Miss Fortune (2 page)

Aaron felt a little dip in his belly.

So Im going to suggest some communication exercises you can do over the weekend, Daniel began, and reached for a pair of booklets.

Aaron closed his eyes, thought that he just might vomit.

THE whole thing started with a bottle of wine and a heated debate over which spell to use. :.

Dagne Delaney, Rachels best friend, was over for dinner when Rachel said she thought Dagnes spell sounded like some kids jump rope rhyme, and suggested, seeing as how Dagne was brand-new to the witchcraft thing, that perhaps she needed a little more study before they did something really stupid.

Dagne, predictably, did not appreciate Rachels suggestion in the least.

But Rachel wasnt into the white magic thing. In all fairness, shed tried to explain to Dagne more than once that she really did think this witch deal was sort of out there.

But when Dagne was starting off on some grand adventure, she tended not to hear very well. Unless, of course, you said you thought her spell sucked, and then shed hear each word, memorize them, and repeat them back with a hurtful look like you had criticized her shoes or something. Judas Priest.

In spite of Dagne being slender, strawberry blond, and prettythe sort of gal pal Rachel typically avoidedthey had met at Brown University a few years ago when they were both students of history, and quickly discovered a shared fascination for all manner of funky things.

Rachel was still a student of history (or as her father said, a PERPETUAL student of history), but Dagne got bored with it, decided she couldnt afford it on her hair stylist income, and come to think of it, she was way more interested in hairstyling than history. And even though shed gone on to be more interested in massage therapy than hairstyling, she and Rachel had remained fast friends.

Which was why Dagne was in her house now, bugging her about witchcraft. This particular thing had started when Rachel returned from New York and after the worst fight with Dad shed ever had. She had made the mistake of studying her astrology chart to see what was up and concluded that the planets were pushing her to make some changes. When she showed the chart to Dagne, her brown eyes sort of bugged out, and she said, Girl, you have got to make some changes .

And then shed shown up tonight, fully prepared to make Rachels changes for her. After dinner, of course, which Rachel was still in the midst of preparing.

Dagne helped herself to a glass of wine and asked, So what have you come up with?

Nothing, Rachel sighed, tossing the salad.

Dagne paused to swipe a, chunk of red bell pepper from the salad Rachel was making. Hey, cool bowl, she remarked.

Yes, cool bowl. Very pretty bowl. Cut glass, gilded rim, hand-painted scenes of a lovely French countryside painted around the bottom. A gift from Myron, Rachel said. They must be having a sale at the museum gift shop.

Myron used to be her boyfriend. Now he was her friend and a part-time assistant curator with the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Society. He had a habit of bringing her gifts from the museum gift shops instead of the money he owed her.

So Ive been thinking about this, Dagne said earnestly. Did you notice that Mars and Mercury are in retrograde? That makes everything soooo obvious. I mean, its like impossible to try and move forward with your life with that going on, right?

Who could argue the retrograde theory?

Everything is pointing toward reassessment. Whatever you thought your plan was? Rethink it.

Rachel snorted as she added slivers of portabella mushrooms to the salad. What plan? I dont have a plan! My internship just ended, I hardly have enough to pay the utilities and phone bill, and my dad is so not going to help me out.

Thats the other thing, Dagne said cheerfully. Jupiter is getting close to the sun, which, of course, will affect your income, so by the end of the month, you should be flush. This she announced as if it was a, done deal, no questions asked. All Rachel had to do was wake up at the end of the month and presto ! Money.

Flush ? Rachel said accusingly, and carried a bowl of salad to the dining room.

Flush , Dagne said emphatically. Listen to your cosmic meter, Rachel.

Frankly, Rachel sometimes wondered if she shouldnt listen to anything or anyone but Dagne. She returned to the kitchen, grabbed the wine and their glasses, and brought those to the dining room while Dagne grabbed her canvas bag and the tofu lasagna.

Theres actually some good news in my horoscope, Rachel said as she pushed the salad toward Dagne. When Mars comes out of retrograde at the end of the month, it should kick some butt in my tenth house, which means drum roll, please new job! She lifted salad tongs in triumph, then handed them to Dagne.

Really, she continued. I believe that once Mars and Mercury wake up, things are going to start happening for menew job, new money, new life. I just have to make a couple of other teeny-tiny adjustments.

Like better money management!

Dagne declared it so adamantly that Rachel looked at her in surprise. Dagne raised her brows, silently daring Rachel to argue. Oh sure, like Dagne was a wiz at money management, which she was so not!

I mean you should stop giving it away, Dagne clarified.

Rachel laughed. I dont give it all away!

Well, youre always loaning money to friends, she said, and the Wiz at Money Management should know, since she had borrowed money from Rachel in the past. But now that youre completely on your own, youre going to have to take care of yourself first.

Fine, Rachel said with a shrug. Better money management. But the big thing is, I need to lose some weight.

Dagne winced a little, looked at the salad bowl again. Thats really a beautiful bowl, she said, Its amazing how antiquey they can make these copies look.

Wow. Apparently she did need to lose some weight. You dont have to act like you havent noticed, Rachel said petulantly.

I think you look terrific! Dagne insisted. Full figures are all the rage! But you know it never hurts to drop a couple of lbs before you start a new project.

Ouch. That bad. So much for trotting out the double-fudge brownies for dessert. But it wasnt like her weight was anything new. Her dad mentioned it every other breath, Grandma kept sending diet books, Mom tiptoed around the subject like she thought Rachel might crumple into a crying heap.

All right, it was true. Shed steadily put on a few pounds each year until she was now about twenty pounds okay, twenty-five over what she ought to weigh. It wouldnt be so bad if she didnt have two older sisters, Robin and Rebecca, who were both pencil thin and beautiful. Why stop there? They were beautiful and rich in their own right and married to wonderful men and had beautiful children surrounding them.

And here sat Rachel, their fat-ass little sister whose eyes were too far apart and her hair too wild to be stylish and her feet too big for really cool strappy high heels, dammit!

Im sorry, Dagne said.

Dont be, Rachel said sincerely. I need something like finding a new job to plant the boot in my butt and make me do it. Ill just have to stop buying the junk food Myron likes.

Dagne frowned at that, picked up her fork, and stabbed her lasagna. As to that , she said sternly, you should know that Venus and Neptune are on a collision course, and when those two worlds collide, look out, because you just might find the love of your life, and his name is so not Myron!

I know his name isnt Myron .

Are you sure? I mean, the guy eats you out of house and home, hes always borrowing your stuff and your money, and what do you get out of it?

Rachel could feel her face flaming. Were friends , she said, and hid behind a good slug of wine.

Youre his friend. Myron just takes.

Thats not true. Hes been very supportive of my education when no one else would be, and hes been a real trooper when it comes to Dad. I mean, he picked me up at the train station when I got back from the two-week trip through hell, and he couldnt have been more understanding. And look at all the stuff hes given me.

I just think its weird to be friends with a guy who dumped you.

He didnt dump me! It was mutual! Rachel insisted. And hes just a friend . Whats wrong with that? Its not like men are banging down the door, Dagne.

They would if youd let them, she said, and that was the moment the debate started, because Dagne instantly flashed a bright smile. And when Im through with you, girl, theyll be lined up around the block!

Rachel instantly knew what she was up to and immediately started waving a hand at her. No way! That witch thingy is your deal, not mine.

What have you got to lose? Dagne asked cheerfully.

No, Rachel said.

Come on, Dagne pleaded.

NO!

And on it went through dinner and another glass of wine, until Rachel was feeling pretty groovy and agreeable.

Dagne picked up the big canvas bag she carried everywhere she went and pulled some items from it, including a; pink, leather-bound spell book (purchased on eBay, Dagne proudly proclaimed, and seemed not to appreciate the irony of someone hocking her spell book); a silver chalice; a leather string tied to an amulet that looked, from where Rachel was sitting, like a peace sign; and several candles of varying sizes. We really should be outside, you know, calling on Mother Nature and all that, but its too damn cold tonight, she explained, and pulled out a clump of dirt. Im pretty sure it doesnt matter.

What are you doing ? Rachel asked as Dagne arranged her things on the dining room table.

Making your spell, hello! A little magic to bring you peace and prosperity.

Can you do one for a knight in shining armor? Rachel asked, all chipper now. That would be way cool. Make him tall. With dark hair. And available.

Dagne frowned at her lack of seriousness. We can do a spell for love, but you have to be serious or it wont work . White magic is all about belief.

Rachel stifled another giggle. Okay, she said, and held up her hand. Im serious. I beeee-lieeeeeve . Except that she couldnt possibly believe it and burst into another fit of giggles. Rachel!

All right, all right, she said, and as it was obvious that Dagne was getting perturbed, she tried very hard to wipe the smirk from her face.

Dagne arranged the candles according to size, from the tallest to the shortest. She then instructed Rachel to get another bottle of wine (Rachel voiced her doubts about adding another bottle of wine to the mix, but Dagne insisted), and poured a generous amount of wine into a chalice that still had the Big Lots tag stuck to the bottom.

Dagne laid the leather string in a line below the candles, reached into her canvas bag, pulled out a tiny brass incense holder, a stick of incense, and lit it. Air, she said in a loud whisper, is for change and lightness and freedom.

Im all for that, Rachel said cheerfully. Sssh ! Dagne hissed, then poured some wine for herself and stood back, motioned for Rachel to come around to the side of the table. Now. Are you serious ?

I am. I really am, Rachel said, nodding emphatically at Dagnes dubious expression.

You better be, Dagne said, and handed Rachel a fireplace lighter. First, well do the weight-loss spell. Light the candles from tall to short, and say this as you do it: As the moon wanes, so shall I decrease .

Rachel took the lighter and looked at the candles. Thats it?

Thats it. The rest is up to you. How fortunate for Dagne that Rachel had had just enough wine to make her pliable and think this was all sort of illicit fun. She picked up the lighter, lit the tallest candle. As the moon wanes, she said soft and low as she began lighting the five candles, so shall I decrease. She finished lighting the candles and looked at Dagne.

Dagne glanced at the spell book, shrugged, and took the lighter, put it back in her canvas bag. Now for the next one. Prosperity . She handed the chalice of wine to Rachel, then picked up the clump of dirt. What is that? Rachel asked. Earth. You crumble this in your wine, and you say:

Add this earth to my wine, and prosperity shall I find . And then you drink.

Wait, waitare you saying I have to drink dirt?

Do you want a job? Dagne shot back.

Rachel sighed, took the clump of dirt, and with a frown for Dagne, repeated solemnly, Add this earth to my wine, and prosperity shall I find, as she crumbled the dirt clod into her wine. When she did not immediately pick up the chalice, Dagne poked her, and reluctantly, and grimacing, Rachel picked it up, held her breath, and drank it as quickly as she could.

Hey it was kind of tasty! She smacked her lips, shoved the chalice back across the table toward a beaming Dagne.

Okay! Now Dagne took the leather string and amulet, which, on closer inspection, really was a tiny pewter peace sign. You have to make three knots. And this is what you say: As these knots I do entwine, find the heart to link to mine

Oh please

Just do it, Rachel. Dagne sighed wearily.

Rachel frowned, picked up the leather string, and tied a loose knot. As these knots I do entwine, she said, tying another one, find the heart to link to mine. She finished with the third, twirled the little peace sign around her finger and off again, and handed the string back to Dagne. So what, hell come knocking any minute? How do I look?

No, wait, Dagne said, with a thoughtful frown. Thats not right.

Whats not right? I tied three knots like you said.

No, the spell , Dagne said as she reached for her spell book and began to flip through the pages.

Maybe you forgot the part where we dance around the campfire, Rachel suggested.

Would you stop?

No, really. Dont you dance around fire or something?

Dagne sighed. Just shut up, will you? I need to look something up.

Rachel fell into her chair, wished for the brownies.

Aha! This is it! Dagne said excitedly, jabbing her finger onto a page. Do you have any rose petals?

Rachel rolled her eyes. No.

Dagne looked up and around, saw a bunch of alstrome-rias in a vase on the hutch. Those will have to do, she muttered, and stood up, marched around the table, and pulled one out of the vase.