Page 4 of Cursed with Fortune

“Time to clean you up, doll.” He turned on the water and the hard stream massaged my sore muscles.

This isn’t so bad.

His brawny hands rubbed and then lathered me up before he rinsed me off and wrapped me in a large towel. He gently lifted me out and took me over to dry, letting me relax in a heated cage.

Later, he came back and moved me to a different enclosure, fed me and left me a bowl of cream. The room had large kennels lining the walls and there were others in there. Lewd growls and hoots came my way as the male cats showed off their prowess, trying to gain my attention.

My eyes rolled in my head as I ate and then slunk back to the farthest corner of my new home, away from their prying eyes. I curled up and let sleep take over again, wallowing in my self-pity.

Chapter Two

Frank

Saturday mornings were for relaxing and having coffee with my two best friends. Vincent suggested our favorite diner downtown. I knew he wanted to see Dolly, the waitress we always requested, even though he insisted that we preferred their coffee over the pretentious coffee bar down the street.

I walked in and saw him already holding her tiny hand in his, with Ralph sitting across the table, shaking his head and playing with his tie.

The three of us had businesses downtown in the heart of Cloud City. Shimmering Hammer Style stood as a beacon for anyone looking for quality furniture, fashion, and gems.

If you were looking for the latest fashions, you would look to Ralph London. Looking for a jeweled piece to woo someone? That would be in the hands of Vincent Von Carter. Me? The Hammer family had been known far and wide as craftsmen of wood.

I glanced down at my calloused hands. Working with wood made me happy. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and I loved seeing how happy my creations made everyone.

“Frank!” Ralph smiled. “Come join us. Dolly just poured the coffee.”

With a nod, I walked over to the table they sat at and joined them. “How’s your day?”

“Been a good morning.” Vincent’s eyes followed Dolly as she went into the kitchen before he looked at me. “You?”

“I woke up to a beanstalk growing on the side of my house.” I felt the frown on my face. Beanstalks were a nuisance we’d been dealing with since the dawn of time.

“No. Another one?” Ralph asked as he reached for the sugar bowl in the middle of the table.

“You know? I think the gnomes need to mind their youngins’.” Vincent shook his head. “The younger the gnome, the more mischievous.”

“Seems so.” I shook my head with them. “Means we’ll be getting another infestation.”

“Seems like.” Vincent nodded and took a drink of his coffee. “Silly gnome kids think being in the clouds is all fun and games.”

“Oh, my gods.” Ralph rolled his eyes. “The last time I had a beanstalk crop up, it was right before a runway show, and I had those little brats hiding in the racks, scaring the models and hiding brushes, makeup and shoes!”

Vincent and I tried to stifle our laugh, but we couldn’t. The thought of gnomes darting in and out and playing had us guffawing.

“Sure. Sure.” Ralph deadpanned. “Laugh it up.”

“I’m sorry, Ralph. But that’s hilarious.”

Dolly strolled back over and topped off our cups. “Would you gentlemen like the usual?”

“Yes, please.” Vincent took her hand again, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You take such good care of us.”

“Thank you, Mister Vincent.” Her cheeks turned red, and she scampered off.

He waited until she went around the diner counter before turning back to us. “I’m going to marry her one day.”

“First you need to ask her out, dumbass.” Ralph joked.

Vincent sighed and sat back in his chair. “I got a houseplant first to make sure I could take care of something long term and not fail them. Then I got my dog. So you see? I’m working up to it.”

---