The Devil card—my familiar companion, reminding me only of Devlin, of the first night he came to me and all the wild, hilarious, intense moments we’ve shared since.
The Fool, young and carefree, about to walk right off a cliff—an invitation to leap without looking, to embrace a new adventure with wild abandon and childlike wonder. But the Fool offers a warning, too, and now I see only the cliff, the long fall to the bottom, all the ways life can shove you right over the edge long before you even notice the drop.
And then, finally, the Lovers. Reminding me, just as it did on Halloween when it appeared at Aggie’s statue, that a choice is coming.
Follow your heart’s true desire,my intuition echoes,and you can’t go wrong.
“But what if myheartis wrong?” I whisper, and the phone notification pings again, urgent and insistent.Read me. Read me. Read me.
Outside the door, my floorboards creak.
Phone in hand, I glance up and finally see him in the doorway—my Devil limned in moonlight, the dark fallen angel who’s somehow fallen for me.
“Violet?” he asks, tone heavy with concern. “Is everything all right, love?”
“I’m… I don’t know.” I glance at the notification.
It’s not a text, but an email.
Oh, no.
No one ever emails me—only my suppliers, but this is way outside normal business hours for them.
Which means it can only be one thing.
With trembling hands, I tap the icon and load the message.
From:Wayward Bay Town Council Advisory Board
Subject:Wayward Bay Small Business Grant - THE KETTLES CAULDRON
Great. They can’t even get the name right. That doesn’t bode well. Heart pounding in my throat, I read on.
Dear Miss Pepperdine:
Thank you for submitting THE KETTLES CAULDRON for our first annual Keep the Bay Beautiful for Business grant program.
After careful consideration of your presentation and submission materials, we regret to inform you that the committee has chosen to decline your application.
As this will be an annual program, we encourage you to apply again next year.
Until then, we wish you much success in your business endeavors!
Sincerely,
Brandt Remington III
President, Remington Capital Group
Co-Chair, Committee to Keep Wayward Bay Beautiful for Business
That’s it. Four sentences. Four lousy sentences and a stupid exclamation point to really send the point home.
“Violet?” Devlin is by my side now, knuckles brushing my cheek. “What is it? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”
I can’t speak past the lump in my throat. Past the crushing disappointment. I hand over the phone, unable to meet his eyes.
“That fucking prick,” he says. “That utter fucking spineless waste of space.”
