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“What’s next for me?” Ethan scraped his teeth over his lip. “Is that too broad?”

“Broad questions beget broad answers, but we can start there.” Chanti shuffled again as she asked, “What’s next for Ethan?”

The Knight of Swords spit out of the deck.

Chanti turned it over and adjusted it in front of her.

“That’s you,” Piper said.

Ethan flicked his eye toward her. “Oh?”

Chanti shuffled, and the next card that slid from the deck was the moon. “See the dogs? This is Tango.” She laid the moon across the knight.

Ethan caught Piper’s gaze, a question in his eyes.

“Looking good so far,” she said, and three more cards flew free.

“Six of Rods is victory,” Chanti pronounced. “You’ll get your job. Nine of Rods fighting from a higher ground, so fighting with strength in reserve means you’ll be successful at work.” She moved the High Priestess to the right of the Knight.

“What’s the High Priestess?” Ethan asked.

Chanti looked at Piper, then turned back to her cards. Out popped the Two of Cups.

“Wait,” Ethan said. “Who is that?” he pointed at the High Priestess.

“Piper,” Chanti said. “And the two means deep friendship.”

Ethan’s face clouded, and he looked at Piper, holding her gaze.

Piper thought he looked as distressed by that card as she felt. She didn’t want to be Ethan’s friend.

Chanti turned over another card. “Three of Cups, that’s celebration.” And with the next shuffle, two more cards fell from her deck. “Well, look at that.” She moved them into place.

Ethan bent over them. “What am I looking at?”

“Celebration.” Chanti moved the Three of Cups next to the Two of Cups, then placed the Four of Rods next to it. “Stable, loving home. And this—”

“Looks very happy,” Piper whispered.

“The Ten of Cups is the happiest card in the deck,” Chanti confirmed.

“Not friend-zoned.” Ethan grinned, reaching out to catch Tango’s collar as she put her nose up on the table to look at the cards, too.

“Friendship as the basis for a deep and abiding love. You got the happily-ever-after card.” Chanti pronounced cheerfully.

“Happily ever after.” Ethan was triumphant, as if Chanti confirmed what he already knew.

Chanti stood to take a picture of the spread. It pinged on Piper and Ethan’s phones. “This is for entertainment purposes only,” she said, leaving the cards in place and picking up her pizza box. “Piper doesn’t believe in tarot.” She walked toward the door. “You kids enjoy. I’ll eat this at my place.”

She shut the door behind her.

Ethan stood, pulling Piper into his arms, and held her tightly. “It’s the perfect rosy picture,” he whispered. “You don’t believe in it?”

Piper reached down and moved the ten of cups closer, then looked up to find Ethan’s warm, steady gaze. “I may not believe in the cards,” she said. “But I do believe in us.”

The kiss that followed sealed their conviction that, in each other’s arms, they had indeed found their happily ever after.

The END