Lucky and the Banged-up Ballerina
Page 16
If it’s risky, possibly defective, or otherwise undesirable, give it to Lucky.
“Can’t you give me a few more days?”
That was whiny. I’ll admit it. But there are times when a girl’s gotta whine.
Like now.
“I can give you one more day. But you’ll like this product. I promise. It’s a primer for makeup. It makes it stay put all day long.”
“Because I wear so much makeup.” I roll my eyes. “Maybe you should test it.”
Regina loves to do hair and makeup and dress up. Every day of her life is like a fashion show, even though we live in a town half the size of Mayberry.
She pats her cheek. “Who says I’m not?”
“Fine.” I fling my arms up in exasperation and let them flop down on the bed. Unfortunately, my careless action triggers the upstart of an anxious animal symphony.
Mr. Jingles gives a vicious snarl (it’s what he does when he gets startled), then Gumbo’s head snaps up with a loud snort. Above my head, the cat leaps to her feet and zooms across to the top of Gator’s hamster cage. She takes high ground when she’s scared, threatening the room with her deep, growling meow.
The cat’s clatter on top of his cage causes Gator to jump into his hamster wheel and start running for dear life. He hasn’t figured out yet that it doesn’t actually take him anywhere. Or that he’s not in danger.
The squeak of the wheel disquiets the parrot, which starts pacing back and forth on his perch, squawking a word of his choosing. It’s always different, too.
“Hambone, hambone, hambone!” Squishy repeats.
If I don’t stop it, the whole cascade of events just recurs on a loop. It will continue until I remove Lucy-fur from the room. For whatever reason, she’s the one who perpetuates the cycle. I don’t know how long they’d go on this way if I weren’t here to intervene.
Probably until doomsday.
Or until one of them passed out from exhaustion.
I leap up from the bed and grab Lucy-fur and take her to the front door. I put her outside until things settle down. Within seconds of her disruptive absence, the others calm.
Back in the bedroom, Regina is shaking her head. “My God, you missed your calling.”
“I thought my calling was to be world-class sleuth.”
“That’s only half of it. The other half is to be a ringleader at the circus. You get plenty of practice in your every day life. I bet you could tame a lion like nobody’s business.”
“I’d be great with a whip, wouldn’t I?” I pretend to crack a whip with a lusty wuh-pssssh!
“Don’t let Liam see you wielding that,” Regina says, referring to my invisible whip. “He might want to do more than kiss you.”
And just like that, my worries are back. “That kiss was part of Felonious’ instructions. Not a choice”
“I don’t believe that. That girl always makes you pay for her hacker information with some kind of embarrassing thing. Why would she all of a sudden require Tasty Cakes to kiss you?”
“You said it. She’s a teenager. Who knows why they do the things they do?”
“You keep telling yourself that. I think Liam wanted to kiss you, so he did.”
“Don’t forget that it was also part of that scene.” We were reenacting the last dance scene of the movie Dirty Dancing. Replete with the lift, which was kind of awesome.
She waves me off. “Whatever. I’m done arguing with you. Come to the circus. Or don’t. Hide out here forever like a big chicken. Or don’t. Up to you.”
A knock sounds at the door. It’s a gentle sound, unlike Liam Dunning’s grouchy banging.
It just makes me miss that stupid knock of his.
Bah!
Regina makes her way toward the door. “That’s Suzie.”
Suzie Lynn is the resident hairdresser and owner of the only salon in Salty Springs, Color Me Badd. She’s also a fan of the 80’s and 90’s, which is very obvious when she pokes her head into my bedroom. Her hair is Pink Panther pink and slicked up into seven tall Mohawk spikes that march in a neat row from forehead to nape. If I could pick her up and hold her like a lance, I could probably impale someone with those hair spears.
“Hey, Luck,” she says. Most of the people in Salty Springs have some variation or play on my name. I consider them all terms of endearment. “Didn’t change your mind, huh?”
She looks pointedly at my pajamas, pajamas that I may or may not have been wearing yesterday.
Fine. I was.
And the day before that.
“No.” I offer her a weak smile and an even weaker, “You two have fun. Bring me some popcorn.”
“You can make popcorn here,” Regina says, pulling Suzie Lynn back to the front door.
“Mine doesn’t taste like the circus.”
“Who wants popcorn that tastes like straw, a sweaty strong man, and an elephant’s butt?”
“It does not taste like that. Take it back!”
She sticks her tongue out and my two friends disappear through the door.
I slouch down on the end of the bed. Gumbo trots over and nudges my hand with his damp snout. I scratch around his ears. “You love me just for me, don’t you, buddy?”
Suddenly I feel like crying. Why does it bother me so much that I might’ve lost what I had with Liam?
PREORDER BOOK 3, LUCKY AND THE CRUSHED CLOWN, HERE
Thank you
I wanted to very quickly thank you for spending your valuable time with me. So much of my heart is in this story, in these characters and their lives, and I’m profoundly grateful to be able to share them with you. It’s one of my greatest desires in life to bring GOOD to this world. Light, joy, laughter, happiness. I hope you found one (or all) of those things in the pages of this book. If you did, I hope you’ll consider spreading the word about it. Tell a friend, leave a review, gift a copy to someone you know who needs a pick me up. All around us, at any given time, people are hurting, and I truly believe that laughter is great medicine. It would be such an incredible blessing if, together, we could bring joy to someone else, even if just for a few hours. Sometimes that can mean the difference between giving up and pressing on.
I want you to know that I deeply appreciate that you chose this book. It’s a dream come true to be able to do what I believe the Lord created me to do, and I’m indescribably honored to have you along for the ride:)
God bless!
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Acknowledgments
As always, the first on my list is my heavenly Father. For giving me the gift of storytelling, for giving me the imagination that used to give me nightmares but now gives me exciting days, and for granting me the tremendous blessing of doing a job I love every single day. I cried many a tear working jobs I hated, wondering if I’d ever find my place in the world. I never dreamed it would as incredible as this. Thank you sounds trite, but my heart is in it. 100%
Next is my husband. My rock. My inspiration. My real life partner in crime and laughter and love and everything else under the sun. You’re my ride or die, and I love you with every single part of my heart, always and forever. I’d be lost without you.
I’d also like to thank Courtney, my crit partner and real life Regina. It’s a good thing we don’t live closer or we’d probably end up in jail.
I’d like to thank TMR for always being willing to read whatever I send. Your imagination is as limitless as your awesomeness. I’m so, so glad I know you!
To Angelika for your eagle eye and sharp mind. You amaze me!
To Paige for being such a gorgeous light, and for polishing these babies to a shine for me.
To the ever-fabulous Melissa Storm. You’re wonder woman and one of these days I’m going to buy you a cape.
To Mallory Rock for being so willing to work with a crazy person like me. You work beautiful magic!
To all the rock-star members of my ARC team. Your enthusiasm for this series has been like jet fuel in my tank. I love you ladies for going in all these different directions with me. Your faith in me and your loyalty both humble me and blow me away. Thank you. Truly, truly.
And last, but certainly not least, is you, incredible reader. I wouldn’t be here without you. Many people can write just for themselves, put pen to paper and tell a magnificent story then be content to let it hide away in the closet, but I’m not one of them. I write stories full of love and laughter and mystery to SHARE, and like a great cup of coffee, I believe books are better when they’re enjoyed together. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending your time with me. I am more grateful than you’ll ever know!
About the Author
I'm a writer, mostly of awesomely fun mysteries that no one should take too seriously. I imagine that I should say something deep and profound about myself or my life philosophy, but I'd much rather fling facts like cool ninja throwing stars.
FACT: I'm a devoted if slightly neurotic wife, an indefatigable lover of animals, and an absolute fanatic of all things funny.
FACT: I'm probably alarmingly similar to Lucky, minus the daredevil streak and the unbreakable parts.
FACT: I'm such a homebody that seeing me out in the wild is something like spotting Sasquatch, only with less hair and less fanfare.
FACT: I'm a nerd and a Southerner, and my preferred wardrobe consists of pants that stretch and a t-shirt with writing on it.
FACT: I love my job and I hope I get to do this forEVER.
FACT: I’m so grateful to you for reading my work:)
Also by Emmy Grace
Lucky and the Falling Felon
Lucky and the Axed Accountant
Lucky and the Banged-up Ballerina
Lucky and the Crushed Clown