"Shut up," he says, giving me a playful punch in the arm. "But seriously, you're a great guy, and any woman would be lucky to have you."
Nodding, I give a small smile. Right then, there's a knock on the back door, and a minute later, Frederick produces his wife, Ada.
"Hey, Ada, happy anniversary."
She gives me a kiss hello and then grabs me by the shoulders, squeezing them.
"And when do you think you'll be celebrating an anniversary? It's about time you got yourself a woman who appreciates how rad you are."
Frederick chokes on a laugh.
"Babe, we were literally just talking about that before you showed up."
Rolling my eyes, I say, "Frederick was talking about it. Apparently, I'm in the middle of an ambush."
"Oh, really?" Ada says, turning to me with interest. "Well, you know how Frederick and I met, right?"
"Through Selwyn, right? Didn't he make you a custom piece of jewelry or something that Fred brought over?" I ask as I organize the counter.
"Well, yeah," she says, "but it all happened first because I went to that Psychic Sands Shoppe down the street from here."
Looking up at her, I can't help but open my mouth slightly in surprise. Ada is a very pragmatic person.
As if she can read my thoughts, she says, "My friend Lorna dragged me there."
"Is that the friend with the mohawk?" I ask.
Ada laughs. "No. I don't think you two have met yet. She actually just moved to town a few weeks ago from Maryland. She was too jealous of my move and loves Cape Cod."
"Oh, that's great. For you, I mean. You must be happy," I say.
"I am. But Mischa, you should totally go visit Lady Merla. If I hadn't, I don't know if I ever would have bumped into Frederick in the first place. Which was right out front of here."
"Oh, I kind of remember that," I say offhandedly.
"If it hadn't been for Lady Merla, I never would have followed my instinct to this ice cream shop. I think you should totally grab an appointment with her."
"I'll think about it."
It takes me over a week before curiosity forces my hand.
While Frederick is covering the shop with our employee, Kay, I walk down Main Street, past the Christmas fair booths dotting closed-to-traffic Main Street, to my tea leaf reading appointment. When I enter the Psychic Sands Shoppe, the thick scent of incense and candle wax burning meets my nose. A purple-haired woman guides me to the back velvet curtains where I am met by a tiny silver-haired lady with bright violet-blue eyes.
"Mischa. Correct?" she says to me.
"Yes, ma'am," I say, sitting before her.
She pours me a cup of tea, telling me to focus on my question while I drink it. Ada mentioned how she personally didn't have a question and just sort of had a broad thought. Her fortune was vague, and she thinks that was why.
But even with my specific focusing, and the minutes that pass as Lady Merla studies the wet tea leaf formations on my saucer, all she tells me when she places her soft wrinkled hand upon mine is to follow the colors.
2
Lorna
Frederick refills my wineglass as Ada and I release contented sighs.
"That was damn good, you guys," I say with an air of satisfaction.
