Chapter 1His Luck Ran Out

For my boyfriend’s birthday, I gave him a jar of lucky stars, each one folded by hand.

He took the glass jar with a smile, then his expression shifted.

“You know, you’ve really got some nerve.”

I froze, the words not computing. “What do you mean?”

“I bring you to a hundred-dollar-a-plate restaurant for my birthday, and this is what you give me?” Ryan lifted the jar, his fingers curled around it in distaste. “Look at what Tessa got me. Look at what my friends got me. This thing isn't even garbage.”

He continued, his voice dripping with condescension. “Spending a few bucks on craft paper to get a fancy meal… this is the first time I’ve dated a girl who’s so… calculated.”

And with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the jar into a nearby trash can.

I walked over, retrieved it, wiped it clean, and placed it carefully inside my purse.

Tessa, Ryan’s best-friend-who-happened-to-be-a-girl, had given him a pair of Air Jordans. His other friends had given him gifts worth a few hundred dollars.

None of them could compare to what I’d given him.

If Ryan didn’t want the Maybach, well, I guess I’d just have to drive it myself.

* * *

A brand-new Maybach was parked at the restaurant's entrance, gleaming under the valet lights. Ryan and his friends had been drooling over it since we arrived, their conversation a chorus of longing for that kind of wealth.

“If I could afford a Maybach, my ancestors would probably rise from their graves to throw a party,” one of them said.

Tessa winked at Ryan. “Just wait. When I make my first million, I’ll buy one. And the passenger seat is all yours.”

I hadn’t paid them much attention, my mind buzzing with anticipation for the moment Ryan would see his gift.

After the dinner plates were cleared and the cake was cut, it was time for presents. As his girlfriend, I assumed I would go first. I was just reaching for my bag when Tessa shouldered me aside.

“Back off, everyone! I get to give the first gift to the birthday boy.”

“Go for it, Tessa. No one’s fighting you,” Ryan said, his smile indulgent. His eyes never once landed on me.

A prickle of annoyance went through me, but I swallowed it down. It was his birthday. I wouldn’t make a scene.

Tessa produced a shoebox, shoved it into Ryan’s arms, and then playfully punched his shoulder. “So, birthday boy, want me to help you put them on?”

Ryan’s face lit up. It was obvious he loved the Jordans. If I hadn’t been there, I’m sure he would have taken her up on the offer.

After a few other friends had given their gifts, Tessa tilted her chin toward me. “Paige? What about you?”

Honestly, at that point, I didn’t want to give him my gift anymore. But before I could say a word, Tessa snatched my purse.

“God, you’re so slow,” she grumbled, her impatience a performance for the group. “Always so hesitant. I’ll get it for you.”

As if she couldn’t wait to humiliate me, she pulled out the glass jar of paper stars and burst into laughter.

“Holy shit! I had no idea people still did this. Folding stars for a birthday present?” she howled. “Ryan, man, you hit the jackpot. Found yourself a real keeper. She sure knows how to get a good meal.”

The whole table erupted in laughter.

Ryan laughed, too.

He took the glass jar from her, turning it over in his hands. Then, he looked at me, and his smile vanished.

“Paige,” he said, his voice suddenly cold. “You know, you’ve really got some nerve.”