Page 127 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap

I leaned forward. “That’s great! I’m out of debt?”

She nodded slowly, and I whooped. I’d done it! I’d put good energy into the world without a day to spare. It was like someone had lit a rocket under me. I leapt up, grabbing Estelle, pulling her into a hug. I released her and danced around the cramped room.

“I love the new monitor,” I said, giving it an affectionate pat before sitting again.

“I need you to call it off,” Estelle said loudly. Too loudly. Something was wrong. Like, record screeching on my good mood kind of wrong.

“What? Call what off? I’m done. I made the park and gave it away.”

Estelle was leaning hard on her desk, eyes piercing, her look desperate. “I need you to concentrate like you never have before, and stop the karmic intake.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“You’re flooding the system.”

I placed a hand on my chest. “I am?” Wasn’t that a good thing?

“I need you to do a new mantra. Repeat in your mind that you’ve paid your debt to Estelle.” Her heavy, ominous expression was making me feel a bit sweaty. She stood, hands clenched. She began pacing, looking like a caged lion in a pen that was too small. “Please repeat that mantra: I’ve repaid my debt to Estelle.”

“Okay. I repeat it before I do a good deed?”

“No. Do itnow.”

“Oh. To, like, sever our connection or something?”

“Yes. I think so.” Her hand went to her perfect brows, massaging them.

“You don’t know?”

“Nobody does! This hasneverhappened before!” She threw her hands in the air and a few pieces of silver and black glitter rained down. I cringed, shrinking in my chair, still very much aware that she had the power to turn me into a newt.

Probably.

Estelle placed her fingertips firmly against her temples and sat down, elbows on the big mahogany table. “You paid everything back about thirty-two hours ago.”

“Really?”

“And then you donated the park.”

“Yeah.”

“All that happiness you created over the past two days…” She was almost moaning.

“Yeah,” I said wistfully. I’d never forget the bubbly warmth in my chest as I laid the last of the sod with my friends, putting the final touches on the park. I’d received so many hugs from the little kids playing in the playground, and they’d been so delighted to have somewhere safe to play close to home.

There’d been a lot of handshaking and thank-yous as we all left the park that night. At one point, two older gentlemen had made Tamara tear up when they’d shown up with their lawn chairs to play on the chessboard table. Then a large, extended family had rolled a barbecue into the park just before sunset, cooking hotdogs for whomever was still there. It had been like a giant, impromptu party among strangers where everyone left as friends. Honestly, it made my eyes a little damp remembering it all. I wanted every day to be like that in the new park. A place to gather, to share and connect and create a sense of community.

I’d done that. I’d transformed a dangerous eyesore into something a bit magical. I’d put good out into the world and created happiness out of thin air.

It made up for my past selfishness, and I felt powerful and finally in control of my life.

I lifted my attention to Estelle. “Why did Paxi grant my tenth birthday wish? The one that got my dad fired?”

Estelle blinked at me a few times. “What? We really need to stop this flow. Now.”

“I need to know.”

There must have been something in my tone because she sighed and said, “It wasn’t just your wish at play back then. Fate and destiny needed space in order to act upon your family’s timeline. Your wish was simply the vehicle to let destiny unroll.”

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