Page 46 of Luck Be a Genie

It seemed the very least of what should be expected of me.

I suppose it was possible we could have another peaceful day and nothing whatsoever chaos-ish would happen.

I huffed a disbelieving laugh under my breath.

Well, a girl could dream.

“Lucks, it’s not your fault. Cars break down sometimes.”

I sat in the passenger seat ordering us an Uber. And even though Nick was being sweet about not blaming me⁠—

“How many engines have you seen just fall out of a car?”

He winced. “Not many. Not any, actually, but it was probably installed wrong, or the mounts that were holding it in place broke. It could happen to anyone.”

I disagreed. I didn’t think an engine falling out of a car was all that normal. “Yes, but it was more than likely my chaos magic.” I looked down at my phone again. “Looks like our Uber is about ten minutes out. You want me to call the rental company and report it?”

“No, thanks though. I’ll do it.”

Nick stepped out and moved the engine to the side of the road so it wouldn’t cause an accident, then called the place he’d rented the jeep from. I had no idea what they would do, because the paperwork said that we needed to return it in the same condition we’d taken it out in.

Missing an engine was not exactly in the same condition.

Finishing his phone call, he pocketed his phone, opened the door for me, and helped me out. “They’re going to tow it. I’ve given them our location, and they said we won’t be held responsible for it. They’re blaming the mechanic they take their cars to. The person on the phone sounded a little shocked.”

“What, they don’t have the engines falling out of their cars on a regular basis? How shocking.”

Nick chuckled, and pulled me into a hug. “I love it when you’re sarcastic and grouchy. It’s adorable.”

“No one wants to be adorable when they’re grouchy, Nick. That’s not the purpose of being grouchy.”

“What is the purpose of being grouchy, then?”

“To be grouchy, and for everyone to see that you’re grouchy and steer clear of you. Definitely not pull you into their arms and tell you you’re adorable,” I said in exasperation, making him smile.

“Agree to disagree. I think when you’re grouchy is the perfect time to tell you you’re adorable and hold you.”

I was desperately trying to reframe every time my chaos magic messed things up as an adventure in my mind, but so far I wasn’t succeeding. If I was really honest, it was actually nice that my grouchiness didn’t make Nick bolt from me. Maybe that was something more people should look for in a relationship, because Nick was an expert at it, and it really did make me feel better.

He kissed my temple. “It’s not your fault. Even if it’s your magic, it’s still not your fault.”

I tried to believe him; I really did. But it still felt like it was. Everything that kept going wrong was because of my chaos magic. No, I wasn’t in control of it, but that didn’t mean I felt any less culpable for it.

I sighed and fully slumped against him, my emotions going from grouchy to exhausted in an instant. “I’m just so weary, Nick.”

He held me tighter. “I know,” he said softly. “I’m here.”

We finally made it to the Maui Ocean Center. It was later than we’d wanted, but we still made it.

We parked and made our way into the welcome center, where we showed them our e-tickets. We’d bought the full tour where we got to feed the coral, but that wasn’t scheduled to start for more than an hour, so it left us plenty of time to look around and see everything else first.

When we walked out of the welcome center onto the grounds, I stopped and gazed around me in awe. It was gorgeous here. Thanks to the proximity of the ocean, there was a steady coastal breeze that made the plants and palm trees sway. I tilted my face up to the sun, letting the warmth and the refreshing breeze clear out the remainder of my grouchiness.

I was choosing to focus on the good in my life, and Nick was a big part of that good. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on the top of my head.

“This place is beautiful. It looks like they’ve incorporated a lot of native Hawaiian plants here.”

I leaned back against him, and we took a moment or two to pause and enjoy the beauty of the landscaping before moving deeper into the Ocean Center. Further along the outside walkway, there was a door that led into the live coral reef area. After going in, I had to immediately wait for my eyes to adjust. Most of the area was very dim with only a faint blue light coming from the many tanks on either side of the path.