A Hilarious and Charming Feel-Good Read

by Saranna Dewylde

  Again, if she framed it the way her mother had, that she was the one with the keys and her friends were locked in puzzle rooms with no hope of getting out, well, she supposed this lane wasn’t so bad.

  “You’re right, Ma. I’m going to unlock their doors,” she said finally.

  “That’s my Lucky Charm.”

  “I have one more idea.”

  “Oh?”

  “Maybe since Ransom and I aren’t getting fake married anymore, maybe you could.”

  Fortune coughed and spluttered into her napkin. “After the great advice I just gave you, that’s the meanest thing you could say to me.”

  Lucky giggled.

  “Ungrateful child,” Fortune teased. “Didn’t you learn your lesson about fake weddings?”

  “No, I mean, for me. Yes, we can’t give up on the idea that Ever After could become a premiere wedding destination. I think it could. If this had been my real wedding, aside from the whole having to break up with the groom, it would’ve been everything I could’ve dreamed of.”

  “So your plan?”

  “Offer you up to the godmothers as a replacement. When I tell the investors this was all a publicity stunt, then out of the ashes comes an insta love romance where you and whoever was so caught up in the magic of the place that you decided to tie the knot.”

  “That’s the worst idea ever.”

  “May I pitch it to the godmothers?”

  “Pitch is a much better word than your earlier description of ‘offering me up to the godmothers’ like some kind of sacrifice.” Fortune sighed. “Well, of course. Anything for my Lucky Charm. But then we’re going to Paris. I’m full up of this fairy-tale nonsense.” She looked around the room. “No offense.”

  Lucky thought about it and maybe it was time for her to have an adventure. For her to go to Paris and spend hours in the Louvre and lose herself just for a little while in the city of lights. What better place to nurse a lonely and broken heart? “Okay, I’ll go with you. We’ll have an adventure. Maybe Gwen can come with the monsters when things settle down.”

  Lucky straightened in her chair. Lifted her chin. Squared her shoulders. She could do this. The first thing she had to do was text Gwen. She could do that on the walk back to the godmothers’ house.

  “These boots were made for walking, I guess. I’ve been over Ever After’s half acre already this morning,” she said as she stood.

  “Eat another pastry, then. You need the fortification.”

  Her mother knew her so well.

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  Fortune stood and enveloped her daughter in a fierce hug. She squeezed her daughter tight.

  “Can’t breathe.”

  “You don’t need to. Mama’s got you.”

  It was then that Lucky realized that maybe she wasn’t un-Lucky at all. She had so many people who loved her. Lucky had become so used to feeling bereft, alone, and unworthy. Hopeless.

  She was none of those things.

  What she’d thought was a burden on her shoulders was nothing of the sort. It was an honor.

  A gift.

  “Thanks for telling me to do the hard thing, Ma.”

  Fortune kissed her head. “Go save your loves.”

  “Before I go to Paris with you, I’m going to have some loose ends to tie up.”

  Fortune gave her a patient smile. “I can wait. Seems like now that you know the truth, it doesn’t bother me so much to be in one spot. Funny how that works.”

  “See you later, Mama.” She hugged her one more time and headed with renewed purpose back the way that she’d come.

  Ever After looked different to her now. The trees were greener, the air smelled sweeter. How strange that it felt so good to ultimately break her own heart.

  She shook the thought out of her head. Lucky wasn’t going to think of it like that. This was the person she wanted to be. The only one she could face in the mirror. That’s what mattered. Sometimes, doing the right thing hurt.

  And that was okay.

  When she came across the mermaid fountain, a fat frog sat there, eyeing her. She realized she hadn’t yet done her civic duty and tried to break his spell.

  “Well, come here,” she said to him.

  He used his massive hind legs to propel himself to the edge of the fountain.

  “Why do you hang out here anyway? That lake behind the castle seems like a much happier place for a mighty green boy such as yourself.”

  The frog made a sound deep in his throat.

  “Yeah, I suppose you would need to be visible. You’d probably have to kickbox those swans. I wonder if any of them are lost princesses. You think?”

  He looked up at her expectantly and she dropped a smooch on his head.

  When nothing happened, instead of feeling like her magic wasn’t good enough for anyone, she was proud of herself for fixing something she should’ve done a long time ago.

  “Sorry it took me so long, and sorry it didn’t work.”

  The frog’s blorp seemed to say he understood.

  She lifted him gently and put him up on the stone mermaid’s shoulder. That was when an idea hit her right in the chops.

  “You know what? What if we had a carnival instead of offering up my mother as a sacrifice? We could have a frog kissing booth? Get tons of kisses, maybe one of them will be the magic you need?”

  Three other, smaller green faces popped up from the outer edge of the fountain. The bigger frog made a sound that Lucky could only describe as a growl and they disappeared again.

  “Anyway, I’ll tell the godmothers. Thanks, Phillip.”

  She was nervous about talking to Petty, Bluebonnet, and Jonquil, especially after the rough morning they’d had, but she knew what needed to be done now.

  Her mother was right. Her godmothers knew her. They’d helped raise her. They’d taught her to do the right thing. The hard thing. They’d understand.

  Lucky walked right by Gwen’s house, but didn’t stop. She knew Gwen was the weak link. Gwen would talk her out of it, and she couldn’t let that happen.

  She hurried her steps and found the door to her godmothers’ cottage open, as usual.

  Petty was in the kitchen making ice cream sodas. She had four glasses. Her pink day dress was crisp and starched, and she wore a white apron over the frock.

  “It’s almost like you knew I was coming,” she said.

  The three all had sadness in their eyes, but they each gave her a warm smile that reassured her of her welcome.

  Bluebonnet was the first to speak. “Dear, actually, I was going to have two. Sugar helps me think.”

  “It doesn’t help the rest of us,” Jonquil grumbled. “You zip around here like a demented lightning bug.”

  Bluebonnet tittered.

  “See? She’s already at two. I can’t work in these conditions.” Jonquil fretted with her yellow-checkered apron.

  “I have to talk to you about something.” She let out a heavy breath. “I don’t know if any of this is going to work, but I have to try.”

  Jonquil came over and took her hand, leading her to the table. “Whatever it is, we’ll try our best to support you.”

  Petty gave her one of the ice cream sodas, and they all sat down at the familiar kitchen table where they’d had so many long talks about everything and nothing.

  “Did you know I hadn’t kissed Phillip?”

  “Ew, I should hope not.” Petunia slurped her soda.

  “As a frog, Petty.” Bluebonnet took another drink.

  “Oh. Have you now?” Jonquil lifted a curious brow.

  “Yes, it didn’t do anything, but I had to try. It gave me an idea.” Lucky gulped a long drink of her icy treat. “First things first. So this morning was a total donkey kick to the face.”

  They all nodded in unison.

  “I think the only way for us to help Ransom is to come clean. Let him off the hook, so to speak.”

  The godmothers looked around between themselves and then back at Lucky.
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  “Have you spoken with him about this?” Petty asked in a measured tone.

  “No, and I’m not going to. I think he’d feel like it was a betrayal if the thought so much as dared to cross his mind.”

  “We’ve considered as much ourselves, but he’s asked us not to meddle further in his business dealings,” Jonquil said.

  Relief flooded her. “What if there was a better way?”

  “We’re all ears.” Bluebonnet twitched her pointy ears.

  Lucky giggled at the sight of Bon-Bon’s ears wiggling through her long, unbound hair.

  “Oh, that used to make you giggle constantly as a baby. It broke my heart when Fortune asked us to hide our ears and wings from you,” Bluebonnet said quietly.

  “But you did, because you’re the best fairy godmothers anyone could ask for.”

  The three old dears all puffed up with pride.

  “I suppose you could pay Ma back by matchmaking her wedding.”

  “She’d kill us,” Petty gasped, but her eyes were bright with mischief.

  “Actually, she volunteered. I had this idea about revealing that the wedding was actually a publicity stunt, but all the love in the air was contagious and et cetera and so forth.”

  “It is. It’s like the flu,” Jonquil said. “Wash your hands.”

  How could Lucky have thought they’d be angry with her? They each listened to everything she had to say. They considered her wants and needs. How hadn’t she realized her godmothers were practically saints?

  She was more determined now than ever to fix this.

  “But this isn’t the idea you want to go with?” Petty prompted.

  “No, I think we can do better. What if we have a spring carnival? We can invite all of the big wedding magazines, have a bridal fashion show, and instead of having foods like funnel cakes and corn dogs, we have wedding cake samples and the like. We can play up the fairy-tale angle with a frog kissing booth. The prize can be a princess wedding. Crown included, because yeah.” Lucky grinned at them.

  “That’s a brilliant idea!” Jonquil was the first to speak.

  Bluebonnet nodded. “We can have carriage rides into the town to keep those nasty autos off our roads. Gondola rides in the lake behind the castle. Archery and hunting stations with Red and Grammy.”

  “Free ballroom dance lessons. Tours of the wedding wing of the castle. Maybe we can even talk some of the animals from the Enchanted Forest into a free-range petting zoo,” Lucky said. “That might be an Evil Queen too far.”

  “No, no. It’s perfect. Ravenna could give Evil Queen lessons. She’d love it. She could teach little girls how to cackle with terrifying glee,” Petty said.

  “Crushing the patriarchy and building a business.” Lucky nodded. “I think we have a winner.”

  “It’s a fantastic idea, Lucky. We’re on board,” Bluebonnet said. “But are you sure that you want to tell the world the truth? We can do the carnival without saying another word about the wedding.”

  “No, it needs to be done. I made this mess because of what I did with Nancy and Melvin James. I have to be the one to fix it.” She slurped her empty cup. “I think I’m going to need another one of these for what I have to do next.”

  Petty nodded in support and got up to go make another round.

  “It’s going to be okay, if you believe it will,” Jonquil said.

  “I have faith that I’m doing the right thing and that has to be enough,” Lucky said. “I’m going to text Roderick and Gwen.”

  “Wait, did something happen with Gwen?” Petty asked.

  “Jake is suing for full custody because of the article about me.”

  Jonquil narrowed her eyes and actual sparks shot from her hands and ears. “What?”

  “Plug her up!” Petty commanded.

  Petty grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes, while Bluebonnet stuffed her fingers in her sister’s ears.

  “Breathe in the calm, exhale the rage. Breathe in the calm and exhale the rage.” Petty breathed with her.

  Puffs of multicolored smoke issued from Jonquil’s nose like a dragon about to breathe actual fire.

  “Remember what we talked about?” Petty went through the breathing motions again.

  In a moment, Jonquil was herself again.

  Petty looked back at her. “I’m the one known for my fury, but this one. She’s quiet, but the deadlier of the two. She flunked out of Fairy Godmother Academy the first time because she roasted one of our professors. Literally. He’d been picking on a student two years behind us and Jonquil had just decided it was enough. She had to go to Fairy Anger Management.”

  “If he touches one hair on those dear little heads . . .”

  “He is their father.”

  “Bah,” she said.

  “They love him,” Bluebonnet reminded her.

  “Fine. I don’t like it, though.”

  Jonquil settled back down in her chair.

  “I’m glad they have you, Jonquil.” Lucky pressed her lips together tight, as if that could somehow hold back her sorrow at what came next. “They’re going to need you. I’m going to take myself out of the equation for a little while. Just to deal with my mess.”

  “Gwen would never ask you to do that, honey,” Petty said.

  “I know. Which is why I have to. It’s only for a little while. Only until she gets this sorted.”

  “You could ask us for a wish,” Petty offered. “We could grant you three.”

  For a moment, she considered it.

  She could wish away everything that had happened. She could fix it all. It tempted her more than a third ice cream soda.

  Lucky remembered that this wasn’t about choosing what was easy. It was about choosing what was right.

  On this path, she’d found herself. Connected with her mother. Her past.

  All of the choices would be wiped away, even those that other people had made. Like Gwen’s choice to leave Jake. It wasn’t for her to choose a blank slate for them.

  “No, Godmother. Thank you for offering, but it’s not the right thing.”

  She texted Roderick.

  Can you send that helicopter back for me?

  Instead of texting back, he called.

  “Why would I do that? Are you dying? Is one of the godmothers?” he said, getting right to the point.

  “I’m trying to fix this. I’ve cleared it with the godmothers, and if you’ll call a meeting of the investors and the board, I’ll tell them all it was a publicity stunt to launch Fairy Godmothers, Inc. Which, in turn, means my bad luck isn’t going to hurt the company.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course, I would. I can do it by myself if I have to, but I’d like your help.”

  “This is crazy enough it just might work, Lucky.”

  An idea hit her. “I need another favor. Please?”

  “You’re a needy bit today, aren’t you? Since you’re trying to help save our company, I’ll hear you out.”

  “It’s Gwen. She’s in trouble and she needs a shark of a lawyer. Her husband is trying to get full custody of the kids.”

  “He doesn’t even want to take them for the weekend, why would he want to get full custody?”

  “This thing with me in the news. He’s always hated me and hated our friendship. He got a consultation with every single lawyer in the town where they lived so she couldn’t retain anyone.”

  “Oh, it’s like that, is it?”

  Something in Roderick’s voice had changed. There was an edge of danger, but not for Lucky.

  “Can you find her someone?”

  “So you know if you’re part of the problem, you need to step back. Your first instinct will be to fight me on this, but—”

  Lucky knew her instincts had been right. “No, it’s done. Or it will be.”

  “Good. And I don’t need to find her someone. You did. I’ll eat this guy for breakfast and still want a snack before lunch.”

  These words comforted Lucky more
than she could say.

  “By the way, if you need the ammo, he was having an affair with Nancy Slade. That’s why I did what I did.”

  “The chopper will be at the castle in fifteen minutes. Be there.”

  Now, all she had left to do was text Gwen. Even though it was only a temporary goodbye, it felt like leaving their safe, warm house in the dead of a cold night to throw themselves to the wolves.

  Chapter 22

  After Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet sent Lucky on her way, they looked at one another across the table, ice cream sodas abandoned.

  “So, of course, this means war,” Jonquil said matter-of-factly.

  “Quite,” Bluebonnet agreed.

  “Let’s take a moment here to celebrate our win,” Petunia reminded them.

  “What was the win? Our poor Ransom. Our poor Lucky. Those poor little babies,” Jonquil said. “I can’t imagine what Gwen is going through.”

  “Lucky! She’s our win,” Petunia said.

  “How’s that? She’s had to tear her life apart,” Jonquil said. “She’s had to give up everything.”

  Petunia huffed. “This is just that part of the story. You always forget that they have to suffer through the darkest night before the dawn. They have to fight their monsters, Jonquil. We can’t do it for them. We can only give them the tools.”

  Jonquil crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. “I would prefer the magic wand approach.”

  “I know you would, and you weren’t listening when I offered it to Lucky. This was her test. Why must I explain this every time?”

  “Oh, right!” Bluebonnet grinned widely. “Remember the part about staying true to yourself? This is what Lucky is doing. Oh, it really is all going to be okay.” Bluebonnet sagged with relief. “Why do I always forget that part, too?”

  “It’s easy to forget when our little loves suffer. We just want to make it all better for them, but we can’t. That’s not actually what we’re for,” Petunia said.

  “When did you get so wise?” Bluebonnet asked her.

  “When did you start to notice?” Petty teased.

  Jonquil snorted.

  “You have a special attachment to those babies, don’t you?” Bluebonnet asked her.

  “Yes,” Jonquil grumped.

  “Oh, sister. Tell us,” Petty prodded excitedly.