Free Get Lucky by Nona Wesley Page A

zip up lips. “Some lady went nuts over one of these very coins on the street this morning. Is it really worth something?”
    “Oh, hell yes,” blurted the woman next to Kim, and the laughter resumed. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Apparently the day had been designated as one colossal inside joke to which Kim had no knowledge.
    “So…?” Kim gestured to the group in a hurry-up motion. “Do you redeem it for something? Is it a gift certificate? Or maybe it’s like one of those Willy Wonka golden tickets. You’re gonna get free chocolate for life?”
    Pale fingers curled around the coin and Laura drew back her fist. “Oh, it’s better than that,” she said, nodding. “It’s not every day you find genuine leprechaun gold.”
    Okay, time out. “Do what now?”
    “It’s true, that’s a leprechaun’s coin,” confirmed the chubby brunette next to Kim. “You find one, and it’s worth your heart’s desire. You can make any wish, no limitations.”
    “Well, except for wishing for more wishes,” chimed a voice behind Kim.
    “Ah.” The Looney Tunes theme sounded off in her head, and Kim thought better of saying anything more. These women already deemed her odd for not recognizing the significance of the so-called gold. Deciding against her purchases—and probably shopping here altogether in the future—Kim stepped back and waved her farewells. “Congratulations,” she told Laura. “Make it count.”
    Once outside, she added, “Better not wish for a man. He might show up wearing a white coat.”
     
    * * * *
     
    The rest of the afternoon, thankfully, passed without incident and fanciful tales of leprechauns and myths. Sated by her day off from work, Kim fixed a light dinner and settled in to watch her shows. For all her intent to concentrate on the storylines, however, her mind wandered back to Laura and the blonde woman from that morning.
    Clearly both believed the coins they found possessed some magical power, so what did they wish for? She imagined if she did venture back into the lingerie store, Laura might be the new owner, or else replaced by a new worker while she embarked on a world cruise. It would be nice to have the opportunity to make one big wish—true love, world peace, a bottomless wallet—but Kim doubted she’d find it in a simple—
    Coin?
    As she shifted for a comfortable position on the couch, her hand dipped between the cushions and felt something hard. She lifted one corner to reveal a flash of gold.
    “What the…?” She picked up the fool’s gold, the same type of coin Laura had earlier, with the pot design emblazoned on one side. Turning it in her hand, Kim noted the image of a four-leaf shamrock, over which the words Get Lucky! curved.
    How this got in her couch, Kim couldn’t say. She’d not hosted any gatherings recently, and had no reason to buy party favors. She didn’t pick up the first coin from the morning, so nothing could have fallen out of her pocket. What other explanation made sense?
    Kim shrugged. Her entire morning hadn’t made sense. No harm in giving the wish a try. At best, she’d confirm her sanity.
    At worst, she’d go to bed feeling like an idiot.
    She pinched the coin between her fingers and closed her eyes, figuring this a proper procedure. For the one second required, she suspended her disbelief in fairies, pixies, sprites, monsters, abominable snowmen, vampires, werewolves, and even leprechauns. Once finished, she pitched the coin at her coffee table and watched it spin to a stop, clover side up.
    Nothing happened. Wishes should be instantaneous, she thought. So much for that.
    Kim raised the remote to change the channel when a knock fell on the door.
     
    * * * *
     
    Kim had grown up with a specific image of leprechauns in mind: short and ginger-haired, dressed in a green tuxedo, with an exaggerated Irish accent. This man standing at her door—rugged yet athletic, dark stubble dusting his tanned face, a shock of black hair drooping in front of his