Good Luck Charm: A Single Mother Romance

by Weston Parker

  I smiled. “Good.”

  Senna didn’t strike me as the sort of woman who would be afraid of flying. Hell, I didn’t think she was afraid of anything.

  I had no idea how much of a turn on that would be until I came across that quality in her.

  We waited patiently as the other passengers boarded. Lily found the menu in the pouch of the seat in front of her and discovered that they served chocolate milk on the flight. She was disappointed that she had to wait until we were in the air to order.

  We didn’t have to wait long.

  Within twenty-five minutes, the airplane doors were closed, and we were pulling away from the gate toward the runway. As we moved, the flight attendant in our section stood in the aisle and went through the safety instructions. Lily was fascinated by the life-jacket portion of the show.

  Soon, we were preparing for takeoff. Lily gripped her armrests as the engines roared and the plane surged forward. The force pushed us hard against the back of our seats, and Lily let out a nervous sound.

  I took her hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s all right, Lily. It’s about to get awesome.”

  Lily shifted in her seat, straining against the force pushing her backward as the speed increased and the engines roared and the overhead compartments rattled. It was such a routine thing for me that I’d never really considered how it might be frightening for a little girl—especially when it was her first time flying.

  The nose of the plane lifted, and air swooshed under the wings. The wheels left the tarmac, and we dipped for that half a second before reaching upward and accelerating toward the sky.

  Lily let out a joyous cry and kicked her legs. “We’re flying!”

  “Hands up!” I cried, lifting her hand with mine like we were on a roller coaster. Lily’s giggle bounced around the cabin, and I laughed right along with her.

  Then I realized Senna was watching us, and she was smiling.

  It wasn’t the smile I saw her give the customer in her shop, or the tight-lipped one she’d given me when she started to soften up around me. This one was genuine, and it reflected the one I wore.

  I cared for these girls, I realized. A lot.

  The truth hit me hard. I wasn’t doing what I thought I needed to do to land a deal. I wasn’t rehearsing every line or preplanning every move I made. None of this was in an effort to get something from Senna.

  Although the smile she was giving me was definitely worth it. And the laughter from Lily warmed me up from the inside like a cup of apple cider on a chilly autumn day.

  Jonah was right. I needed to relax and soak it all in. I needed to stop obsessing over my career and open my eyes to the people who were right here beside me.

  Vulnerability.

  It was a new concept, but I was willing to try it out. What was the worst that could happen?

  Chapter 26

  Senna

  Lily enjoyed the landing as much as she did the takeoff—and I enjoyed being one of the women sitting in business class with a guy like Zach on my arm.

  The strangers sharing the cabin with us didn’t know what our relationship was. They were clueless to the reality that our only connection included the fact that giving up my business meant a big payday for him. From the outside looking in, it might appear as if we were a family of three. A father, mother, and daughter.

  It was a fun thing to fantasize about for the three-and-a-half-hour flight while I sipped a glass of bubbly and admired the shoes the other women in the cabin had on. And the watches, rings, earrings, and expensive pant suits.

  This was not an environment I was used to.

  I frequented the same casual hangouts in Austin and never had much interest in stepping outside my bubble. The people in business class with us were similar to the ones who had been at the council meeting to stop the projection of the parking-lot project. They were severe, uptight, and super professional.

  My jeans and white T-shirt definitely stood out.

  I felt as out of place as I probably looked, but having Zach with me appeased some of those nerves because he looked like he was right where he belonged. He was one of them. One of the big cheese corporate guys with a fat salary and a watch on his wrist and glasses on his nose that probably cost more than my boutique earned in a month. Or three.

  A few weeks ago, that thought would have pissed me off. It didn’t anymore. We were different. That was all. We came from different walks of life, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

  Minus the fact that it probably took him longer to get ready in the morning than I did.

  After the plane landed, we kept our seats until we arrived at the gate. At that point, the seatbelt light went out, and Zach stood up to help some of the people sitting near us get their carry-on luggage down from the overhead compartments. Within a short few minutes, we were filing down the aisle, Lily behind Zach and in front of me, and we stepped off the plane to walk down yet another long hallway that connected the plane to the terminal.

  The Orlando humidity hit us hard after we collected our luggage at the carousel and stepped outside to meet a driver Zach had already arranged to pick us up.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Hammel. It’s nice to see you again. How are you?” The driver, a man in his early sixties with wisps of white hair combed over his scalp, clasped Zach’s hand in greeting.

  “Excellent,” Zach said. “Although I must say, my driver in Austin isn’t nearly as good company as you are.”

  The driver grinned. “No need to flatter, Mr. Hammel. It’s always my pleasure to be your driver.” He then turned his attention to Lily. “Ah, and you must be the infamous Lily Camden. Pleasure to meet you, little miss.

  Lily shook the driver’s outstretched hand. “Hello. Nice to meet you, too.”

  The driver looked up at me. “And Senna, I presume?”

  “That’s me,” I said, the last to shake his hand. “And what do we call you?”

  Zach clasped his hands together. “Apologies. That was rude of me. This is Donovan. He has been my driver in Orlando for how long now? Four years or so?”

  “Sounds right to me,” Donovan said.

  “And you haven’t quit yet?” I asked.

  Donovan snickered and collected our luggage while Zach cast an offended glance my way. “I’ll have you know I’m incredibly charming ninety-eight percent of the time.”

  “But that other two…” I trailed off and let the silence speak for itself.

  Donovan opened the hatch of his white SUV. It was a rather nice vehicle with chrome accents and the shiniest paint I had ever seen. It practically glittered in the afternoon sun. Then he came around and opened the back door, revealing a booster seat already buckled in. “I was informed that there would be special cargo on the drive,” he said to Lily, offering her his hand and helping her step up into the SUV. Then he buckled her in.

  I cast Zach an, I know what you’re doing, and this whole Prince Charming act isn’t going to work on me look. He shrugged it off with a sheepish grin and got into the front passenger seat. I walked around the back of the vehicle and slid in beside Lily, who was giggling at something funny Donovan had just said before closing her door to get into the driver’s seat.

  Donovan started the engine. “All right, ladies and gentleman. Our course is set for our magical destination. Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. On our journey, you will see Orlando natives in their habitat. Please do not stare at the fake tans or Hawaiian shirts. We are good people, but sometimes, we get it wrong, and we implore you to have mercy on us. I will point out attractions along the way. Feel free to ask questions as soon as they pop into your head. Oh, and one more thing.” He paused for dramatic effect, and I caught the twinkle in his eye in the rearview mirror. “The most wonderful place is waiting for us.”

  Lily’s eyes were full of excitement as she turned her head toward me. “Where are we going, Momma?”

  “I don’t know, bunny.”

&nbs
p; “It’s a surprise,” Zach said from the front seat.

  Donovan pulled away from the curb and joined the bumper-to-bumper traffic leaving the pickup area in front of the terminal.

  “How long until we’re there?” Lily followed up.

  Zach chuckled. “Not long. Maybe forty-five minutes, give or take.”

  “Think you can hold out that long?” I asked.

  Lily nodded confidently. “Yes. Can you?”

  Everyone in the car laughed. “Of course I can,” I said.

  I caught Zach smiling at me and turned to look out the window as we crept toward the exit. He could keep his sexy little smirk to himself.

  The drive was pleasant. Donovan spoke like an animated tour guide the entire way, pointing out important landmarks, beautiful parks, and places that offered funny stories, like the time he drove his first client almost thirty-five years ago. His entertaining dialogue kept Lily distracted the entire drive, and she never started in on the “are we there yet” thing, which was good news for everyone because once she started, she wouldn’t stop. The question would be repeated in rapid fire succession.

  I enjoyed the palm trees and bustling sidewalks as we drove. Orlando had a vivacious, bright vibe that wasn’t too far off from Austin’s atmosphere, but it was definitely less of an All-American city. In Austin, it was commonplace to see men in cowboy boots and plaid shirts. Here, they wore sandals and pastel shorts that showed their kneecaps.

  Thankfully, I saw our destination before Lily did.

  All of my muscles tightened up with excitement, and I waited, hoping she would notice soon. But she didn’t. Her attention was fixed outside the window at sprawling green gardens dotted with fountains and bushes cut into the shapes of animals.

  Zach turned around in his chair and saw that Lily hadn’t looked straight ahead yet. He winked at me. “How you doing back there, kiddo?”

  “Good,” Lily said, somewhat distantly.

  “Any idea where we’re going yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “Really?” Zach asked, his tone taking on a playfully suspicious note. “Because I think I might see the gates up ahead.”

  “Gates?” Lily asked, leaning in toward the middle of the seat to peer out through the windshield.

  I watched my daughter as she realized we were passing through the gates into Disney World.

  It took a minute to register. At first, her expression was blank. Then her lips parted, her mouth fell open, and she sucked in a great gasp of air and cried, “Really?”

  Zach laughed and nodded. “Really. Welcome to the happiest place on earth, kid!”

  We had been suddenly transported to another world, a world where the lines between fiction and fact were blurred and every child’s dream could come true in a matter of seconds. The fact that we weren’t going very fast and there were a ton of other cars up ahead of us didn’t bother Lily at all. She craned her neck around, soaking in the sight of everything she could as we drove deeper into the park and eventually right up to the front ticketing gates, which were set up in a row along a fence to make sure nobody could sneak in.

  Lily was babbling nonsense when Donovan pulled the car up to the drop-off curb.

  “I can’t believe it! Disney World, Momma! Did you know?” I’d just started to answer when she gasped. “I’m going to meet princesses!”

  She squirmed with giddy and uncontrollable excitement as I unclipped her and hoisted her out of the back seat. “You will definitely meet princesses,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling. Her joy was contagious, and there was nothing more satisfying for me than seeing her this happy. She couldn’t contain it.

  She leapt up onto the sidewalk and ran a few steps ahead. “Come on!”

  Zach turned to Donovan. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you again when we need you.”

  “Very well, Mr. Hammel. Miss Lily?” He called to my daughter.

  She spun back toward him, cheeks bright and full with her smile. “Yes?”

  “Have the best time,” he said.

  “I will!” Lily said, bouncing on the spot. Then she looked back and forth between Zach and me. “Can we go now? Please? Please?”

  “We’re coming.” I laughed.

  “Right behind you,” Zach added.

  “Oh.” I paused, grabbing Zach’s sleeve. “What about our bags?”

  “Donovan is going to drop them off at our hotel down the street. We can access it straight from the park. Everything is taken care of. All you have to worry about is having fun. Is that something you can do, Senna?”

  His eyes searched mine. I was paralyzed under his intense, forest-green gaze. I licked my lips. “I think I can handle that. Yeah.”

  “Are you two ready or what?” Lily barked, sounding a lot more like me than she did herself.

  I rolled my eyes. “That attitude is going to be the death of me one day.”

  “Wonder where she gets it from?” Zach mused as we followed Lily up to the gates.

  Chapter 27

  Zach

  I pulled three-day passes out of the back pocket of my pants and slid them across the ticket counter to the employee wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a smile so big, one might think she had an apparatus inside her cheeks that stretched her lips so far apart.

  “Good afternoon and welcome to Disney. Your passes are VIP. Please see the special VIP entrances to the rides for shorter wait times, and enjoy a free dinner at any of the restaurants within the park. There are employees stationed throughout the park who can answer any questions you may have.” The ticketing agent paused to scan our passes into her computer. Her smile remained perfectly in place as she slid them back to me. “The park is open until nine o’clock. There is a summer princess parade this evening at seven. Here is a map of the park and, as per your VIP package, Mickey ears for your party.”

  The agent handed me three headbands fixed with red and white polka dot bands and big black mouse ears. Lily jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. I gave her the small one and then passed one to Senna, who crouched down to help Lily put hers on without messing up her hair before straightening up and putting hers on. Her short black hair stuck out every which way in tousled, messy curls, and the mouse ears made her look cuter than she’d ever looked.

  The agent leaned out her ticketing window to peer down at Lily. “Well, you look ready to enter the park, little lady. I hope you have a magical day!”

  Lily’s smile was almost as big as that of the girl behind the counter as she looked back and forth between me and her mother.

  Senna took her hand. “Let’s go, bunny.”

  The hip-high gate beside the ticketing booth popped open with a mechanical sound, and I stepped through, turning to watch Lily walk into the park for the first time.

  Her eyes were bright, her cheeks were pink, and her hands were clasped together so tightly her knuckles were turning white. She turned in a slow circle, soaking in the sight of the entrance to the park—which wasn’t nearly as exciting as everything else that still lay ahead. The red brick underfoot gave way to a hill smothered in flowers. Red petals made the shape of Mickey’s head, and up past the gardens was a sign that declared, “Let the Memories Begin!”

  “Oh, bunny,” Senna said behind me.

  I looked back at them.

  Senna had dropped to one knee and pulled Lily into a tight hug. The little girl’s face was buried in her mother’s shoulder, and her back shook with little sobs as Senna ran her hand over her shoulders and stroked her hair.

  “It’s okay, bunny. I know. This is a big deal. Don’t cry.” She took Lily gently and held her at arms’ length. “Are these happy tears?”

  Lily wiped at her eyes with the heel of her hands and nodded.

  Senna stroked her cheeks lovingly. “Good. We are so lucky to be here right now. All three of us.” She looked up at me and smiled. Then she planted a kiss on Lily’s forehead. “What do you say we all hold hands and go in together? There are some princesses in th
ere who can’t wait to meet you. And if I’m being perfectly honest, I really want to see them too.” She whispered those last words like they were a secret.

  Lily wiped her last tears away and nodded. “Okay.”

  Senna stood up and took Lily’s hand.

  They walked forward to join me, and I fell into step on Lily’s other side as we ventured across the red bricks to a bend in the path. Then all of Disney was sprawled out before us. The castle stood at the end of a long street lined with shops and restaurants that looked like they were out of a fairytale.

  All three of us stopped to admire the place.

  Lily took my hand in hers, and I gave her tiny fingers a gentle squeeze. I could feel Senna watching me, but I kept my eyes locked on the sight ahead. “Let’s go find some princesses and go on some rides, shall we?”

  The afternoon in Disney World with Lily and Senna was the most fun I’d had since childhood. Though initially overwhelmed, once she moved beyond that, Lily proved to be an adventurous little thing in the park, wanting to go on every ride she was big enough for and meet every Disney character we came across. Senna and I must have taken a couple hundred photos each by the time twilight set in and we made our way back to the main drag outside the castle to find a good place to watch the parade.

  We found a spot right at the curb where nobody was in front of us. Senna and Lily sat down, and I spotted a stand selling churros and fruity drinks in plastic cups shaped like different princesses.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said before ducking through the crowd and getting in line to order some sugar-covered donuts and sweet drinks for the three of us.

  When I returned to the curb, I sat down beside Lily and passed out the drinks.

  “Thank you,” Lily said before promptly sealing her lips over the straw and taking a sip. She didn’t notice her cup was a princess until she set it down between her knees. Then she picked it up, inspected it, and thanked me again. “I love Princess Jasmine.”