“This year I want to focus on all areas of me, and one of the most neglected parts has been self-care. You can easily see on the board that my goal is to feel better about myself. To work out, get a new hairstyle, have someone teach me makeup tricks and tips, and lastly, to pamper myself at the spa, something I haven’t enjoyed in quite some time.”
“I’m in,” Lanie says, raising her hand. “Let’s do all the pampering.”
“Me too,” I say, raising my own hand.
Nina smiles. “I figured I could count on you two.”
She peeks over at Corinne, who’s looking down at her black-painted nails. “What the hell…I’m in too.”
This pillar is a much-needed break in seriousness before Nina shocks Lanie with the secrets she’s been keeping.
She moves on to the next. “I’m sure you two are looking at this part more than a little baffled.”
“You could say that,” Lanie drawls, eyes narrowed in on Nina’s board. “Does that sayspirituality?”
Nina nods. “I have a secret to share with you,” she says, baring her teeth. “The night that Billy showed up, well…” She glances toward me, and I nod. “Alyssa wasn’t the only one impacted.”
Corinne’s head snaps to Nina, eyes wide and mouth agape.
“After that night…I began experiencing a phenomenon. One I haven’t enjoyed at all,” Nina says, sighing heavily.
“When you touch someone, you see things about them,” Corinne says, and now all eyes snap to her. Mine included.
“How do you know that?” Nina asks, eyes narrowed in on the brunette.
“I’ve been experiencing that same thing. The night we went to see my mother, I touched you and…”
“That’s why you were odd with me,” Nina says, mostly to herself.
Corinne nods, pulling her hair into a high ponytail and securing it with a black rubber band that she’s had around her wrist.
“I saw you curled up on your bed, weeping like a baby. You were cradling a raggedy teddy bear.” Corinne shrugs. “I didn’t know why you were upset, but I saw it plain as day.”
Nina swallows, bobbing her head.
“I’m so confused,” Lanie says, exasperated.
Nina turns toward her to explain further. “When I touch people, I see private things about their lives. For instance, I touched awoman in the grocery store this week and saw her having an affair with a married man. Yesterday, the postal woman touched me when handing me my mail, and I saw that she’s been battling cancer.” Nina takes a deep breath, collecting herself. “I touch people and see things I shouldn’t, and apparently, Corinne siphoned that ability too.”
“I didn’t siphon anything. It transferred to me,” she bites out. “And for the record, you won’t be touching me,” Corinne says, pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest.
I make a face at Corinne, but Lanie just continues to stare at Nina in wonder.
“Wow, Nina. That’s…”
“Sucky?” We all turn toward Nina with varying looks of surprise.
Suckyis not a word that Nina Dunbar uses.
“I was going to sayawkward, butsuckyworks too,” Lanie says.
“Sure is.” Nina chuckles darkly. “And that’s not all,” she confesses. “I realized this was happening because I touched Richard and learned of the secret he had on me.”
Lanie gasps. “Wait…are you saying you truly didn’t know?”
“I had my suspicions, but I didn’t realize he had uncovered something that I wanted to remain unknown. Something my mother went to great lengths to keep hidden.”
Lanie’s head tilts, and her eyes turn to mere slits. “What secret, Nina?”
