I Dream Of Johnny (novella) (7 page)

Maybe I should invent a problem so I can see him again.
“Thanks so much, you’ve saved me a lot of stress!”

“Technology, huh? Supposed to make life easier, but sometimes I wonder about that.”

I saw him to the door, part of me wanting to ask him out and part of me thinking I was being ridiculous. I’d only just parted ways with a Geek God from the World of Wishes and probably needed some time to process the remarkable, magical events of the past twenty four hours.

“Well, it was great to meet you, Mandy,” he said as he stepped out onto the front porch.

“You too...oh, I didn’t get your name.”

“I didn’t introduce myself? How rude of me! My name’s Johnny. Johnny Stanza.”

Johnny. Was he for real? This was way too weird! They had the same eyes, same technological skills, and now the same name —well, a variation of it, but the same nonetheless. I extended my hand. “It was great to meet you too, Johnny.” He shook it, and I finally processed his surname.
Stanza.
My eyes narrowed and I held his hand a moment longer. “Stanza? You’re not related to the Stanza family toy empire are you?” They were a huge chain of toy stores throughout the country, also selling baby furniture and equipment, and children’s bedroom items —like mobiles.

Johnny smiled then released my hand. “Yes, it’s my father’s company. I do a bit of website work for him, but the business itself wasn’t for me, much to his disappointment. Not that it matters, I have three other brothers, and two of them work for the company.”

“So you prefer —”

“Being a geek for hire? Yes.” A grin spread across his face.

“I was going to say —helping techno amateurs like me to make things work!”

“That too!”

I eyed the business cards peeking from the top of his pocket, and he must have noticed because he placed his hand on top of them. “You’re probably wondering if these are for my father, and yes, I think he might be really interested in your mobiles. But I didn’t want to mention it in case he wasn’t. There’s no guarantee, but he
was
talking recently about wanting to get back to basics when it came to children’s toys and decorator items, you know, stocking more unique and well-crafted items. So,” he gave the cards in his pocket a little tap with his palm, “I’ll see what he says and let you know.”

This day was a vast improvement on yesterday! “That would be fantastic! And of course, no worries if they’re not for him, I’d understand.”

“I’ll talk to him about it this afternoon at the football match —he’ll be there.”

Johnny smiled and stepped off the porch, the sun reflecting off his brown hair, and I had the urge to pull him back inside and accidentally-on-purpose trip over that box and fall on top of him again. What was getting into me?
Get a grip, Mandy!

He turned away, then turned back and opened his mouth like he had something important to say, but all he said was, “See you later.”

“Yes, see you later. Enjoy your afternoon.” I slowly closed the door then glanced towards the lamp on the hall table. Johnny’s glasses! “Johnny!” I called out, opening the door and dashing down the steps as he got into his car. “You forgot these.”

He laughed. “That would have been a damn shame now, wouldn’t it?” He winked, and slid the glasses into his shirt pocket alongside the business cards. “Thanks.” He held onto the car door, as though he wasn’t ready to close it. “Mandy, would you like to join me for dinner sometime?”

His smile warmed me more than the sun on my face. “I’d love to,” I replied. “That is, as long as we don’t go to a karaoke club or anything.”

“No worries, no one will
ever
hear me sing, you can count on that.”

I laughed. “I’m sure you’re not as bad as me.” Or Jonathan, more like it.

“I’m sure I’d be worse, and I bet you’re actually good. I can’t imagine an unappealing singing voice could come from your mouth.”

I willed myself not to blush. “Well, there’s no way I plan on challenging your false assumption.”

“But I bet you sing in the shower, right?” he asked, and an image of
him
in the shower flashed in my mind before I quickly swept it away. What if he was thinking of
me
in the shower? Another round of blushing tried to escape and I pretended the sun was in my eyes and shaded my face.

“Not really. Maybe. Sometimes.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He checked his watch. “So, if karaoke’s off the table, how about we go to the Sushi Train where there’s no musical temptation whatsoever?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Great, well, I have your number.” He tapped his pocket again. “And you have mine — the office number anyway. How about next Friday night?”

“Oh.” My shoulders slumped. “I also work at a restaurant and I’m doing a shift that night.” Damn Gristle and Grill. I couldn’t wait till I could afford to quit my job and design mobiles full time. If that was even possible. Well, maybe now it was. Somehow, I’d make it work.

“Saturday then?”

“Saturday it is,” I replied.

“I’ll be in touch.” He smiled again and closed the door, and I waved as he drove off. Only hours since I’d sworn off seeking a man in my life right now and I’d already accepted a date offer. Was I mad? Susan’s words suddenly came to mind about Jodie’s boss dying and I remembered my decision to make the most of life. So, no, I wasn’t mad. I would have been mad
not
to accept.

With my chin held high and a smile still on my face I turned to walk up the steps to my house, but stopped on seeing Mrs Kramer hobbling to her door, a newspaper tucked under her arm. She’d probably been reading it on the porch and had watched me with Johnny, perhaps wondering whether I was a prostitute with all these strange men coming to my house.

“Hi, Mrs Kramer. How are you?” I called across the shrubs.

She took a few moments to turn her rigid body around. “Same old, same old I’m afraid, dear. Nothing more I can do about it, I guess.”

I felt so bad for her. Yesterday I’d been complaining about my life when I had something that Mrs Kramer would probably do anything to have. My health. What was the right thing to say to someone who was getting sicker by the day? “Get well soon”? or “It could be worse”? All I could do was try to keep her spirits up and give her hope.

“Oh well, you never know. Researchers might come up with a cure tomorrow.” I sent a hopeful smile her way.

“Oh, I wish,” she replied. “I wish.”

She waved and hobbled inside, and a spark of excitement struck me. I dashed inside and picked up the lamp. It had said I could pass it on to someone else. Would it really work after being used? Maybe my parents’ neighbour, Valerie, had used it herself and that’s why she was so eager to give it to someone. Maybe this was some kind of pay-it-forward device to change people’s lives for the better. I got the box from my wardrobe and placed the lamp back inside, and then I wrote a message on a post-it note and attached it to the box:

Make that wish. You never know.

I wasn’t sure if it would be possible for her to change her bodily condition — when I’d jokingly wished to lose weight and have bigger boobs, the lamp had declined due to the aesthetic nature of the wish —but her problem wasn’t aesthetic, it was functional. Just like my messy house. My house was able to be kept in top condition yesterday, so why couldn’t her body be the same?

I tiptoed outside and peered into Mrs Kramer’s window. Her right arm was visible resting on an armchair and there was an old black-and-white movie on the television. She always came back onto the porch to sit at her little table and watch the sunset in the evenings, so I slid between the shrubs and reached up to the table on the porch, placing the box down. I gave a satisfied nod and discreetly slid back into my own yard and inside the house.

It had taken making a wish to realise I didn’t need a wish. I had everything I needed, every resource at my fingertips to make my life what I wanted it to be. For my neighbour, it was getting too late. She’d lost that glow, that hope, and it would take a miracle to turn her life around. Maybe the lamp would help her, allow her to dream of something more. But as for me, well, tonight I’d be dreaming of Johnny.

King Hall

by Scarlett Dawn

A fresh, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in-and-hold-on-tight new adult fantasy series kicks off with
King Hall…

King Hall —where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing —The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace —her burgeoning friendships with the other three Rulers: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the Revolution.

Lost in Kakadu

by Kendall Talbot

An action adventure novel set in the Australian jungle where two unlikely people prove just how attractive opposites can be...

It’s pretentious socialite Abigail Mulholland’s worst nightmare when her plane crashes into an ancient Australian wilderness. Things go from bad to downright hellish when rescuers never come. As she battles to survive in an environment that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, Abigail finds herself also fighting her unlikely attraction to Mackenzie —another survivor, and a much younger man.

Mackenzie Steel is devastated by his partner’s death in the crash, the only person with whom he shared his painful past. Now, as he confronts his own demons, he finds he has a new battle on his hands: his growing feelings for Abigail, a woman who’s as frustratingly naïve as she is funny.

Fate brought them together, but they’ll need more than luck to escape Kakadu alive. Could the letters of a dead man hold the key to their survival?

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From the author of
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comes a romantic story of forgiveness, secrets, small towns and second chances.

Ten years ago, Todd Lansing stood over his father’s grave, his heart thumping out curses on Sia Collins for causing his death. When he returns to Oberon and sees Sia again, his heart thumps with a different emotion, one he fights with all the anger he still feels.

Sia didn’t commit the break-in that ended up killing Mr Lansing, but to admit that would send her father to jail. She has rebuilt her life in the small town, atoned for her accused crime, and carved out a niche using her talent with paint to reach out to the community, raise funds, and support her family.