Page 22 of Luck Be a Genie

Sighing, I snapped my fingers, instantly sending the products he’d already shoved into his pockets back. He was about to turn the corner when he suddenly stopped and patted down his pockets.

“What the...”

Chuckling, I turned my attention back to finding Lucky’s cupcakes and to my annoying brother.

“You slept on my couch last week, Nick,” Callum reminded me with a bite to his tone. “And the whole time you were seriously depressed. I’ve never seen you like that before. ”

“Yes, I remember the family intervention you insisted on,” I said dryly. Finally finding her cupcakes, I added them to my basket. I was still keeping an eye on the thief who was in the next aisle with my magic, though, so when he stuffed his pockets with a pack of condoms and a 24 oz can of beer, I caught it. Groaning at the idiocy of thieves, I snapped my fingers and sent them back.

“Hey!”

I snickered. Served him right. I’d put security onto him in just a second.

“Then you should also remember that our family agreed to take turns calling and checking in on you for the next six weeks, but I’m assuming since you’re with the love of your life at a resort in Maui that you’re fine now?”

Before I continued my shopping, I stepped quietly over to the woman at the counter and pointed out the thief.

Frowning, she nodded, keeping an eye on him via the store cameras. “I’ve already called security. Thank you, though, sir.”

“No problem.”

Going back to my shopping, I snapped again, and the can of beer, condoms, and everything else went back into the guy’s pockets. It would be weird if he didn’t have anything in them when security caught up to him.

“What is even happening right now!” the thief cried out in confusion.

Just then, a security guy showed up, and after checking with the woman at the counter, moved quickly toward the thief. “I’m going to need you to turn out your pockets, sir,” the guard said firmly.

“Why are you asking me?” the thief said belligerently. “I didn’t do anything!”

“We have video surveillance all over the resort, sir. Turn out your pockets.”

The thief cursed, swearing up a storm, calling the guard every nasty name he could come up with on the spot.

Just for fun, and because the thief was being a horrible human being, I snapped again.

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to pull up your pants,” the guard said, his tone completely deadpan. “We don’t allow nudity at this resort.”

Snickering quietly again, I moved to the pain reliever and medicine section of the store.

My brother, who’d been silent for a long time, probably listening to the drama happening in the store with me, chuckled and said, “Once a cop, always a cop, hey Nicky?”

I laughed. “Still a cop. It’s ingrained. I can’t help it.”

I could hear my brother open a can of something fizzy, then take a drink. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Throwing pain reliever, a hot/cold compress, and a few other things into the cart, I made a face at my brother’s question.

Did I crash the love of my life’s vacation?

Yep.

Did I feel at all bad about it?

Nope.

“I sort of... crashed Lucky’s vacation.”

My brother did a spit take, then started swearing at what I imagined was probably soda all over his white living room carpet.