Lucky Break

lady in the mask when tonight’s festival is a masked event.”

He rolled his eyes. “I haven’t celebrated Halloween in years.”

Clara eyed him with amusement. “A red rose speaks of a love that awaits passionate expression. Red itself is the color of consummation, raging desire and craving passion.”

He felt a heated flush rise to his face. “Come on. You’re embarrassing me.”

She grinned. “Bottom of the column of four, how others see you.” She turned the card. “King of Pentacles. You see yourself as a failure, the outside world sees someone in control, in charge, capable of taking care of others. Next is the card of hope and fear.” She revealed the next card. “Ace of Cups reversed. You have no hope of love. You fear being alone forever, viewing the cup as half empty instead of half full.” Her words held a hint of sadness and chiding, as if she wanted him to change.

How could he? Jason’s stomach constricted at the accurate description. A lifetime of work and dreams had ended with one urine test. He’d lost everything in an instant.

“Third card in this row. Your obstacle. Ten of Pentacles. The card of community fulfillment. In order to get to your outcome, you need to rejoin the community on all levels.” She lifted her eyes from the cards set out on the table and met his gaze. “Stop hiding behind your past.”

He decided not to argue. There was no point.

“Last card.”

He found himself relieved that his torture was almost at an end. Clara meant well but all her hocus-pocus had accomplished was to make him more aware of his failures and how he’d allowed one mistake to control his life for too long. He was tired of being grumpy and miserable all the time.

He’d returned to Stewart and set up a contracting business. It was an obvious choice. To raise money for snowboarding, he’d worked for his father and Uncle Hank’s electrical and contracting business, so the work was familiar. But instead of enjoying it, he’d been going through the motions.

Maybe the cards were right, he thought wryly. Maybe it was time to put the past behind him and move on. At the very least he needed to get rid of some pent-up sexual frustration.

“Ready?” Clara asked.

He nodded, wanting this over. “What the hell. Show it to me.”

She revealed the final card. “Ten of Cups.” A large smile spread over Clara’s face. “Do you see the white picket fence?” She splayed her hands in front of her. “This goes perfectly with the red mask, the ultimate expression of romantic and abiding love.” She sighed on the last word. “Do you know what this means?”

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“The cards show you have the potential for happily ever after, Jason.” She smiled.

Those words conjured up another time.

Another place.

Another woman.

He’d been eighteen years old, working and trying to save money to fund his snowboarding. She’d been seventeen and visiting for the summer. He was a Corwin. She was a Perkins. She’d had some starry-eyed notion of them running off together. He’d had selfish dreams of Olympic gold that didn’t have room for anyone else.

Even if he sometimes wished they had.

He often wondered what would have happened if her grandmother hadn’t sent her packing. If he’d gone looking for her once he’d had enough cash. But he hadn’t. He’d used the money to build a name for himself. Hire a coach. Chase a dream that wasn’t meant to be.

“What are you thinking about?” Clara asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“About how you should give me a break.” He’d humored her up until now, but she was bordering on delusional if she thought she could convince him he was headed for a fairy-tale ending.

He hadn’t thought about Lauren in years. When her family had fallen apart a year ago, he’d been far from home, immersed in practice, and she hadn’t been around since he’d come back. The rumor mill had her in New York City, far from the Perkins family mess. He couldn’t blame her there.

“I don’t need to give you anything.” Clara’s voice broke into his thoughts. “The cards say it all.” She began sweeping the deck together, unfazed by his skepticism.

“Next thing you’ll be telling me is that the woman I’ll meet will be wearing a red mask.”

Clara tapped the cards to even them out. “You said it, I didn’t.”

He didn’t want to insult her so he remained silent, but the facts remained. If a man’s last name was Corwin, it wasn’t easy getting laid in Jason’s hometown, never mind finding someone to settle down with.

He bent to pick up his extra equipment and tossed the items into his tool chest.

“You weren’t always so cynical,” Clara said.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure?” Although he liked and respected her, he couldn’t help challenging her so-called intuition. And he knew from previous exchanges, she enjoyed a challenge.

Clara merely shook her head. “I just know you were different before. Just like you’ll be different after.”

He knew he’d regret asking, but he did anyway. “After what?”

“After she rocks your world.”

DESPITE THE COOL FALL temperatures, Lauren drove back to her grandmother’s house from the prison with the convertible top down. After being in the small room with her sister, she needed the fresh air, open spaces and wind blowing on her face.

As she always did after one of these visits, she searched for something to focus on that didn’t involve her sister, grandmother, the jail, or the damn Corwin Curse. Paris and her upcoming show consumed her thoughts for the better part of an hour until she came to the outskirts of town and saw the sign for the fall festival.

An annual event, the masquerade ball was always held in time for Halloween. The party sounded like fun. She remembered hearing about the festival from Jason. Back then he’d wished she could stick around long enough to go with him. Well, it looked like she was going to get her chance. Years too late. And she wouldn’t exactly be attending with him.

But he might be there, a small voice in her head whispered. She’d heard he was back in town from her one friend here. Lauren and Sharon Merchant, now Sharon Stern, wife of the current mayor of Perkins, had met during Lauren’s summer visits to her grandmother’s, and they’d kept in touch over the years.

Sharon was the only person she’d confided in about her relationship with Jason Corwin. She hadn’t trusted her sister, knowing Beth would run off to tell their grandmother that Lauren was consorting with the enemy. Sharon had been understanding then and she’d been understanding years later. Lauren’s grandmother and sister had blackmailed Sharon in order to try to prevent her husband, Richard, from becoming mayor, so Lauren considered herself lucky her friend didn’t extend a grudge toward Lauren by default.

Sharon would be there tonight and Lauren could surprise her by showing up. Behind a mask, of course. She’d rather observe without outing herself. The executor of her grandmother’s will told her the townspeople wouldn’t welcome her with open arms. Lauren could handle their disdain with her head held high. She hadn’t hurt anyone and she didn’t approve of her family’s behavior. Still, remaining anonymous while she took the temperature of the town, so to speak, appealed to her.

Especially if she ran into Jason. Her stomach curled deliciously and with nervous anticipation at the thought of seeing him again. Ten years was a long time and he probably wouldn’t recognize her behind a mask. She remembered him telling her no self-respecting man would wear a mask, so she’d have the opportunity to watch and observe him with anonymity.

Yes, she thought, a night out was exactly what she needed to put the depressing prison visit behind her.

Once back at the house, she searched through an old trunk in her grandmother’s attic, picking through feathers, lace and masks. She discarded the orange mask for obvious reasons and bypassed the boring blue one in search of the perfect color.

Suddenly, she found what she was looking for. The mask that called to her. The boldest color. The one destined to make an impact.

A red mask to match her red car.

CHAPTER TWO