“Maybe because Molly is literally taking a video,” Maisie said, giving her sister a look.
Molly kept at it. “She’ll thank me later.”
“Go ahead, Iris,” Jack said. Something about his tone, soft yet strong, fatherly yet brotherly, was heartrending. Because Iris might think she only needed a brother in Jack, but that wasn’t totally true.
Iris cracked the door open and walked in, leaving it gaping behind her.
She returned a moment later, her face unreadable in the way she and Jack always looked when they were overloaded with emotion.
Maisie found herself holding her breath. Was this good emotion or bad emotion?
Then Iris threw her arms around Maisie and hugged her, holding on tight.
When she pulled away, Maisie said, “I know Jack’s been spending a lot of time here, and I wanted you to have your own space in the house. Because you belong here just like he does. You can decorate it however you want, but I figured you might prefer updated furniture.”
“I love it. Jack, you’ve got to see this,” Iris said. She glanced around at them all again, then cracked the door wider. “All of you, come in.”
Maisie had spent yesterday afternoon moving the new furniture in, with help from River and Finn. She’d chosen the pieces based on Molly’s advice, although Mary had been adamant about what was needed. Jack and Iris had been held up by Dottie, who was almost frighteningly good at keeping people busy.
“You did this?” Jack asked in wonder. “When?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
He shook his head slightly. “I should have been suspicious when Dottie said we were the only people who could help her organize her crystal collection.”
“You were suspicious,” Iris corrected him. “But it was Dottie, so we had to.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Molly said. “Only a fool would cross that woman.”
“Oh, I know,” Iris said. “She basically got Beau’s son arrested.”
A gleam entered Molly’s eyes, and Maisie gave her a warning look.
“Hey,” Jack said, drawing her attention back to him. “Why don’t we go out and bring your sisters’ bags in from the car?”
Mary looked slightly pained by the suggestion, but she handed over the keys. “Thank you. That would be great.”
She obviously knew Jack wanted a moment alone with Maisie and was taking one for the team. Maisie’s heart started beating painfully. Would he be upset about the room for Iris?
Giving Molly a final warning glance, Maisie told Mary, “You keep an eye on her,” and followed him out of the room and down the stairs.
He waited until they were outside and then turned to face her, his expression as stoic as his sister’s had been moments before. Then he tugged her to him and kissed her, his hand burrowing into her hair to bring her closer.
When he pulled away, he just looked at her for a moment, his eyes warm now. Deep wells of warmth like a cup of dark coffee on a cold winter’s day.
“I can’t believe you did this for her. It’s not even New Year’s yet, and you already made her year.”
“It’s only fair,” she said, reaching up to cup his cheek, loving the feel of his stubble. “Both of you have already made mine. You even found a home for three dogs last week.”
One of them had been Ruby. She’d been sad to let her go, especially since she had such a powerful bond with Jack, but one of the members of Blue’s Bad Luck Club had adopted her. Blue had confided that Ruby was now treated like the spoiled only child she was, and Jack had been invited to visit any time he liked.
Sometimes things didn’t work out the way you planned. And sometimes it was much, much better that way.
“You know, this worked out pretty well for a one-night stand,” she said, grinning at him.
“Who said anything about it being a one-night stand?” he asked with mock innocence. Then the humor slipped out of his expression. “I never wanted it to be one.”
“Kiss her again already!” Molly shouted out of the open doorway. “The pizza’s getting cold.”
So he did, and they got the suitcases and walked back into the warmth of the full house, hand in hand, and Maisie felt full to bursting with happiness and love and hope. The future wasn’t frightening anymore…it was glorious.
***
Want more Jack and Maisie? See what happens when Iris ropes Jack, Finn, and River into posing for a calendar in the Getting Lucky bonus scene!
Bad Luck Club
Lee and Blue’s story
April 2021
Preorder now!
Did you miss the first two books in the series?
Go back and read how Georgie and River met in
Any Luck at All!
Want to know Addy and Finn’s story? Read Better Luck Next Time
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Also by A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank
Asheville Brewing
Any Luck at All
Better Luck Next Time
Getting Lucky
Bad Luck Club
(April 2021)
Also by Denise Grover Swank
Asheville Brewing
Any Luck at All
Better Luck Next Time
Getting Lucky
Bad Luck Club
(April 2021)
The Wedding Pact
(Humorous contemporary romance)
THE SUBSTITUTE
THE PLAYER
THE GAMBLER
THE VALENTINE
(short story)
Bachelor Brotherhood
Spinoff of The Wedding Pact series
ONLY YOU
UNTIL YOU
ALWAYS YOU
Carly Moore
A Cry in the Dark
Her Scream in the Silence
One Foot in the Grave
Buried in Secrets
The Lies She Told
Rose And Neely Kate reading order:
Family Jewels
Trailer Trash
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
In High Cotton
Up Shute Creek
Come Rain or Shine
Dirty Money
When the Bough Breaks
It All Falls Down
( February, 2021)
Rose Gardner Investigations
Family Jewels
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
Up Shute Creek
Come Rain or Shine
When the Bough Breaks
It All Falls Down
(February 2021)
Neely Kate Mystery
Trailer Trash
In High Cotton
Dirty Money
Magnolia Steele Mystery
Center Stage
Act Two
Call Back
Curtain Call
Darling Investigations
(Humorous mystery romance)
Deadly Summer
Blazing Summer
Rose Gardner Mysteries
Novellas are bonus material
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES
TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS
THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES
FALLING TO PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS
THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS
PICKING UP THE PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS
ROSE AND HELENA SAVE CHRISTMAS (novella)
RIPPLE OF SECRETS (novella)
THIRTY-FOUR AND A HALF PREDICAMENTS
THIRTY-FIVE AND A HALF CONSPIRACIES
THIRTY-SIX AND A HALF MOTIVES
SINS OF THE FATHER (novella)
Bluebird Bay
Women’s fiction
Cowritten with Christine Gael
Finding Tomorrow
Finding Home
Finding Pe
ace
Young adult contemporary romance
ONE PARIS SUMMER
Off the Subject Series
(New adult contemporary romance)
AFTER MATH
REDESIGNED
BUSINESS AS USUAL
About the Author
A.R. CASELLA is a freelance developmental editor by day, writer by night. She lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and a variable number of fish. Her pastimes include chasing around her toddler, baking delicious treats, and occasional bouts of crocheting. Any Luck at All, co-written with New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank, is her first book.
You can find out more at www.arcasella.com
About the Author
Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomad, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
You can find out more at denisegroverswank.com
Getting Lucky (Asheville Brewing Book 3) Page 35