* * *
Ryan wavedpatrons inside the apothecary with a flourish, talking loudly of how everything was set up and where they could get a reading or custom-made spell tonight, in person only, unless they wanted to place a special order. He was quite the businessman, smiling at everyone who walked in and casting loving glances back at Lu. She took in everyone who wandered through, a bit awestruck by the turnout.
It was quite the soft opening night for Moon-Touched—that was for certain. It was as if everyone had been waiting for the opening as much as we all had been. What was even more astounding was its response. A small town always looked forward to new things, it seemed, even when those new places and things included the strange witch women of Barnett.
Barnett was a curious town with many curious people. Which meant I had a constant line of people. They handed over their palms or waited with bouncing knees for their cards to be dealt.
The shop was lit up from the inside, a little magical oasis, complete with antique lanterns and witch globes to catch any negative energy brought in, swaying in the windows.
The rest of the coven was around, chatting with each other and taking full advantage of the free lavender lemonade, tea, and refreshments.
I flipped the last card in a spread on the table for the young girl with glossy pink lips pressed into a tight line. Her other three friends had already sat with very specific requests about their futures and what it held in store for them.
She simply nodded and waited, tipping her head at each thing I said until there wasn’t anything else.
“Well, what else is there? There has to be something else, right?”
“It looks like a moment you’ve been waiting for is finally going to happen. You’ve been coming toward it for a while now, building blocks to this point, and now, you are one step away from a conclusion. You might be moving or taking time to travel, or you might do something new in your life to mix things up and become more actualized with a new independence. Uncertain whether or not it will cause the situation exactly as you expect, but it looks like it should be a good one.”
Her brow furrowed.
“What is it?”
“I just … what about love?” the girl asked.
I looked her straight in the eye. “Everyone deserves one.”
A smile graced her face. Renewed with hope, she stood up and headed back to her giggling friends, who circled the premade spells. Hopefully, Lu already had some extras stocked up after tonight. With all the excitement, everything was selling better than anyone could’ve expected.
I turned to wave my next reading toward me to sit down, likely going to ask me similar questions about their career or true love.
But there was mine, standing right in front of me. Swooping down into the chair, he leaned across the table with clasped hands.
“Can I get a reading?” Dom asked.
30
“No,” I replied before I could stop myself.
Luckily, with the crowd and loud noise in the small shop, no one heard me. No one seemed to care, except for the person it was directed toward.
Dom didn’t move.
I looked back down at my hands, reshuffling my deck after the last reading. The crisp edges of the new cards made a steady ruffle. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here for you.”
I scoffed.
“What?” he asked, as if I had already shocked him with my honest reaction.
“You are not.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because …” I told him the truth we both knew. It was a sort offool me once, shame on you; fool me twice…well, shame on me. “You’ve never come back to Barnett for me.”
“I did.”
