Six Times a Charm

by Deanna Chase

  “You don’t have to do that. You have to work tomorrow and need to get some sleep. I’ll be fine, really. It’s not as bad as it looks,” I said as I flipped over a small table.

  “I’m not sure how much sleep I’ll get after all the commotion. Also I need to listen and make sure no one comes back.”

  “Are you kidding me? I can’t let you do that. Besides, I doubt they’ll return to the scene of the crime tonight.” I never intended to drag Jack into the craziness I call life. Now he felt as if he needed to be my watchdog. “I’ve already decided I’ll have a security system installed tomorrow.”

  “It’s an excellent idea. I’m glad you said that. As a matter-of-fact, I was going to suggest it. In your apartment too?”

  “Yes, in the apartment too,” I reassured him.

  He moved closer, kissed me lightly on the lips, lingered for a moment and said, “Let’s clean this mess up then. What do you want me to do?”

  “Well, I keep a broom and dustpan in that closet over there.” I wiggled my eyebrows, hoping he’d take the hint that I wanted him to sweep. I hate sweeping with a passion.

  Jack sauntered over to grab the broom—he looked so delish in his jeans I practically drooled—and I felt relieved. Not just because I hate sweeping, but also because I didn’t want him perusing the files as he picked them up. Jack began rescuing pieces of my figurines while I stuffed all the documents securely away in the filing cabinet away from prying eyes. He watched a few seconds as I hurried the files away.

  “Tell me about these porcelain figures.” He picked up the head of an elephant.

  “They’re not worth anything. Sentimental value to me, really. I started collecting them when I was sixteen. It started with that frog over there, and it’s grown over the years with friends and family members giving them to me.”

  “Maybe we can repair them. I think they’re salvageable.” He held another one in his hands. Its arms were broken off—it was one of my favorites, a monkey.

  “I’m not so sure that’s possible.” I shrugged. “I’m terrible with glue. I always end up with my fingers stuck together.”

  He chuckled. “How about you let me take a stab at repairing them? I’ll test my skills and see if I’m any better. Let me grab a box from my office to collect them in. I’ll be right back.” Jack disappeared around the corner and I surveyed the room. Most of the mess was gone. The only thing left were the window shades that were torn and lying in a crumpled mess on the floor. I’d have to buy new ones tomorrow.

  “Got it. I’m just going to put all of the figurines in here and see what I can do to mend them. They’ll be safe with me, don’t worry.” He gently placed the pieces in the box.

  “Do you have tiny little bandages for them?”

  “I can make some.” He smiled comfortingly.

  My head swirled thinking about the comments Jack had made earlier. He couldn’t resist me. In spite of thinking my life was crazy after our ghost tour, he couldn’t fight his feelings for me. I really didn’t know what to think. I thought he’d never speak to me again, and the next thing I knew he kissed me. Although, now that he’d seen the files, he might have changed his mind yet again.

  “Thank you for everything.” Suddenly my voice sounded shy.

  “You’re welcome. Now go get some rest. And promise me you’ll never come down here alone if you hear something again. I’m right next door, remember? Come and get me first.” Would he offer help if he knew my werewolf status?

  Jack kissed me ever so lightly on the lips and then guided me back up the stairs to my apartment door. I couldn’t help but feel his kiss had cooled after reading my papers. But then again, he didn’t run away as if I were nuts, he’d stayed around to help clean up and offered to repair my figurines. So maybe I jumped to conclusions.

  “You could have been killed,” he warned.

  “I’ll never do it again, I promise.” I said it, but I wasn’t sure it was a promise I could keep.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I offered a wave and closed the door. I could smell his scent in his wake.

  As I made my way across the hallway, this time making sure to feel for walls, Jennifer popped her head from the door of her bedroom. “What’s going on?” she asked sleepily.

  “Someone broke into my office. Messed everything up. They even broke my figurines.”

  “You’re kidding. Lily?”

  “I guess.” I shrugged. “Everything is just so strange lately. Between the people looking for Ernie, Lily and the strange wolves attacking me, I don’t know what to think anymore.” I didn’t tell her about the latest attack. It was too late to describe the abhorrent details. I felt on the cusp of a nervous breakdown.

  “So what happened with the office? Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Everything happened so quickly I didn’t have a chance. I heard noises coming from downstairs, so I jumped from bed and ran down there. Jack heard it and helped me. He called the police.”

  Jennifer’s mouth formed a fanatical smile. “That explains why you didn’t wake me.”

  “That’s not the reason, and stop smiling at me like that.” I gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Whatever you say. Tell me. What did Jack think about it? He must have been surprised.”

  “Not much, really. Surprisingly he didn’t offer medication, or hospitalization. Considering the other things going on around me, I’m shocked he didn’t. He saw papers on my desk with the words werewolf and vampire.”

  “What? And he didn’t say anything about it?”

  “I made up a silly story about the words being my code.”

  Jennifer swayed slightly as if she might faint. “That’s not good.”

  “Easy, girl, everything is fine. If it’ll make you feel better, he did mention he can’t resist me.” Adding the last part nonchalantly was a lot of fun. I’d have her salivating for details in no time.

  “What? Oh my God. Well, that’s wonderful. So he believed the crazy story? I knew he was really into you. I could tell by the way he looks at you. What happened? Tell me every single detail.” She yanked me over for a hug. Her hair smelled like strawberries.

  “Breathe, Jennifer. Breathe.”

  She waved a hand, telling me to get on with it.

  “He kissed me. And his hands went places… His butt is fabuloso, by the way. He told me he couldn’t resist me… Oh wait. I already mentioned that part, didn’t I?”

  Jennifer practically swooned.

  “Anyway, enough about that right now. I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

  “And Jack isn’t joining you?” she singsonged.

  “Not yet. I’m not rushing anything.” Like the curse.

  “So what did the police say? Do they know about Lily and the werewolves?”

  “Nada. Nothing. They asked me if I had enemies. I mentioned Lily. They half-ass dusted for fingerprints. Said they’d be in touch. Blah, blah, blah. Since nothing seemed to be missing, I doubt I’ll ever hear from them again. Tomorrow I’m having a security alarm installed in the office and in here too. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Oh no. Does that mean I’ll have to remember a code or something?”

  “Yes, or something.”

  “I’m not good with codes.”

  “So I’ve heard. But it’s for our safety.” I stretched and let out a yawn. “I’m really tired. I’ve gotta get some sleep.”

  “Goodnight.” Jennifer paused at her door. “Rylie, do you think were safe here?”

  The knowledge of what I put her through made me ill. I turned to study her and offered reassurance. “Yeah, Lily is just messing around, that’s all. It’ll blow over soon enough.”

  Jennifer arched her brow hesitantly. “All right. I’ll take your word for it. I hope you’re right.”

  “Goodnight.”

  “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Jennifer sang.

  I closed the door, slipped off my clothes and jumped into bed. Snuggling down under the sheet
s, I stared at the ceiling. In the distance I picked up a wolf howl. I wondered if anyone ever questioned how he or she could hear a wolf baying in the middle of the city. Then again, they probably thought it was one of the many revelers on the streets. The talk of werewolves had always just been gossip fodder around these parts. What with the tourists and all.

  ***

  I woke up the next morning to the sound of Jennifer stirring in the kitchen. My stomach rumbled and the leftover steak in the fridge flashed through my mind. Yum. Steak and eggs for breakfast. If today was anything like yesterday, I would need the energy a juicy piece of steak could provide.

  As I slipped into the kitchen, I caught a whiff of freshly brewed coffee. I hoped the aroma would wake my senses. Jennifer spotted me and immediately folded her arms in front of her chest and said, “I’ve been thinking…”

  “Oh no.” I couldn’t handle hearing her wild ideas this early. Her wacky ramblings were too complicated to start the day with. What could it be this time?

  Chapter 13

  How to Date a Werewolf Rule #13:

  Don’t suggest eating meat off the bone.

  Jennifer munched on a bowl of cereal, slurping the last bit of milk from her spoon. When the utensil had been licked clean, she tipped the bowl to her mouth and gulped down the remainder of the milk. She looked like a stray cat that hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Hungry much?” Mouth full, she didn’t answer, so I continued, “I would ask what you’ve been thinking about, but I’m sure you’ll tell me regardless if I ask or not. So…”

  Placing the bowl on the table and wiping the drops of creamy liquid from her mouth, she said, “You really need to do some research into this whole curse thing.”

  She used air quotes for the word curse. She knew how to push my buttons lately.

  “I have tons of questions like: where did this magic spell come from? Who performed it? And can it really be reversed?” Her eyes fixed on mine, hopeful and waiting.

  I pulled a pan from the rack above the stove. “Jen, I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “That’s my point. You don’t know anything. Some crazed woman who claimed to be a gypsy witch cursed your ancestors. What the hell? That’s it? All you have to go on is some wild story. You have to admit it sounds a little bit crazy. Can’t your mother tell us more? Somewhere in the back of her mind there might be snippets of info she forgot.”

  “I don’t think she likes to talk about it.” I poured my egg substitute into the hot skillet.

  No real eggs for me, I needed to watch my she-wolf figure. Plus I wanted to be heart-healthy. For an added treat I put in fat-free cheddar cheese and then smothered them with ketchup.

  “Don’t give her a choice. Force her to talk about it.” She pounded her fist for emphasis.

  Such a drama queen. I admired her tenacity, though.

  “Hello? Have you met my mother? You do remember her, right? She’s not like other mothers.” I snorted.

  “I know she is somewhat strong-willed…”

  I shot her a glance.

  “All right, a lot strong-willed, but she’ll give in to you. She can’t say no to you. You’re her baby.” She stood and then marched over next to me.

  “Wanna bet? I may be her baby, but if she doesn’t want to talk, nothing will make her.” I added the steak to the other pan on top of the stove, and my mouth watered just looking at its juicy goodness.

  “I still think you should ask her,” she mumbled.

  “Growing up, I believed my mother knew everything. She was smart, and if she said she didn’t have more particulars on the matter, then I knew she spoke the truth.”

  “At least give it a shot. Any new details we discover we can research. I love research.” She placed her dishes in the dishwasher.

  At least she hadn’t left them in the sink as she usually did.

  “You’re such a geek.”

  “Yeah, but a geek you love.” She grinned.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I shooed her off with a dismissive hand. “What research do you think you can do? Are you going to hit the library and look up curses by crazy gypsies?”

  “Well, no. But we can start with what country it happened in and look from there. You’d be amazed what you can uncover on the internet.”

  “I can only imagine what you can uncover. I don’t even want to know.” I rolled my eyes. “I doubt I’ll find the answers to all my problems on the internet. And I can’t afford a trip to Spain for more research, so don’t even ask.”

  “You’re sure you don’t want a trip to Spain? It would be fun.”

  “Are you paying?” I asked.

  She stuck out her tongue. “Whatever. I think it’s a good idea. So…tell me what happened on your date. I never got a chance to ask. Did any ghoulies come for you?” She wiggled her fingers and made a spooky sound. “Did a vampire try to suck your blood?” Jennifer held her index fingers to her mouth, making fangs.

  Yikes. Did she know? I swear it’s like she’s psychic sometimes. Did she know the werewolves ran after me like dogs chasing a car? I was thankful she’d changed the subject away from the curse, but I’d hoped for a different topic. There was no way I wanted to get into the details of the werewolf chase with her. I wanted to talk about it, but not at that moment. I’d let it go for now and wait until later. Jennifer would be ticked at me, but that was a price I was willing to pay.

  “Nope. It was uneventful. If you’ve been to one of those tours, you’ve been to all of them,” I lied.

  “Are you sure nothing happened?” A strange look flicked in her eyes.

  “Nope. Nada.”

  “I swear, Rylie. Ever since you started dating Jack you’ve become so secretive. It’s as if you don’t want to tell me anything. I have to pry details out of you. What gives?” She frowned.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s nothing like that—I’m not being secretive. You’re so paranoid. Nothing interesting happened, I promise. We took a boring tour and then came home. He kissed me good night and we went our separate ways. And then of course the break-in when he kissed me.” I figured if I threw in the reminder of his kisses after the break-in that would satisfy her thirst for juicy information.

  “When things stress you out, you have a tendency to shut people out. Admit it.”

  “I suppose I’ve been known to put up a wall or two to keep people out. But that’s not the case this time.”

  She tossed an apple into her bag and let out a huge breath. “Whatever…doesn’t tell me then. I still say you’re being secretive.” She stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

  “I’m sorry,” I pleaded. And I was. Wow, what was her problem? Jennifer was like a sister to me, and I hated for our friendship to be strained.

  The vase on the table beside the door rattled, almost falling over. Jennifer was theatrical, I had to admit. She should have been an actress. Her debut performance would have resulted in an Oscar, no problem. I decided to ignore her hissy fit and put it out of my mind. I had enough problems, and I didn’t want to add to them. Even though I didn’t want her mad at me.

  As I scarfed down my breakfast, I did give some thought to what Jennifer had said. Besides me being guarded, maybe she did have a point about finding more information about the curse.

  Maybe at the monthly pack meeting on Friday my mother would remember something more that had long been forgotten and, in turn, would produce a clue about the curse or the woman behind the spell. As in: who she was and how to make the hex go away. But surely if she knew how to make the curse go away she would have done so ages ago. She wanted me to find love. Everything was so confusing.

  I rinsed off my dishes, placed them in the sink and grabbed my purse. If anything else outrageous happened today, I might find myself in the mental hospital. When I stepped into the hallway, there was no sign of Jack, which, to tell the truth, disappointed me.

  On the upside, there was no sign of Lily, which made me extremely happy. To say I was suspicious of her silen
ce would be an understatement. It was about time for her to make her presence known again. And, if she’d sent the furry creeps last night, she would be none too happy to find out I’d eluded them. I was on full alert, watching my back. Every little noise made me jump—always looking over my shoulder, waiting for the next disaster to strike. Being on edge was no way to live. Perhaps I did need to contact the pack police after all. Last night, I hadn’t given the human police any names other than Lily. I just couldn’t do it in front of Jack. How would I ever explain werewolves chasing me or a messed-up uncle? To Jack or the bungling Five-O? If anyone could help, it was the pack police. But I didn’t have a lot of confidence in their abilities, either. Plus what did I have to show them? A couple of notes? I threw the bullet away. I had to think of a way to stop Lily, though. What did I have if not my career? Thankfully, I had a full day of customers to keep my mind off all the problems racing around in my head.

  I needed to call John, the handyman, and Anna first thing when I got to the office. My next victims, er, clients. They’d be perfect for each other. Aww, the sweet, awkward beginnings of new romance sure made my job worthwhile. Happy couples were good for business. My office remained unharmed, thankfully, no mess when I stepped in. The vandals hadn’t returned. Walking over to the window and peering out, I studied my surroundings. Perhaps paranoia had set in, but the need to check for strangers lurking outside overwhelmed me. A man walked through the alleyway. He didn’t appear suspicious, dressed in jeans and a plain pullover shirt. I couldn’t help but stare and wait for him to make a move in my direction. He never glanced my way. He walked by and no one else was in sight, so I plunked down in my chair. It let out a swoosh as my weight hit the leather. Leaning back in the seat, I picked up the phone and placed the first call right away before any other busywork distracted me. After John happily agreed to the match-up, I rang Anna. All went well, she approved too. At least I think so. I barely heard her meek little voice. So the happy couple approved of my handiwork. See, I knew my job…sometimes.