Page 76 of My Lucky Charm

“Whoa. You’re not a mistake,” I say instinctively.

She sets the iPad down. “I was. A total accident.”

“Not every accident is a mistake,” I say. “Who in the world told you that?”

She picks her iPad back up. “My grandmother. She doesn’t like me very much, I don’t think.”

My heart breaks a little. What on earth would possess someone, a grandmother no less, to call a child a mistake? I know practically nothing about Gray’s personal life, but I have to believe he’d be horrified if he knew she thought these things.

I’m trying to wrap my head around the scene in front of me when I overhear voices coming from the back of the apartment.

My guess is Gray and Scarlett’s mom are discussing this little girl, and all I can think to do is distract her.

But she surprises me by asking, “I bet you’re wondering why we’re here and not back in Philadelphia.”

“Uh, well, maybe I am. A little.” It’s strange and fun to carry on a conversation like this with an almost eleven-year old. “I mean, it’s your dad’s apartment,” I say. “Maybe you’re wondering why I’m here.”

She gives me a once-over. “He doesn’t have girlfriends, so you must work for him,” she shrugs, turning back to the screen.

“He—uh, doesn’t? Have . . . girlfriends? At all?” I stumble, knowing full well that I was hoping this was the case. “Ever?”

She shrugs again. “I’ve never met one.”

I wonder if the real reason he doesn’t date during the season is because he’s holding out for Scarlett’s mom. And while it’s a relief to know he’s not involved with a supermodel named Scarlett, there’s no way I’m getting in the middle of a family. That’s even worse than accidentally being someone’s mistress.

“So, which are you?” she asks.

“Which am I, what?”

“Girlfriend or employee?”

“Oh!” I say, flushed again. “No. You were right. I work for him.”

She nods. “Thought so.”

The voices in the back room get a little louder.

“Do you want something to eat?” I stand and walk around to the other side of the counter, opening the cupboard where I stashed a box of Lucky Charms, which is mine in case of emergencies. When I bought it, I was thinking more of a PMS emergency, but surprise child also fits.

I open a different cupboard in hopes of finding a bowl. Unlike the groceries, I didn’t put the dishes away.

“I know what you’re doing,” she says.

“Looking for a bowl,” I say.

“You’re trying to distract me.” She closes the cover on her iPad and points. “Just like they’re trying to have a conversation without me hearing.”

I stop moving and watch her. She’s smart. Really smart. Definitely feels older than almost eleven.

“My dad doesn’t have girlfriends, but my mom definitely has boyfriends,” she says.

I take a step toward her.

“A little while ago, she met Ted.”

“Ted?”

“Ted,” Scarlett repeats. “He works in a bank or somewhere super boring like that, but Mom thinks Ted’s great.” She rolls her eyes. “She thinks he’s great because he doesn’t play hockey.”

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