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“The Lovers card doesn’t always mean the obvious,” Lia said, injecting a calm note in the conversation. “In some instances it can be a choice between two things he loves.”
“Do you have two things you love, Paul?” Dallas asked.
“The only thing he loves is working,” Poppy put in.
He gave each of them a sour look before settling a heavy-lidded gaze on Lia. Since starting the reading, she’d mostly been actively avoiding looking h
is way, preferring to concentrate on the cards before her, but as soon as the Lovers card had appeared, a trace of color bloomed in her cheeks as if she, too, was thinking about what had happened between them.
“The card at the bottom of the staff indicates self,” Lia said, resuming the reading. “The attitude you are contributing to the situation.” She flipped the card over exposing a king sitting on a throne with a sword. “Yes,” she murmured, “this makes sense. The King represents authority, power and judgment. He likes to rule the world with his keen mind and forceful personality.”
“That sounds exactly like you,” Dallas said.
“Totally,” her sister echoed.
“This next card is your environment.” Lia flipped the card over. The Two of Cups.
“I had that one, as well,” Dallas said. “You said it stood for romance. Look, it’s right next to the Lovers.” She pointed to the proximity of the two cards. “It seems like Paul may be headed straight for love.”
“What?” Paul muttered, unable to contain his displeasure. “Are you an expert now?”
While Dallas grinned at him in cheeky confidence, Lia shook her head.
“Or it could just mean that he’s torn between two things that are really important to him,” she said. “Perhaps he needs to balance his time better between family and his love for chasing criminals.”
Her interpretation sounded so reasonable, yet all this talk about romance, love and sex was making him itchy.
“What about the last two cards?” he demanded, impatient to have the whole reading done.
“This position is your hopes and fears.” Lia pointed to the second-to-the-last position, and then shifted her finger to indicate the one above it. “And this is your final outcome.”
“So what do they say?” Poppy asked, her blue eyes dancing with anticipation.
Lia turned the first card over. From Paul’s vantage point, the image appeared to be a man dancing on top of a log, but he realized that he was looking at the card upside down and that the man was actually hanging by his feet.
“That doesn’t look good,” he said.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Lia countered. “The Hanged Man symbolizes peace and understanding. However, he believes the only way to maintain this state is by withdrawing from society. He’s similar to the Hermit. He’s serene because he’s locked up his emotions for years.”
“And the last one?” Paul demanded, ready to be done.
Lia flipped over the final card to reveal a single chalice, balanced on a palm and suspended over the ocean. “The Ace of Cups indicates a time of happiness and love. A gift of joy.”
“So,” Dallas began, “if I’m hearing this correctly, Paul has been alone too long and he’s going to start a new relationship, but he’s going to fight his feelings because he’s locked up his emotions for so long that he’s afraid of them, but in the end it’s all going to work out and he’ll be very happy.”
While Dallas summarized the reading and Poppy nodded her agreement, Lia studied the cards. A frown line appeared between her brows. Had Lia twisted the reading to suit her needs in the hopes that he would believe himself falling for her? If so, she didn’t look as pleased as Paul would’ve expected, given the strong romantic overtones of the cards.
Poppy turned her bright gaze on him. “I can’t wait to meet the lucky woman.”
Paul very deliberately kept his attention from straying to Lia as he replied, “This isn’t a great time for me to focus on my personal life.”
Dallas chuckled. “I like the way you believe you’ll have a choice.” She indicated the cards. “Looks to me like your future is clear. There’s romance on your horizon and it’s going to change everything.”
* * *
As Dallas summed up her take on Paul’s tarot spread, Lia gathered up the cards and put them away. While she’d been reading for the twins, he’d worn an indulgent half smile. Now, however, he’d retreated behind an impassive expression and only the slight dip in his eyebrows indicated that he was disgruntled.
Either the twins were accustomed to ignoring their cousin’s bouts of irritation or they didn’t notice that he was troubled. For Lia, Paul’s displeasure was palpable. She tried shooting him a reassuring smile, but all that produced was a narrowing of his eyes.
