Lucky Streak

“Same thing that happens in the end to every Corwin man. Take my grandfather. He was in love with his wife. Only he caught her in the act with the neighbor, him buck naked, them going at it like rabbits, to hear him tell it. My grandfather shot the bastard and my grandmother had a heart attack right then and there. He was never the same.” He placed his hand over his heart, which had to be beating rapidly. She could tell by Edward’s flushed face that his blood pressure was off the charts.

“Sounds like something out of a soap opera,” Amber said, the pain in this family tree unfathomable. Poor Edward.

“Well, it’s real life. Then there was my folks. Had us three boys and they were happy. Thought they’d beaten the curse and then they got careless. A huge nor’ easter hit the coast and wiped out most of the town, including my father’s blacksmith business. Tools, equipment, building, all gone.” Edward swiped the air with his hand.

Amber reached for rational thought on this one. “Aren’t hurricanes common on the East Coast though?” she asked gently, so as not to further upset him.

“Yeah, I heard that explanation more than once. Gabrielle likes to spout that nonsense, too. An act of God, nobody’s fault, there’s no such thing as a curse,” he said, mimicking phrases he’d obviously heard. “The storm hit late in the day and we were all home from school. Only, my father was at his shop. Mom was worried about Dad, so she left us with my grandmother to go look for him. She never came home. A flash flood hit hard and she drowned.” Edward turned away from Amber.

But not before she caught the burst of pain and fear in the older man’s eyes. She now understood why he believed so strongly in the curse. A weaker man would allow his tragic past, not to mention the awful things he’d gone through in his own life, to drive him insane. For Edward Corwin, it wasn’t just his own life that carved out his reality, but the lives of his ancestors, too.

“Every Corwin male who ignored the curse has lived to pay the price. Myself included. Stayin’ here alone on the edge of town has been my salvation.” Edward nodded his head, emphasizing his point.

Amber was tempted to mention that it had also been his downfall, but she realized he wasn’t in any frame of mind to hear those words, let alone understand them. “Why don’t I go outside and talk to the Realtor. See what his plans actually are,” she offered.

Before Edward could answer, Gabrielle’s little black Lexus convertible pulled to a stop in front of the house. She headed up the unpaved walkway and Amber opened the door before she had to ring the bell.

“Uncle Edward, you need to pave the driveway or I’m going to break an ankle,” Gabrielle said, grabbing on to the doorframe for balance before she stepped inside.

“I ain’t your uncle,” he muttered.

Gabrielle glanced at Amber and grinned. “Yes, you are. You’re my uncle by marriage. When are you going to stop arguing with me?”

He made a frustrated sound and returned to peering out the window.

“What’s going on?” Gabrielle asked.

“The house next door just went up for sale,” Amber explained. She looked from her pajamas to Gabrielle’s pretty skirt and sleeveless top.

Somehow the other woman managed to look like a model even at 9:00 a.m. A pale model, but maybe it was the precarious trek across the gravel that had shaken her, Amber thought.

“Harry Winters is moving?” Gabrielle asked, obviously surprised. “I thought he liked being alone as much as you do,” she said to Edward.

“Yeah, well, after you got Mayor Mary Perkins arrested last year, Harry wasn’t afraid to go out anymore. He met a lady friend at the Wave not long after it was rebuilt from the fire.”

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. “And just how would you know all this?”

Amber wondered that herself. For a man who rarely left the house and didn’t talk to anyone when he did, Edward sure knew a lot.

Edward glanced away, refusing to meet their gaze. “Harry and me talk sometimes. Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. Neighbors do that,” he muttered, a mass of contradictions. “Now, would you two go away and give me some privacy?”

“I really should jump in the shower first,” Amber said.

“And I brought my laptop to work down by the lake.” Gabrielle gestured out back.

“I got my own work to do,” Edward muttered and walked out of the family room, planning to do who knows what, who knew where.

“Difficult old coot,” Gabrielle said, but there was obvious affection in her tone.

The women parted ways, agreeing to meet up later.

Amber showered and pulled herself together for the day. She picked up a book from Edward’s shelves and a towel to sit on, then headed out back, settling herself beneath a tree for shade. Beside her, Gabrielle clicked away at her computer.

A warm breeze blew through the moist air. “This humidity is awful.” Amber ran her hand through her hair.

“I’ve done book tours out West and I think the dry heat can kill you. But I’m sure the humidity takes some getting used to,” Gabrielle said with a laugh.

“How would you know, with your perfect hair that falls so straight?” Amber eyed the other woman’s glossy tresses with envy only another woman could understand.

“We always want what we don’t have.”

“Amen,” Amber said.

“Right now, I’m growing out a short bob. I’d kill for long curls like yours,” Gabrielle said.

In her concierge days, Amber had opted for the sleek and sophisticated look. A flatiron and lack of humidity had helped her accomplish that goal. But on take-it-easy days like today, she let it dry naturally.

She stretched her feet out and looked over the lake. “Is that Edward fishing?” She pointed to a place far away from where they sat.

Gabrielle glanced over. “Mmm-hmm.”

“He looks peaceful.” So different from the stressed-out man he’d been earlier. “Fishing must relax him,” Amber said.

“There are no fish.” Gabrielle perched her sunglasses on top of her head. “But at least he seems calmer.”

Amber nodded. “Did you ever notice how he teeters on the edge, between sanity and mania, and back again?”

Gabrielle nodded. “The whole family notices. It’s easier to just leave him alone as much as possible. Trust me, you don’t want his attention focused on you. I should know.” She ran her hands up and down her arms, glancing out across the lake. “I lost a baby six months ago,” she said softly, obviously confiding her deepest secret.

Amber was touched Gabrielle had chosen to tell her. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. The reason I wanted you to know this now is because of Edward. His reaction was crazy. He took the miscarriage as a sign the curse is at work. Ever since, he’s been making me crazy and that’s pretty hard to do.” Gabrielle forced a laugh.

“I’ve seen your books in stores. Based on the subject matter you write about, I’d bet it’s difficult to spook you.”

Gabrielle inclined her head. “Exactly. But when Edward gets in one of those moods, like he is today, all rational thought flies out the window. Even I get nervous.”

“I can understand that. So the curse is pretty well known around here?”

Gabrielle nodded. “The stuff of town lore,” she said, a frown on her face.

“What about Mike? Where does he fall on the curse-believing scale?” Amber asked.

“Well, he’s never acted as if he feared it, not the way Derek has. Then again, he’s never been serious about a woman, either. Coincidence or intent?” Gabrielle shrugged, but she studied Amber with her astute gaze. “I couldn’t tell you. But he’s married to you now…”

“But he isn’t in love. We aren’t in love. No love, no curse. So maybe I was just a safety net for him.” Even as Amber asked the question, the thought hurt her.

She’d married Mike on a whim, but she’d taken those vows seriously. She’d begun to care about his family and she knew she cared about him. Enough to want him to care about her in return.

Gabrielle shook her head. “Don’t read too much into it,” she said, as if knowing Amber’s thoughts. “Every situation in the world has been played out in Corwin male history. If they want to find a way to say the curse exists,