Knock on Wood by Linda O. Johnston Page B

interns, stood and left as other people arrived.
    Gemma, Stuart, and I joined them. So did Carolyn Innes, who had been sitting on the other side of the room from me at the Welcome with proprietors of a couple of other local shops. They all joined us now. The conversation turned immediately to the Welcome and the way Lou had focused on Gemma and the Broken Mirror Bookstore. None of the others seemed jealous. In fact, they appeared to welcome the attention, since that bookstore was always a draw to bring tourists to town. Thanks to Gemma, it still would be.
    I noticed that Gemma and Stuart weren’t able to engage in any private conversation; anytime they began speaking to one another Lou seemed to think of something vital to tell Gemma about how the Broken Mirror should be handled in the future. “I’ll always be willing to speak up for you with the owners, if ever you have any dispute with them,” he said at one point. “We don’t need their … let’s say, difficult relationship spilling over into this town. In fact, I’ll knock on wood that it doesn’t happen anymore.” And knock he did.
    With a big smile on her face, Gemma imitated what he’d done, which drew an even bigger smile from Lou.
    Not so much from Stuart, though. It wasn’t any surprise to me that he probably interpreted Lou’s actions as being further flirtation with Gemma.
    Some shop owners came and went. I hadn’t seen what had happened to Frank Shorester after the Welcome, but I did notice when he joined us at the table—clearly uninvited, if Lou’s glare was any indication.
    But Mayor Bevin had drunk enough Irish beer that he didn’t seem inclined to tell Frank he was unwelcome. And Lou appeared to defer to Bevin—although not without an unhappy look.
    Frank didn’t act like he wanted to talk to Gemma. Maybe he just wanted to try to call attention to himself by his presence. Perhaps he hoped to shame her into saying something to him. But other than an initial hi, she didn’t pay much attention to him.
    I was delighted when the law enforcement delegation arrived. I’d fortunately been successful in saving a seat beside me—or at least had Carolyn sit there and twisted her arm to stay until I suggested it was time for her to leave.
    Her smile as she rose appeared as teasing as Gemma’s, but I just gave her a small, grateful wave.
    Justin sat down beside me. Alice took a seat at his other side. She’d taken off her suit jacket and now didn’t look particularly like a detective. Beyond her was a young cop who’d been in uniform but was now in a T-shirt and jeans.
    The timing wasn’t perfect, though. Gemma and Lou had become locked into some kind of discussion, with Stuart attempting to break in now and then. From the little I overheard I had the impression that Lou was telling Gemma that she now owed him and should take absolute instructions from him for running the bookstore. “To attract more tourists,” he said.
    But I was quickly distracted by Justin’s presence. I’d been sipping on a really good pinot noir supposedly handcrafted not far from here, in Santa Barbara. He ordered a locally brewed beer. And when he was served we—of course—clinked glasses.
    We started talking about—well, I’m not sure what, just our day and the Welcome and other mundane things. We were kind of flirting.
    And as I always did at such times with Justin, I gave a silent nod to my poor, lost Warren. I might not talk about him much, but I still thought about him a lot. Though he was why I was in Destiny, I was sure he would have wanted me to get on with my life without him.
    Yet I’d never forget him nor his misfortune after walking under a ladder.
    â€œForget it!” That was Gemma’s loud voice from behind me. I’d had my back toward her as I talked to Justin, and now I spun around in my seat and looked. She was standing,