Lucky Charm

All under the watchful eye of Mary Perkins, who was obviously staying for the talk. She and her granddaughter had taken seats in the back.

By themselves.

By the time Gabrielle walked up to the podium, the small library was filled to capacity. Chairs had been set out in rows and the crowd overflowed into the back hall. She was pleased with the turnout, especially since her latest book had been published last October. Normally, Gabrielle spoke only when she had a new book to promote, doing readings at local libraries, signings and chats at bookstores.

Tonight’s talk was different. She wasn’t here to sell books. She was here to use her expertise to sway people’s thinking. She’d stop short of endorsing Richard Stern’s mayoral campaign, and she definitely wouldn’t mention the much visible Mary Perkins.

Gabrielle started on time. She’d watched the flow of people walk in, keeping an eye out for Derek or his gun- toting father. Thanks to that searing kiss earlier today, she’d been too distracted to ask Derek if Holly had been serious about her grandfather. But so far, neither man had showed.

Though she was disappointed, she reminded herself she hadn’t expected him to be here tonight. Still, she’d be a liar if she didn’t admit that she’d hoped the kiss had stayed with him long enough to lure him out, anyway.

Shaking off her disappointment, she began an animated talk. She started off stating the amount of study she’d done in the area of the paranormal and followed by discussing how it related to her books. In Future Stars, she’d debunked fortune-tellers and in Her Mind’s Eye, she questioned the validity of psychics.

She continued her speech by addressing curses, which she’d dealt with peripherally in Disenchanted, last year. She referred to theories such as the Theory of Suggestibility, which detailed how people experiencing intense emotions regarding certain subjects, like a curse, were more receptive to ideas surrounding them. Referring to the towns of Perkins and Stewart, she explained that the emotions surrounding the curse were so high, any event that seemed to meet the criteria of the curse was automatically pegged as a result. She also explained the notion of crowd psychology and how group mentality often came to overrule an individual’s personal thought and belief system.

Though careful not to mention the Corwins or the Perkins families by name, and even more cautious not to meet Mary’s and Elizabeth Perkins’s stares, Gabrielle finished by pulling together the towns’ collective experience with the curse. She tried to impart the notion that just because every male within a cursed family line that had fallen in love had suffered financial loss and emotional devastation didn’t mean the curse existed. Individual circumstances coincidentally met the same criteria as the curse, and it was possible that even the power of suggestion played a role in the choices key players made.

Gabrielle received a standing ovation for her talk, then she took questions. Finally, she glanced at the clock and realized an hour had passed.

“Last question?” A quick glance at the back row told her Mary Perkins had left unnoticed. However, when she turned her gaze to the back door, she was surprised to see Derek and his father had arrived at some point, as well.

Pleasure wrapped over her at the sight of him. In nothing more than dark jeans and a basic T-shirt, he still stood out in a crowd.

His gaze met hers and heat stirred in her belly, distracting her from anything except him. Her lips curved into a smile.

Suddenly he raised his hand, which reminded her she’d been about to take her last question. She swallowed hard. “Yes?” she asked, pointing to him. “Derek?”

“I was wondering what your next book was going to be about.”

Wow. She’d expected the question at some point. Just not from him.

“Thank you for asking.” His interest warmed her as much as the fact that he’d shown his face at a public discussion on curses. But she didn’t know how he’d take the answer to his question. “Growing up here, I’m well acquainted with the rich history of the area, and of Salem in particular.” Again, she had to tread carefully for Derek’s family’s sake. “I plan to take a look at specific family curses.”

An overwhelming round of applause followed. Apparently people liked the idea of her taking on a subject so close to home. Gabrielle hoped that meant they’d be open to being questioned about their ancestors.

Derek listened to her answer in dismay. He wouldn’t have asked had he known the answer ahead of time. He couldn’t believe she’d be delving into something so deep and personal. Yet, who was he to interfere in her career? He didn’t have to like it, but apparently the crowd did.

“The hell you are!” Derek’s father stepped up from behind him.

Derek glared at his father. Though Hank had been the one insisting they show up tonight, he’d been fidgety for most of the lecture. Close to the end, he’d slunk out and Derek assumed his father had gone to the men’s room. He’d been relieved, and he’d hoped his father would stay there for the duration of Gabrielle’s talk.

“Is there a problem?” Gabrielle asked.

“Darn straight there’s a problem!” Hank bypassed Derek and waved his hands as he spoke to both Gabrielle and the crowd. “It’s bad enough you’re standing up there trying to tell everyone curses don’t exist when my family’s living, breathing proof they do. But now you’re going to make money off of our story?”

Gabrielle’s cheeks flushed red. As red as her temper, Derek would bet, cringing at his father’s accusation.

She drew her shoulders back straighter. “Excuse me, Mr. Corwin, but I object to the notion that I’m out to make money off of other people’s misery. I write about factual situations and how the choices people make play into the outcome. The hope is that other people will learn lessons from these situations they can apply to their own life. In this case, I want people to see that the power of suggestion is as strong as any curse.”

“Sounds to me like you’re mocking us, as sure as anybody who tells tales about us around town,” Hank said.

“Mr. Corwin, I assure you, I’m doing no such thing,” Gabrielle said hotly.

“Hah! If you mock the curse, something worse will happen to us. You just watch.” Hank turned beet-red.

Derek was surprised his father wasn’t foaming at the mouth. He placed a calming hand on his dad’s shoulders. “Getting worked up isn’t good for your blood pressure,” he said quietly but sternly, warning his father to back off.

“I’m not mocking anyone or anything,” Gabrielle said. “What I’m doing is debunking something that has ruled your family’s life for too many years.”

Derek knew Gabrielle. She wasn’t about to back down.

“Hah!” Hank said, obviously warming up for another tirade.

Without warning, Sharon stood up in the center of the room. “Relax, Mr. Corwin, or I’ll have Roger show you out,” she said, pointing to the uniformed officer who’d only come in case he needed to direct traffic.

“It’s a public library, missy. I can stay and have my say.”

“It’s my library and you’re insulting my guest!” Sharon perched her hands on her hips.

Before things could get any more out of hand, Derek grabbed his father’s arm. “Shut up and leave on your own before you embarrass us any further.” Derek clenched his jaw.

Hank muttered under his breath.

And Holly inched closer to Derek’s leg.

“That’s my point!” Hank said, not finished arguing. “Look how she’s humiliating us in public!”

Hank was the only one humiliating the Corwin family, but before Derek could let his father in on that fact, Chaz, the town drunk who showed up at any public gathering in case there was free liquor, rose to his feet.

“Maybe that’s because Derek dumped her before he went off to college,” Chaz said.

The dig got chuckles from the crowd. Chaz had been in Derek and Gabrielle’s graduating class. And even though he’d been drunk for most of his life, he was right about what had happened.

Derek didn’t appreciate the public reminder and clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides.

“You did?” Holly pulled at his shirt. “You dumped Gabrielle?” his daughter asked.

Derek groaned. “Way to go, Pop.”

“What’d I do?” Hank asked.

Derek shook his head. It was useless. His father wouldn’t understand that he had taken a calm, quiet talk and turned it into a mudslinging, embarrassing mess. Not until he’d calmed down and reflected on it, Derek