Saving Wishes (The Wishes Series) by GJ Walker-Smith Read Free Book Online

you too,” he replied.
    “I’m sorry. Hello. Can you please come and pick me up? I’ve just left the café,” I amended, sounding sweeter.
    “I’ve got a few errands to run. Do you want to come with me?”
    Even after running errands, I’d still be home in less time than it would take me to walk. “Yes, please,” I grumbled, tilting my head to look at the sky. The clouds were threatening rain now. I had managed to stay dry all day but was concerned that my luck was running out.
    I heard Alex before I saw him. The V8 engine stuttered as he downshifted to take the bend. His beloved Holden Ute was one of his few guilty pleasures. He was the most sensible, level-headed man on earth except when it came to his car. It got washed every weekend – at least once. I swear he talked to it when he thought no one was listening. Every year he traded up for the newest, loudest model available and like a fickle schoolboy, his affections would quickly shift to the new car.
    The engine dulled to a throaty rumble as he pulled up beside me. Alex leaned over and pushed the passenger door open. “What happened to Prince Charming? He couldn’t give you a ride home?”
    “I chose to walk,” I said with dignity.
    “But you didn’t,” he grinned. “You called me.”
    “Only to see if you’d answer your phone,” I replied. “Do you want to hear about my day?”
    “Well, you didn’t call asking for bail money so I can only assume it didn’t end too badly.” The dark look I levelled at him had little effect but he amended his answer. “Of course I want to hear about your day.”
    “He dropped me off at the café and Lily was there. I basically fed him to her on a platter.”
    “Poor bloke.” He laughed, knowing full well what the Beautifuls were capable of. “I’m sorry it didn’t end well, Charli.”
    “I never said it didn’t end well.”
    Alex glanced at me. “Okay, then.”
    If I had ended the conversation right there, he would have been perfectly content. Alex did not cope well with drama.
    I waited a few minutes before speaking again. “Do you believe in fate, Alex?”
    His face contorted into a frown as discomfort set in. “What’s this all about, Charli?”
    “What if fate brought Adam to me?”
    His eyes remained on the road, but I had his undivided attention.
    “The kid is here visiting his cousin, Charli,” he stressed. “Fate has nothing to do with it.”
    I told Alex the postcard story in its entirety. “It can’t be coincidental,” I declared.
    He groaned. “Look, you take beautiful pictures of the Cove. It’s not much of a stretch to think someone who saw them would come here and check it out for themself.”
    I remembered the desperation in Adam’s voice when he’d told me how he needed to see it with his own eyes. He’d spoken as if he’d had no choice.
    “The universe hasn’t shifted, Charli.” He grinned. “I would have noticed something like that.”
    “So you don’t believe in love at first sight?” I quizzed.
    Alex shifted uncomfortably. “No.”
    “What about the fabulous Mademoiselle Gabrielle Décarie?” My pathetic accent sounded more like a fortune telling witch than a French socialite.
    “Hardly,” he mumbled. His protest was weak and I wasn’t buying it. “What is she going to think when she finds out you’re shifting universes with her precious cousin?” he asked, changing his tone.
    The question had already crossed my mind. I was Gabrielle’s least favourite person. We avoided each other like the plague, and that worked well for both of us. The most I saw of her was three hours a week during French class, if I bothered to make it.
    Our road trip was quick. Alex ran a few errands and hardly anything was said on the way home, and that was okay. Alex was my safe place.
    ***
    Monday mornings were always a problem for me. The feeling of dread was particularly bad that morning, knowing I had a double period of French after lunch. I considered ditching. I may not