Page 12 of My Lucky Charm

I glance up and find Dad looking at me, so I quickly fill him in, and when I sign the name Grayson Hawke, he jumps to his feet.

“They want you to work for Grayson Hawke?” he signs as I ask out loud, both of us focused on Dallas.

“I take it you’re a fan,” Dallas says to Dad with a grin. Then, Poppy signing: “Mick, maybe I should’ve gotten you the job.”

Our dad waves him off, but then his expression changes, and he points, as if to say, ooh, maybe.

“So, what, he’s a big deal or something?” I ask, signing.

Dad’s eyes go wide, and he starts signing frantically while I speak his words out loud, though not with the same inflection as he would, I’m sure. “Eloise, are you kidding? Don’t you know who Grayson Hawke is?”

I shoot him a seriously expression and sign, “No, Dad, I couldn’t care less about hockey.” I glance at Dallas. “No offense.”

He frowns. “I’m highly offended. Hockey is my life.”

“Excuse me?” Poppy straightens. “I thought I was your life.”

He smiles at her, kisses her on the cheek and stands. “Nope, just hockey.”

He scoots away just in time to dodge the thwap! from Poppy’s towel.

He laughs. “You’ll have to be quicker than that.”

Poppy narrows her eyes in mock anger and Dallas responds with a smitten grin. “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone want anything?” He attempts to sign this while he says it, but only manages Anyone drink? and I have to hold back a snarky reply.

Dad nods that he’ll drink whatever Dallas brings and goes back to his game as Poppy looks at me. “Maybe don’t think of this as a job, Eloise. Think of it as a way to help someone in need. Like a stray dog at the shelter.”

“Right. A rich and famous hockey player is exactly like a stray dog.” I grab another chip and pop it in my mouth.

“He didn’t want this trade,” Poppy says. “He’s miserable. And, since Dallas is the team captain, he wants to do whatever he can to make his transition a smooth one.”

I frown. “I still don’t understand what it all has to do with me.”

“Gray is alone here,” Poppy says. “No family, no friends. It’s a whole new place and a whole new team. And frankly, he’s a little . . . crabby.”

“Crabby?”

“Eh . . . salty.”

“Salty,” I repeat, dryly. “Can you describe him by using words that aren’t related to food?”

She shoots me an unamused look. “He’s . . .” she seems to be searching for the right words. “He’s . . . just . . . hard to know.”

“So basically, you’re sticking me with a crabby, salty, hard-to-know guy who doesn’t want to be here,” I say.

Poppy grimaces. “Well . . .”

I give an exasperated sigh. “Where do I sign up?”

“I’m sure he’s a great guy once you get to know him.”

“Oddly, you don’t sound sure.” I pull the bowl of chips into my lap and eat them one after the other.

Poppy frowns. “You’re going to ruin your dinner.”

“I’m a bottomless pit,” I say, thankful for the change of topic. Poppy and Raya don’t know the whole truth about why my last job ended, but the job itself wasn’t all that different from what they’re asking me to do now.

I really liked that job.

---