Lucky's Leprechaun by Elysa Hendricks

Lucky no longer believes in wishes, hope or dreams. Cheated by his bookkeeper and his ex-girlfriend, he's resigned himself to losing everything.

Twenty-five years ago curiosity about a small human trapped Diamond, a leprechaun, inside a crystal paperweight. Now she has one day left to grant Lucky his final wish or perish.

Can a chance meeting between a little boy and a leprechaun result in love?

On his way back to the kitchen, out of habit rather than hope or belief in luck, Lucky rubbed the planes of the crystal diamond paperweight sitting by the register on the bar. There was little chance the cops or the security firm he'd hired would catch up with Doreen and Fred or if they did they'd be able to recover any of his money.

The bells above the door jangled just as the oven timer buzzed. Damn! Where were Meg and Ted? He'd asked them to come in early today for the St. Patrick's Day lunch crowd. He twisted to see who was coming in and the crystal flew off the ledge. After twenty-five years of sitting there securely, it landed on the tile floor with a sharp cracking sound. He looked down to see it shatter. Not a single recognizable piece of it remained. Dust shimmered in the air. A smell like a fresh spring rain teased his nose.

He and Gramps had brought the crystal paperweight back from their trip to Ireland when Lucky was five. He only had vague memories of the trip. According to Gramps if you wished on the crystal it would know your true desire and grant your wish. While he loved and admired Sheamus as both his grandfather and as a man, despite his name, Lucky no longer had the same optimistic outlook on life.

As a child he'd believed with all his heart, but now he knew only hard work made dreams come true. And even hard work didn't trump misplaced trust and poor judgment in women. He no longer believed in luck, hope or dreams.

Still, he felt a pang of regret over the loss of the family heirloom, no matter how foolish it was.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Was it very valuable?" A petite woman dressed in shades of green, white and silver rushed over to him.

Like a character out of a Lords of the Rings movie her appearance caught him off guard. Blonde hair fell around an elfin face. Bright hazel eyes peered up at him. A forest-green coat and white pants hugged her slender body. White ankle boots trimmed in silver fur completed her outfit.

He shook his head at the whimsy. While gramps might believe in pixies, fairies, leprechauns and wee folk, Lucky was a realist.

"Yes. No. I'm not sure. Don't' worry about it. It wasn't your fault. Just my own clumsiness." He wondered why the heavy crystal fell. He wasn't touching it and there hadn't been any wind or vibrations from the opening door. It was almost as if it had jumped or been pushed.

"Well, whatever it costs to replace it you can take it out of my first paycheck."

"What?"

"I'm here about the job." She smiled and held out the sign. "It's still open, isn't it?" When her smile faded the light in the room seemed to dim as well.

"Which position are you interested in?" She didn't look old enough to work much less serve alcohol.

"Oh, I can do any of them. Waitress. Tend bar. Cook. Whatever you need."

"How old are you?"

She paused for a moment as if considering her answer. "Older than I look for sure." She smiled again and his mood lightened.

"Got some ID? References?" As much as he needed help and as appealing as this little ball of blonde fluff might be, he didn't need the hassles an underage girl would bring with her.

Her lips drooped. Lucky swallowed. He didn't care for the way her expressions seemed connected to his emotions.

"No, but. . . ." she drew out the words in a wistful plea.

A whiff of something fresh and clean, like a delicate flower, wafted under his nose, tantalizing him. He breathed in and coughed as the acrid smell of burning hit his lungs. The smoke detectors started blaring.

"Shit!"

Lucky's Leprechaun is available now at AMAZON and SMASHWORDS

 Elysa Hendricks is 5'6" tall. She has curly hair and brown eyes. She's an author, a wife, a mother and a daughter. Everything else is subject to change without notice. But if you insist on knowing more about her bland, beige, boring life you can find her at her web site or hanging around on Facebook.

http://www.elysahendricks.com 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elysa-Hendricks-Author/137316289643103