Page 84 of Old Flames

“Never mind,” she said. “You bring the charm, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“I’m ordering dinner and pouring you a bath, then I’ll need a look at those cards,” he said. “I’ve got a feeling it’s more involved than you’re letting on. If there’s a greater role for me to play, I won’t settle for less.”

He joined her in the bath this time. They sat facing each other, warm sudsy water to the rim. Jules rested her feet on his chest and wiggled her toes while he quizzed her on the meaning of the cards Beverly had drawn. Earlier, they’d retrieved the deck from her room along with her toothbrush, her night creams, a change of clothes, and her bag with her wallet, keys, and lighter—all things she rarely left behind. Leo studied the deck, grouping and comparing the cards. She figured he was guided by simple curiosity. Soon it became apparent he was driven by grim determination. If the cards could deliver her to him, he’d commit himself to mastering their power. And he was a quick study, able to commit complex information to memory in a blink.

“Let’s start with The Fool,” he said, “symbolizing a journey of some kind. What’s our destination?”

“How would I know?” she asked. “It’s a leap into the unknown.”

“You must have some idea.”

“I don’t.”

“July, how am I going to assist you if I have no clue where we’re going, what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and why it even matters to you?”

“It’s not that serious,” she said. “You’ve already fulfilled your end of the bargain. Nice job, by the way. No notes.”

“Then tell me what’s going on in the garden.”

Jules shivered in the warm bath. Their lighthearted discussion had taken a sudden sharp turn. “Nothing is going on,” she said.

“You’re out there every single night,” he insisted. “Late at night.”

“Heaven forbid a woman takes some time to meditate and clear her mind,” she said.

“July, we’re not going to make it if you keep hiding things. Don’t you trust me?”

The answer to that question was more complicated than she cared to admit. Coming here tonight was likely the biggest mistake of her life. She might not walk out of his room as breezily as she’d walked in. She worried that she was locked in, that whatever went on in the garden late at night was less consequential than what was going on in here right now. She wanted to cry again, but he’d know she was crying over him.

“Plot twist,” she said, forcing a cheeky smile. “I see dead people.”

“Excuse me?”

“I saw a ghost in the garden,” she said. “And now that you know I’m crazy, could you please let it go?”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” he said. “You keep using that word. I don’t understand why.”

“Because I’ve struggled with my mental health for several years after my mother died, that’s why. I’m struggling now.”

“I don’t know why that would make you crazy,” he said. “I wish you would stop saying that and stop forcing that point of view on me. If you say there’s a ghost in the garden, I believe you.”

“You can’t mean that,” she said through clenched teeth.

“One day you’ll realize that I say what I mean.”

“Leo! You can’t go around believing every random person who tells you that they see and hear things.”

“The cards say we’re fated lovers,” he said. “That means you’re my soulmate, not a random person.”

“You didn’t believe in tarot two hours ago.”

“But I’ve always believed in you.”

“Well, you shouldn’t!” she snapped. “I see my mother in the garden, okay? Not some shadowy figure or the spirit of Hemingway or a drunken pirate, not Casper the Friendly Ghost or the usual cast of Disney characters. My mother! Get it now? See how that makes me crazy?”

Jules sank deeper into the bath until the water grazed her chin. There was no point arguing with the man. If he was auditioning to be her soulmate, she could only wish him luck.

“Your mother,” he said. “Are you sure?”