Free Getting Lucky (The Marilyns) by Katie Graykowski

to watch her when other people were around instead of forcing himself to look down was nice.
    Lucky hated salad and most green vegetables unless they were cooked in bacon grease, so watching her stumble through a salad with pears and goat cheese was an accomplishment. He’d made a deal. Pizza first and then everyone had to eat a plate of salad. Healthy eating habits started at home, and by God, they would eat healthy if it killed him.
    Everyone except Mandy took turns chewing and glaring at him. She divided her glares between Lucky and him.
    Viviane shot Lucky surreptitious glances, but neither seemed to be inclined to talk. By enforcing the new healthy eating rule, he’d made them allies against Campaign Healthy.
    “Mandy, how was your day?” Will tried again to start dinner conversation.
    Mandy grunted in his general direction, rolled her eyes, and went back to eating. Since her mouth was full, she didn’t stick out her tongue. Thank God for that.
    “Lucky, I don’t think you’ve met Viviane. Lucky, Vivi…Vivi, Lucky.” He would engage them in dinner conversation or die trying.
    Lucky wiped the corners of her mouth, swallowed, and said, “Nice to meet you. I hear you’re a Spurs fan. They have a good team this year.”
    He nodded. Today had been eventful. In short order, she’d saved the life of one niece, learned the other could sing, and introduced herself in the best possible way to Vivi.
    “Yes, they do. Popovich finally has them headed in the right direction. They’ll dominate the southwestern division,” Vivi said in between bites of pizza.
    “Let’s hope.” Lucky nodded.
    And that was that. No more small talk, just chewing. Because he’d never had a conventional family, he’d always wanted the large family meals with lots of talking and laughing. Maybe someday. He shrugged. Today was Lucky’s first day. Loud family meals took time.

 
     
     
Chapter 7
     
     
    The next evening, the scratching of flame-retardant-PJ-covered feet against the travertine living room floor got louder and louder. There had been a time when Lucky had looked forward to a house full of children … her children…. Now she wasn’t sure what she wanted. She glanced over her left shoulder.
    Dawnie, clutching a ratty pink Barbie blanket, approached shyly. Her huge blue eyes flickered nervously from Lucky to the fire and back again. “Is Uncle Will in here?”
    “No. He went to bed hours ago.” It was almost two thirty in the morning. This little one should be fast asleep.
    “Good.” Without asking, Dawnie eased her skinny bottom onto Lucky’s lap. “He gets mad when I wake up in the middle of the night.”
    If she hugged Dawnie to her, she might never let go. When it came to this precious little girl, the lines were blurring. She could love her … deeply, but Dawnie wasn’t Lucky’s to love. Instead, she gripped the arms of the overstuffed chair more tightly. “Feel free to sit on one of the other sofas, or any of the three other chairs.”
    “Why?” Dawnie made it sound like the most absurd idea in the world. “Whatcha doing?”
    “Watching the fire.” She liked the solitude to reflect upon and deal with things. Some people used alcohol to unwind, others, hot baths. For Lucky, a good blaze did the job even if it was seventy degrees outside. All she had to do was turn down the air conditioner and build a fire. It might not be eco-friendly, but everyone deserved a vice.
    “Fire is hot.” She looked over her shoulder at Lucky. “If you catch on fire: stop, drop, and roll, or you’ll burn up.”
    “Thanks for the tip.” Lucky couldn’t help the smile. “This fire is safe. I like to stare into the flames to gather my thoughts.”
    Dawnie shrugged. “Okay.” She turned back to the fire.
    After ten seconds of blessed silence, she looked back at Lucky. “Maybe if you always put away your thoughts back in the same place, you wouldn’t need to gather them up. I keep my Barbies in big bags so I don’t