Carly Phillips - Lucky Charm

“Tell Holly I haven’t forgotten about our shopping trip.”

“Even if you had, she wouldn’t hesitate to remind you,” he said, chuckling.

Unable to control herself, Gabrielle let out a yawn. Her eyes were growing heavier with each passing minute.

“You should go get some sleep,” he said.

“No. I’m fine.” She wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet.

“Call me when you get to town tomorrow, okay?”

“’Kay,” she said sleepily.

“And remember if you have any problems, call my cousin Mike. You have the number I gave you?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Gabby?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember when we used to talk like this back in high school?”

She smiled at the memory. “We’d argue over who was more tired. Neither of us wanted to hang up first.”

She always used to fall asleep thinking that she loved him but couldn’t ever say so. He feared the word as much as the men in his family feared the curse. But she hadn’t had to say it. In her heart, she believed Derek had known she loved him back then.

Just as she loved him now…

GABRIELLE AWOKE WITH A start as the first rays of sunlight flowed through her bedroom window. She stretched and rolled over, her hip hitting a hard object.

She reached down to move…the telephone.

She’d fallen asleep while still on the phone with Derek last night, just as she’d done so often in the past. Smiling, she climbed out of bed, showered, put on her makeup and was getting dressed when her cell phone rang.

She dug her phone out from her purse and answered. “Hello?”

“Hi. It’s Sharon.”

“Where are you? I haven’t heard from you since you left for the conference. You librarians must be heavy-duty partiers,” Gabrielle said, laughing.

Sharon didn’t laugh. “I’m not at a conference.”

“Just where are you, then?”

“At the moment? I’m about half an hour from Stewart. My car broke down at the motel I’m staying at and I need you to come get me. I’ll explain when you get here.”

Gabrielle grabbed a pen and a pad she kept next to her kitchen telephone. “Give me the address. I’ll be right there.”

Sharon repeated the name of the motel and then, reluctantly, gave Gabrielle the address-which just happened to be in the same town she and Derek had found Sharon’s ex, Tony.

Gabrielle expelled a long breath, holding back from chastising her friend until she could do it in person. “Sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I knew I could count on you,” Sharon said.

Almost an hour later thanks to traffic and a miscalculated exit, Gabrielle pulled into the motel parking lot where Sharon’s car had died. Sure enough, Sharon’s sedan was in one of the parking spots.

Sharon walked out of a side motel entrance. Dressed in dark pants and a black tank top, sunglasses perched on a baseball hat, she joined Gabrielle. “I called AAA and they should be here soon. We can leave after they’ve towed my car.”

Gabrielle nodded. She seated herself on the curb and waited for Sharon to do the same. “Since we have time, do you want to explain why you look like a cat burglar? And make it good because I’m about to have you committed.” She raised an eyebrow and waited.

Sharon took a long breath. “I went to stalk Tony,” she said on a rush.

“You what!” Gabrielle jerked around to stare at her friend.

“It’s more rational than it sounds, I swear. I just wanted to see what he was up to. What his life is like. If it’s possible he’s reformed, as he claims.”

Gabrielle opened her eyes wider in disbelief. “Why didn’t you say something? I would have come with you!”

“That’s why. I had to do this for myself. I had to see for myself.”

“And?”

Sharon met her gaze. “He has a wife and a child!”

“Whoa. He said he lived with his sister. He lied?”

Sharon nodded. “Apparently so.”

“Now, that’s a shock. A convicted felon who’s also a liar.” Gabrielle bit the inside of her cheek. Now she understood why he’d stepped outside and hadn’t wanted to let them into the house. “So if he lied about that, what else is he lying about? He obviously didn’t want his family to know what he did to you.”

Sharon shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s weird, but I’ve watched him for a couple of days and he’s different. Mellow. More at ease than he ever was before. I actually do think he’s changed.”

“Or maybe he hasn’t and this life is a cover.” Gabrielle placed her hand over her friend’s.

“I considered that, too. There’s only one way to find out.”

“And that is?” Gabrielle was almost afraid to ask.

Sharon smiled grimly. “I’m going to have to confront him.”

Before Gabrielle could respond, the tow truck pulled up in front of them. She couldn’t continue this talk now, but once the car situation was settled, Gabrielle had every intention of nixing Sharon’s suicidal idea.

GABRIELLE PROMISED SHARON she’d drive her back to Stewart right after Gabrielle stopped at her apartment in Boston to pick up some notes regarding her upcoming interview with Mary Perkins. Since Sharon was preoccupied, Gabrielle didn’t mention that her room at the Rhodes Inn had been ransacked and she’d been forced to return home for good. She didn’t want to add to Sharon’s already high stress level.

And since Sharon was upset enough, Gabrielle didn’t even chastise her for stalking her ex. There would be time for that during the ride back to Stewart.

“What’s wrong?” she asked her friend, instead.

Sharon sighed. “I’m just wondering how much it’s going to cost me to get the car fixed, how I’m going to afford it on top of the blackmail.” She glanced out the window, pressing her forehead against the heavy glass.

Gabrielle’s heart went out to her friend. “It goes without saying…”

Sharon cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand. “I appreciate it, but unless I’ve exhausted all my options, I’ll make it work. I just need to vent and think things through,” Sharon said, her tone soft and full of appreciation.

Gabrielle nodded. She respected her friend’s independent streak.

Both women knew Gabrielle’s writing provided her with a surplus of income and she could more than afford to help Sharon with both the blackmail money and the repairs. But Sharon had a little too much pride. Her refusal to tell Richard about the blackmail was an example. If she needed help, financial or otherwise, Sharon understood Gabrielle would be there.

“We’re here.” Gabrielle pulled up to the curb by her brownstone. “Wait here. I’ll run in and get what I need.”

Sharon shook her head. “I’ll come in with you. I need to use your bathroom before we start the car ride home.”

Gabrielle left the car in the illegal No Standing zone and the women ran up the flights of stairs to Gabrielle’s unit, a two-bedroom apartment she’d leased upon her return from Florida.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Gabrielle noticed her door was open and an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu assaulted her.

“Did you leave this door-”

“No. Definitely not.” She cut Sharon off and halted in her tracks, not wanting to go any closer.

“You’re sure? Because sometimes I forget to lock my parents’ house, you know?”

“I’m positive. I locked it.” After her last night in Stewart, Gabrielle had diligently locked her door whenever she left.

She met Sharon’s worried gaze. “I guess now’s the time to tell you my room at Mrs. Rhodes’s was broken into and ransacked. The person left a calling card in red lipstick.” Gabrielle tried to swallow but her mouth had grown dry.

Sharon raised her eyebrows. “Well? What did it say?”

“You were warned!”

“Jeez, Gabrielle, you should have told me,” Sharon chided, her voice rising.

“Shh!” Gabrielle placed a finger to her lips. “We don’t know if anyone is still in there.”

Eyes wide, Sharon nodded.

“Follow me.”

Slowly and quietly they made their way back down the stairs. From the safety of her car, Gabrielle once again called 9-1-1.

DEREK WAS GETTING TOO OLD for these kinds of scares. Gabrielle had just called and informed him about the break-in at her Boston apartment. This time her computer had been stolen, as well as notes and papers on all her books.

She’d called 9-1-1, for which he was grateful, but she’d avoided calling his cousin. Derek had a hunch she didn’t want to involve his family and he let it go. As long as she’d brought the police in, he was satisfied.

It was obvious to Derek that someone wanted to send her a message-and they weren’t going to let a little thing like distance stop them.

Clearly, she wasn’t safe alone.

She hadn’t asked Derek for anything, but he knew she had nowhere to stay where she felt safe. She wouldn’t put her parents in danger any more than she would put Sharon and her parents, or Derek and Holly in harm’s way.

He’d had one helluva time convincing her to move in with him until the person harassing her was found. But eventually she’d gratefully relented.

He gathered his family together. Uncle Thomas, Hank and Holly sat in his large living room and listened as he explained what had happened to Gabrielle over the past few days.

“So I’m wondering how you’d feel about bunking with Grandpa and Uncle Thomas for a little while?” Derek leaned down on one knee as he asked his daughter’s opinion.

Since Holly had just recently come to stay with him and they were just starting to build a relationship, he didn’t intend for her to feel displaced or unwanted.

“Par-ty!” Holly said, obviously not upset by the request.

Derek rose to his feet, ignoring the stiffness that reminded him he had stopped going to the gym since his move back home.

“Are you sure?”

Holly swung her head around to look at her grandfather. “Can I stay up late? Eat cookies in bed? Watch whatever movies I want?”

Hank winked at her.

Derek shook his head, amazed at her sunny outlook. Bless her, she wasn’t hard to get along with, Derek thought.

“That was easy.”

Hank shook his head. “Not so fast. I’m not sleeping in the same room with her. She snores.”

Holly giggled.

Once again Derek was reminded of what a good man his father was when it came to his granddaughter. He always knew how to make her laugh.

“So nobody minds?”

“Of course not. You know we can take care of Holly without a problem. It’s Gabrielle’s safety that’s important,” Uncle Thomas said.

“Thank you,” Derek said.

Hank muttered something under his breath.

“Dad?”

Hank raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“That’s what I want to know. What’s bugging you?”

His father leaned his elbow against the arm of the sofa. “Nothing.”

“Then what were you mumbling about?”

Hank frowned. “You aren’t going to like it.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, anyway.” He’d rather have things out in the open.

“I’m just thinking that Gabrielle wouldn’t be in danger if she minded her own business. Digging into other people’s lives isn’t a very nice way to earn a living.”

“Holly, let’s go take Fred for a walk,” Uncle Thomas said. Rising from his seat, he gestured for her to follow him.

“But…” Holly remained sitting until her uncle forcibly pulled her up. “Fine,” she said, grumbling, clearly not happy about being left out of the conversation. “You know Grandpa’s just going to tell me later,” she said, shuffling her feet as she made her way out the door.

Derek would have laughed if he wasn’t so intent on dealing with his father. He strode over to Hank, who had risen to his feet.

“I think it’s time we have this out once and for all,” Derek said. “What do you have against Gabrielle? Please don’t tell me it has to do with her career choice or the subject matter of her newest book.”

“Fine.” He exhaled a harsh breath. “It’s not about the book. It’s about her. And you.”

Derek narrowed his gaze. “You always liked Gabrielle. So what gives now? Especially since you haven’t seen her in over ten years?”

Hank stomped over to the window and glanced out at the yard between their two houses. “When she first came back, it was about the curse. I didn’t want her dragging up old issues that should remain dead and buried.”

“Not possible, but go on.”

“When I saw how many people showed up for her talk, I realized you were right about that. People are fascinated by our love lives, or lack of them.” Hank braced his hands on the windowsill. “I resigned myself to her writing the damn book. Because whether she does or not, people around here are still going to gossip about the Corwin men.”