Page 55 of A Wish For Jo
He shook his head, his demeanour thankfully more relaxed. ‘When the weird feeling hit me, I went to have a drink. The smell made my stomach heave, so I tipped the lot away.’ His eyes twinkled, and he knocked back his water in one gulp.
Jo sipped hers, the desire to hiccup abating. She watched Harvey warily, unsure what to say next.
Luckily, Harvey’s newfound happiness had also given him the gift of the gab. ‘I feel like a new man, Jo. It’s incredible, as if an enormous cloud’s been lifted and I can see sunshine instead of rain. I’m not going to break into song, I promise.’ Harvey beamed at Jo. ‘All this time I’ve dwelt on the negatives. I festered in a pool of resentment towards Abby and everyone who’d turned their back on me. Yes, I was grieving for Lindsey, but she’d kick my pathetic butt for being such a loser. In fact…’ He hesitated, then dragged his chair next to Jo's. The smile stayed on his face, but a hint of apprehension lowered its corners.
‘What is it?’ Jo edged closer, ignoring the chair spring’s fresh assault on her rear.
‘For a while now, I’ve heard Lindsey talking to me. I told you that before, didn’t I? Anyway, obviously it wasn’tactuallyLindsey, although at times I felt it was. And it helped, because she always knew the right things to say. Crazy, I know.’
Harvey paused for breath and Jo’s heart contorted at the look of love his late wife’s name invoked. No man had ever looked at her like that, and she doubted one ever would. Except… They’d hadsomethingtogether, hadn’t they? A smattering of moments, a handful of, well, happiness. Was there a collective noun for the sparks when two people come together and hit it off? A glitter of goodness, perhaps.
‘I don’t think it’s crazy at all.’ Jo thought again of the comfort she drew from her memories of her parents. The expressions they used; how they always backed her up, even when she messed up. ‘We all have voices in our heads: hopefully good ones.’
Harvey nodded. ‘Yep. Ones telling us to commit murder wouldn’t be very appealing.’
Jo laughed, and Harvey joined in. No hysteria this time, just normal, comforting chuckles.
‘So, Mr Happy Pants, what’s your next move?’ He’d said he wouldn’t leave just yet, but surely, if he wanted to resuscitate his acting career…
Harvey gave Jo’s knee a gentle squeeze. Her pulse increased, and pleasurable tingles flooded her body. She hoped he’d move in for a more intimate squeeze, but— Damn it, he galloped off to the dining table and flipped open his laptop. ‘I’m going to finish this. My screenplay.’ He swept a hand in front of the screen. ‘It took rather a dramatic turn recently. It might end up never seeing the light of day, but I’m going to finish it.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ said Jo, wishing he’d hurry back. Then she reminded herself that she’d wished for Harvey to be happy, and that didn’t guarantee he’d be happy withher.
‘And I’ve emailed my so-called agent, Arthur, to end our contract. He slithered under a stone when the whole Abby saga unfolded, and now he can stay there. I’ll find a new agent and get my career up and running again. I’ll start from the bottom if I have to, but right now I feel positive. As if anything is possible.’
‘It is.’ Despite her fear of losing him, Jo couldn’t help being caught up in his enthusiasm. ‘Everything’s there for the taking, Harvey. If you believe in yourself, magic really can happen.’
Jo got up to leave. Harvey needed time to deal with his newfound joie de vivre, and there was still the small matter of two genies lurking at home.
Harvey bounded over and stood in front of Jo. ‘Where are you going?’
‘I need to, erm, talk to Dhassim and Aaliyah. I think they might be leaving soon, too.’ The words snagged in Jo’s throat, the thought of everyone departing bringing tears to her eyes.
‘Jo, I’m not leaving soon.’ Harvey took her hands, his gaze questioning. ‘Unless you want me to, of course.’
Jo shook her head. ‘Of course I don’t, you daft man! But you’ve a lot to sort out. I don’t want to get in your way.’
Harvey pulled her into his arms, and Jo snuggled into his chest. It felt like a safe place, his heartbeat soothing and synching with her own. After a moment, he loosened his grip and tilted Jo’s chin to look into her face. ‘Jo, I might be speaking out of turn, but I think I’m falling in love with you. Maybe you don’t feel the same way, but I hope—’
Jo silenced him with a kiss. A long, luscious kiss that told him all he needed to know.
CHAPTER52
‘You cannot be serious!’Sam looked from Jinnie to Jo and back again. He blinked rapidly and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair.
‘It’s true, Sam. Don’t ask me to explain, but somehow you’re the link to Aaliyah and Dhassim. I think the right terminology is a Djinn.’
Jo had locked up the cafe and ordered Aaliyah and Dhassim to stay in the back room until she gave them the all-clear. Now, she and Jinnie faced Sam, who wore the expression of someone who’d learned that Santa Claus was real, the Tooth Fairy existed, and as for the Easter Bunny…
‘This is nuts! I got the lamps from a house clearance ages ago. OK, the lady who sold them seemed a bit jittery, but that doesn’t mean I’m some kind of genie master.’
Jinnie grabbed Sam’s hand and squeezed it.
‘Can you squeeze harder, or pinch me, because this really cannot be happening?’ Sam shook his head so hard that his glasses tumbled off his head and clattered to the floor. Jinnie bent down to retrieve them at the same time as Sam, and they clunked heads on the way up.
‘Ouch!’
‘Double ouch!’
