Page 7 of The Dangers of Daydreaming

“Sinclair,” the woman said.

My head jerked up. My eyes narrowed at the redhead. No way. Sinclair had to be a common last name. It probably wasn’t—

“Lucy Sinclair,” she finished. My eyes raked across her face while she chatted with the Hastings. There was no way that Lucy Sinclair from my small, Utah junior high was standing in front of me right now on Prince Edward Island. Absolutely no way.

But now that I looked, I saw it. Her hair had darkened but was still red, her face shape had slimmed out as happens when people age, and she… well, she’d grown up. This was not the spindly, nerdy girl that I used to tease at school; this was…

Her eyes landed on mine. Not a single ounce of recognition lit her gaze. I’d like to think that because I had grown so handsome as I aged, I was nearly unrecognizable as the gangly, spotty kid of thirteen.

But it might have just been because I didn’t hold such an important place in her past as she did mine. I hadn’t thought about her in years, but it’s not like you ever completely forget your first real crush. And I had crushed hard on Lucy Sinclair.

My lips quirked up, thinking of her predicament I’d overheard and of my need for distraction in the wake of things going on with Pops. We might just be able to help each other out here…

I suddenly realized that the Hastings had retreated to the luggage carousel, leaving me standing in awkward silence with Lucy Sinclair.

I shook my head. What were the chances?

Her brow was creased and her eyes were narrowed. I saw myself as she must see me: grinning like a maniac, likely having some internal conversation with myself, and staring at her.

No wonder she was slowly backing away. I bet I looked like a wild dog, erratic and dangerous.

Chapter 3

Only Hope

Lucy

Thecursewasaliveand well.

I had let Ellie handle all the bookings, but I had gone over the entire itinerary with her before leaving. I knew I’d seen confirmation numbers, but now I couldn’t be sure if they’d been on the itinerary or just on her computer screen. And then a toddler had tried to flatten me like a pancake. That one was a particularly creative plot twist from the curse.

A dull throbbing was starting behind my eyes. Deep breaths. I wasn’t stranded—not exactly. I had my credit card and this country had several hotels. Everyone here spoke English. I could make this work.

So why did my heart seem to think a bear was chasing me in the woods?

My eyes caught sight of the man from before. Tall, dark… and familiar? But also not. Really, his most apparent trait was how he was staring at me. What the heck. Had he been watching me have an existential crisis for the last several minutes? Had he asked something?

“Kinda reminds you of the sixth-grade field trip, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry—what?” I looked over my shoulder. Had I wandered between two people’s conversation? No one was there.

“You know—when you forgot your lunch, and I saved you by sharing mine.”

My mind was whirling to catch up. I felt like I’d just opened a book and started reading from page 93. Characters, situations, and inside jokesI didn’t understand. Except… his words sparked something in me. My eyes swept over him.

No.

Nope. It couldn’t be. The curse wouldn’t be that cruel.

His lips were stretching into a grin I couldn’t have forgotten if I’d tried.

I kept my expression neutral. “You didnotshare your lunch, you stole half of David Ackleberry’s and pretended it was yours.”

He didn’t look at all repentant. His smile had grown even wider. “It’s good to see you, Lucy.”

Strangely, it was a little good to see him too. Strange, because Finn Harrison was my junior high nemesis. But good because I was mentally drowning, and seeing a familiar face was like a little buoy thrown my way. Who would have thought I’d ever be happy to see Finn, though? Ever?

Finn folded his arms, and I realized I hadn’t responded. “Nice to see you too,” I said.

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