Dakota adjusted his weight in the dining room chair again. The fourteenth time in ten minutes. He pulled up the collar of his shirt and tried to hunch over enough to ensure that none of the women could see the talisman. It’d occurred to him at around three A.M. that while Terrell gave him the magic rock, his cousins might take issue with a random stranger suddenly possessing the thing. And he didn’t have a good explanation to give them, should they notice he was wearing it.
But he didn’t take it off, either. Not once since he put it on. Something about being entrusted with it made him want to keep it close. God forbid if he lost it, or broke it, or later on had it stolen. So, he wore the thing to bed and even showered with it on.
He arrived at breakfast sheepishly. He’d taken the time to
