Page 124 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap

“Uh. Sure?” What was the harm?

“I’ll arrange it all. Be in touch.”

She ended the call, and my mind whirled with questions.

“Hey,” Samantha said, coming over to join me, dusting dirt off her butt. “This looks really good. Like a real park.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“It’s missing something, though.”

I frowned, my mood darkening. “I don’t want to add anything more to this project. I’m done. I’m exhausted. I’m ready to sign it over to the city. Oh, crap.” I pulled out my phone and texted Joan, asking for her to request a Friday interview instead. Tomorrow was booked up with lawyers, the land office, the city, and lots of paperwork. Okay, so I’d probably just be signing one or two documents to turn the park over to the city. But it felt like it should be a full day affair. Especially if I was too stiff and sore to move.

Samantha laughed and gave me a playful shove. “No. This.” She held up a shiny new loonie.

“What are you talking about?” For a second I thought she was going to stick the one-dollar coin in the sidewalk like some Canadian hockey arenas did at centre ice for good luck. But the park’s sidewalks were already set, meaning she couldn’t press it into the surface. Anyway, somebody would likely chip the concrete to dig out the loonie, leaving a hole in our pretty new sidewalks.

“Bury a coin to bring good luck,” Samantha said, traipsing over to the shade of a new tree. Earlier, she’d given the playground kids the box from her new shoes for some game they were playing. Since then, she’d been carting them around by their laces. Now she tied them together and slung them from a branch above her before bending to scoop a hole in the dirt by the tree trunk and planting the coin.

Beside me, the man working the water truck’s sprayer stopped to watch. “Did she just plant a coin?”

“Yes.”

“Yee like leprechauns?” he called out to Samantha as she straightened from her work. His accent was a thick Irish one, and Samantha bounded to his side, her new shoes completely forgotten.

“Why?” she asked, eyes sparkling with mischief and intrigue.

“Don’t forget your shoes,” I muttered, but her focus was on the man beside me.

“You just buried a coin, dinnya?”

“It’ll bring the park luck.” Samantha squared her shoulders and flicked her recently dyed blue streak behind her ear.

“It’ll also summon some wee leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day.”

“They’re not real.” She narrowed her eyes, glancing at me for confirmation. What did I know about leprechauns? And was she finally starting to believe in the magical world? I’d have to remember to ask her later.

“I don’t make up the legends,” the man claimed, hands out in surrender.

“Well, whatever. St. Patrick’s Day isn’t for another eight months. I’m hardly worried about it.”

“Like I said, I don’t make up the legends,” the man repeated like a warning.

I eyed the tree where Samantha had buried the coin. She might not yet believe in the magical world, but I knew I believed in the possibility of leprechauns.

* * *

Body aching,I cuddled under one of Sally’s fluffy blankets in front of the TV after my long day of finishing the sod. The park was done. The fencing was in. The flowers looked pretty. The grass was watered.

I was done. I still couldn’t believe it. It felt surreal.

Tomorrow, I’d take care of transferring the land to the city. On Friday, I had a job interview. And next week, thanks to my bank account’s overdraft, I could move into a newly created, sunny, above-the-garage suite over at the edge of Kensington, not that far from James, the downtown, or Sally and Otto’s.

Otto was clicking through the channels, waiting for the late-night news to come on. Us watching together had become a nightly habit with him in his favourite armchair and me on the couch. I was going to miss this. Hanging out with James’s dad seemed to fill a void I hadn’t even realized existed.

There was something grounding about living here with Sally and Otto and becoming part of their routines. Maybe because there were enough unexpected moments where they took off on road trips, or suddenly knocked out a wall to join two rooms together like they’d done as soon as they’d got back.

Otto increased the volume on the TV as the news started. “There was a teaser about your park.”

---