Jinxed!

unfastened the top button of his dress shirt and rolled back the sleeves. She’d never seen him so casually undone. By damn, he looked almost…human.

He was frowning at his cell phone with a ferocity surely meant to set the instrument on fire. The stairwell door slammed shut behind her and his head snapped up. His eyebrows rose at the sight of her, and then he once again frowned.

“What are you doing here?” they asked in unison.

Lacey wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill and continued toward him. “My car battery’s dead. You?”

“Based on the reading on my gas gauge, it appears I’m out of gas. Which is odd since I just filled the tank yesterday.”

“Probably the work of gas thieves.”

“Gas thieves?”

Lacey nodded. “There was a news story about it just last week on TV. They hit crowded parking lots and siphon gasoline out of tanks. With prices at the pump rising so high, it’s becoming a widespread problem.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “Great. Just great.”

“I have gas in my car.”

“Do you have a siphon?”

“Of course not. Do I look like a gas thief?”

“I don’t know. To the best of my knowledge I’ve never met one. And since you don’t have a siphon, the gas in your car isn’t going to do me much good. That’s like me saying I have a perfectly good battery in my car, but unless you have 900-yard-long jumper cables, that’s not much help to you.”

“Jeez, you are such a grouch.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a long breath. “Sorry. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, one that unfortunately is getting longer.”

A humorless sound escaped her. “I hear ya. Weird that we both had car trouble.”

He lifted his hand and waggled his cell phone. “You can add phone trouble to my list of woes. My cell’s battery is dead.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Really? Mine, too.”

“Even weirder.”

“Yeah. It’s like we’re cursed or something…”

Her words trailed off, and she suddenly recalled Madame Karma’s words during this afternoon’s card reading. You cannot fight karma. Cannot deny your fate. To do so will bring the wrath of both upon your head, the equivalent of being cursed…your luck will change from good to bad…

Ridiculous, she scolded herself. Just as ridiculous as Madame’s prediction that Evan was Mr. Right. She looked at him and noticed his odd expression. He was looking at her as if antennae had sprouted from her head.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“No. I was just thinking…something that crazy fortune-teller said…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Something Madame had said? Oh. Dear. God. Had Madame told Evan the same absurd things about her as she’d told Lacey about him? That she was The One for him? A heartfelt nooooo rose in her throat. That would just be too humiliating. Even though she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know the answer, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Evan, did Madame Karma mention me when she read your cards?”

His gaze immediately turned wary, confirming her worst fears. “Why do you ask?”

Might as well get this over with. She drew a deep breath, then said in a rush, “Because she mentioned you during my reading. Talked about our auras matching and… stuff.”

His eyes narrowed. “Stuff? What kind of stuff?”

She raised her chin. “Ridiculous stuff. Like that we were compatible.”

“And perfect for each other? Meant for each other?”

“Exactly.”

“What a bunch of crap.”

“Well, yeah.” That was obvious. But sheesh, he didn’t need to be so insulting about it. Not to be outdone, she added, “Biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Exactly. She tell you that if you fight karma and fate you’ll be cursed?”

“Yes.” She tried for a smile, but her face felt tight. “Do you suppose broken cars and dead cell phones fall under the heading of ‘cursed’?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t believe in that nonsense. Nor do I believe anything that crazy woman said. She’s nothing but a fraud.”

“Actually, I recently read an article about her in The Times, describing how she successfully assisted the police on several cases. She apparently has a sterling reputation. But based on her telling me that you’re Mr. Right, I’d have to say she’s lost her touch.”

“Since she told me the same off-the-wall thing about you, I’d say she’s really lost it- assuming she ever had it in the first place.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Listen, I’m going to head back to my office to use the phone.”

“I was about to do the same.”

He hesitated, then cleared his throat. “Pretty silly for us to go to separate places. Why don’t you come with me to my office to use the phone?”

“What’s the matter, afraid of the dark?”

“Nooo. Actually, I was thinking of your safety. It’s late for you to be walking around alone. Especially if there’re gas thieves running around.”

“That’s unexpectedly chivalrous of you.”

“I’m not the big bad wolf you seem to think I am.”

Right. And she was Little Red Riding Hood. Still, she had to admit she wasn’t keen on wandering about by herself. “Thanks for the offer, but how about we use the phone at Constant Cravings instead? I’ll make some coffee and break out the cookies while we wait for the automotive cavalry to arrive.”

“That sounds…nice. Thanks.”

“You don’t need to sound so shocked that I’d do something nice.”

“Oh? You mean the way you didn’t sound shocked that I’d do something chivalrous?”

To her surprise, a laugh tickled the back of her throat. “Exactly.”

“Well, in that case…sorry.”

She studied him for several seconds then a grin tugged at her lips. “No you’re not. Jeez. You’re a terrible liar.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You must stink at poker.”

“That’s why I prefer blackjack.”

They started across the courtyard, cutting across the wide expanse of lawn as a shortcut. Lacey kept her arms wrapped around herself and walked as fast as she could, hoping the exertion would warm her. They were less than halfway across the grass when a series of clicking sounds broke the silence.

“What’s that?” Evan asked, pausing.

“I’m not sure,” Lacey replied, stopping as well. Suddenly dozens of slim metal pipes popped up from the ground. Realization hit her at the exact instant her midsection was blasted with a spray of icy cold water.

Frozen in place by shock, she sucked in a breath, then gasped. “It’s the-”

“Sprinklers. Got it. Got it right in the ass, actually. Cripes. Could this night get any worse?”

“Please, do not ask that question. I did earlier and found out that, yeah, it could.” She hissed in another sharp breath as a barrage of frigid water slashed across her midsection like a wet machine- gun blast.

“Well, let’s not stand here and get even wetter.” He grabbed her hand and started across the lawn at a brisk jog.

Lacey did her best to keep pace with him as they ducked and dodged in vain, trying to avoid the sweeping arcs