She reaches down to grab a fluffy white dandelion. She plucks it, closes her eyes, then purses her full pink lips and blows, sending the seeds scattering on the wind.
“There.” She drops the stem and wipes her hands on her skirt, giving me a small smile.
“Are you okay? What was that?” Maybe shedidhave a brain bleed.
She looks at me like I’m the one who has lost it.
“I made a wish on a dandelion. Sending my hopes up into the universe.”
“You made a wish about your earring?”
She winks at me. The womanwinks. “Can’t tell you, silly. That’s the rule about wishes.”
She watches me for a moment before a joy-filled sunshine smile fills her face. “So you came out here because you thought I was hurt, huh?”
“It would be irresponsible to watch you fall to the ground and ignore it,” I say, though the excuse is flimsy even to me.
“Only five days in, and I’m making headway.”
“What?”
“Friends notice if something is wrong, Graham. We’re getting closer to friends.”
“Good night, Ms. Taylor,’’ I say with a roll of my eyes, my default around her. She brings out a childish side of me I’ve never experienced, and it’s one of the many reasons she unsettles me.
“I know I’m getting under your skin when you go back to Ms.Taylor,” she says, somehow able to read me like a book.
“Go home, June,” I say, opening the door and walking in without looking back, though her laugh follows me.
I definitely don’t watch her drive away, either.
TWELVE
Something catches the light as I walk up the walkway to the side door of Daytrip on Monday, making me hesitate before stepping back to squint into the grassy area. After a moment, my mouth drops in awe when I recognize my earring, resting atop the grass, glinting in the early morning sun. I grin widely, my chest warm with a familiar jolt of luck-filled excitement. Quickly, I grab the earring and make my way inside.
“Graham!” I call out. “Graham! Where are you? You’ll never believe this!”
"My office!" Graham yells in return, his voice low and distracted.
“Look what I found!” I say. His head lifts as I enter his office and approach his desk. Once I’m beside him, I open my hand to reveal my earring sitting in my palm. He looks at it with a furrowed brow.
“Is that your earring?”
“Yes! Isn’t that wild!”
“Where was it?” he asks.
"In the grass. The light hit it just right as I was walking in.” I smile at the small piece of jewelry. I wasn’t too bummed about losing it, since it wasn’t anything precious, more costumejewelry than anything, but I’m happy I have the set complete once more. "I told you it would come back to me," I say lightly. He stares at me, reading my face for a long moment in a way that makes me feel exposed and strangely breathless before he nods.
He gives a small, begrudging smile. "I guess you did."
"Everything works out for me," I say with a smile. "Though I'm shocked I didn't see it before now."
“Maybe you just needed some time for your luck to work its magic,” he says with a shrug, as if he’s buying into my rambling about luck and being meant to be and everything working out for me. I mean, with the way things just seem to be lining up for me, I would think it’s hardnotto believe.
“I guess.” I look at the metal in my hand once more and smile before sliding it into my pocket. “I'm gonna go make myself a coffee—do you want anything?”
He shakes his head as I assumed he would, then I nod, and I make my way to the breakroom to get the day started. But my day feels a bit shinier, knowing that, once again, my luck has shown I’m on the right path.
