquette.

I square my shoulders and approach the blue door, clutching the bouquet of tiger lilies I picked up at the grocery store that afternoon.

My hand shakes as I ring the doorbell.

I don’t even have time to start panicking before it swings open. A broad-shouldered Black man with short hair and a trim goatee stands in the doorway, grinning at me. Maya’s dad, I presume.

“You must be Jude. Aw, you brought me flowers? You shouldn’t have!”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Um …”

“I’m just kidding. Come in! I’m Myles, and let me tell you, my85daughter is so excited for tonight. She wasshakingwhen she got home on Tuesday.” He extends his hand toward me with an appreciative nod. “Sadashiv concert. Well played.”

I smile awkwardly and try to stammer out a few words that don’t make me sound like a total goon, but I’m so nervous that honestly, I have no idea what I say to him. I accept the handshake, and even though he’s a head taller than me and looks like he would actually know what to do with a bench press machine, he doesn’t have one of those overly aggressive man-to-man handshakes.

“Dad, you better not be giving him a hard time,” says Maya, appearing at the top of a staircase.

“What? Me?” he asks, affronted. “Don’t worry, your mom has given me clear instructions to be on my best behavior. ‘Don’t grill the poor boy, don’t embarrass our daughter, don’t make her datenervous.’” He squints at Jude. “You’re not nervous. Are you?”

“No, sir,” I lie, clutching the flower stems so hard it’s a small miracle they don’t snap in my grip.

“See?” Myles looks pointedly at his daughter. “He’s fine. And he even brought me flowers! We’re getting along great.”

Maya rolls her eyes before turning her focus on me. “Hi, Jude.”

“Hi,” I respond, a little breathless as I take her in. Her black hair is scooped up into a high ponytail, the ends spilling around her ears like a shimmering waterfall. I think maybe I’m imagining the shimmer, but no—she’s dusted her hair with glitter, and has glitter on her eyelashes, too. With a silky white blouse and a pink skirt that swings around her legs as she descends the stairs, she looks like a magical fairy that’s just stepped out of the pages of a children’s book. A really gorgeous magical fairy. “You look …”

I realize then that I should have finished that sentence in my head before I started to speak it out loud. Nothing sounds right.Amazing. Incredible. Stunning.They’re all true, but the words get hung up, rotating on repeat in my head, and warmth is flooding my cheeks as I struggle to pick one, to say something—anything.86

Maya’s smile widens. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I swallow and nod.

“You look nice, too.” Her gaze lands to the flowers. “Are those …”

“Oh, right.” I hold up the lilies. “These are for your dad.”

Myles barks a laugh as I hold the flowers out to him. Even Maya giggles in surprise, and it’s the most magical sound in the universe. I would spend hoards of goblin gold to hear that sound again. Tocausethat sound again.

“No, no, I know you’re just being nice now,” says Myles, waving his hands.

I give the flowers to Maya as her mom appears in a doorway. I recognize her from various school functions over the years. She wears her curly hair cropped short, but otherwise she and Maya look a lot alike, including the freckles and the sort of smile that puts people immediately at ease. Usually. I’m such a nervous wreck there’s no putting me at ease in this moment.

“You must be Jude. I’m Cynthia.”

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