Free Knock on Wood by Linda O. Johnston Page A

wish—which she of course didn’t reveal to me. That would have assured it wouldn’t come true.
    Still avoiding cracks in the sidewalk, along with the window-shopping tourists and traffic on Destiny Boulevard, we crossed the street and reached the Broken Mirror Bookstore.
    â€œI’ll stop in later to see how you’re doing,” I told Gemma. “And feel free to call me anytime.”
    I gave her a quick, encouraging hug, then Pluckie and I headed next door to the Lucky Dog. It was around nine thirty, half an hour before we opened. I would be the only salesperson there for the first couple of hours that morning.
    But Martha had come downstairs from her apartment above the store. Not only that, but her nephew Arlen, with whom she had a difficult relationship, was there too. Arlen Jallopia was a Destiny tour guide. In fact, I’d taken his tour and really enjoyed it. And now, partially thanks to my success in giving talks regarding pet superstitions, he had been able to add the Lucky Dog Boutique to his tour itinerary.
    Arlen was a nice-looking guy who resembled a sitcom star, with spiky dark brown hair. As usual, he wore a red knit shirt with the Destiny’s Luckiest Tours logo on the pocket.
    Right now, aunt and nephew were at the side of the store near a display of superstition dog toys. Each had a cup of take-out coffee in their hands that I assumed Arlen had brought from the nearby
Beware-of-Bubbles Coffee Shop. Yes, there were superstitions involving the formation and movement of bubbles in cups of coffee; I’d learned that soon after arriving here.
    Whatever those bubbles were doing right now, I wanted to salute them. Aunt and nephew seemed to be getting along great … for this moment.
    Did I want them to get along permanently? That could lead to Martha hiring Arlen to run this shop, as he wanted.
    Well, that would certainly make future decisions for me. I had even begun weighing the pros and cons of possibly asking to buy the place from Martha.
    I chatted with them for a few minutes before taking the steps I needed to open the doors of the store. Arlen offered to help, and I took him up on it, at least as far as straightening some displays.
    Soon after I opened the store I found myself waiting on customers, Pluckie at my side. It was fun sharing pet-related superstitions with the tourists who came in and asked questions about the products we sold. A few had been at my most recent presentation.
    I really enjoyed this place. This store. The kinds of patrons who came in.
    Maybe I would make that purchase offer to Martha someday. Not now, though. She hung around till Arlen had to leave for his job, then walked to the stairway that would take her up to her apartment.
    â€œYou okay to go up there on your own?” I asked her.
    â€œYes, I’m doing well this morning, dear. And if I trip going up the stairs—”
    â€œYes, I know, it’s not as bad as when you go down the stairs.” We’d talked about these superstitions before. The former meant a wedding in the family, while the latter meant bad luck.
    She soon started up the steps, closing the door behind her.
    Late morning, Millie came in. Once she got settled and started waiting on customers, I had time to go next door and check on Gemma.
    Good thing I did. First thing I saw when I walked into the bookstore was that all three men who seemed interested in her were present. They stood around the table that harbored Tarzal’s book on superstitions.
    Glaring at each other.
    Gemma quickly walked around them to join me at the door. “I have a feeling there’s a lot of bad luck floating in the air around here,” she whispered.
    It was then I saw the black cat sitting calmly near the wall at the far corner of the store.
    Same cat? A different one?
    I wondered once more: How many black cats were there in Destiny?
    Did I keep seeing only one? And though it—they?—never got too near, were they