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“Where is that?”
“Not far from Wheeling. Anyway, they wanted to live here since Zelda attended a Rockwell school. No way to afford something pricy in the town over, so they picked Tumbling Rock. Lucky me.”
“You always sound like you’re being sarcastic.”
“It’s a talent I picked up as a toddler.”
Grinning, I push away the salad. Alexis frowns at my gesture and then looks at Di before glancing back at me.
“Can I take that home if you’re not going to eat it?” she asks as her blue eyes undress me. I’m in my figurative undies by the time she adds, “I’m tight on cash until I get my business rolling.”
“What business would that be?” I ask, praying she isn’t going into prostitution.
“I’m a crystal gazer.”
“I don’t— Wait, what?”
“I read fortunes,” she says and waves over Di. “Can I get a to-go container for this salad?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I only joke with men. With women, I keep everything adversarial. So, just get the box, okay, ma’am?”
Di looks to me for help, but I only shrug. “I thought you worked for tips.”
Getting my point, Di walks away while Alexis rewards me with a bright smile.
“You have great teeth,” I say like a dingus.
“Thank you. There was a really great charity dental place up in Fork Falls. I also ate so much dairy as a kid that I was often bloated. Hard on the gut, but my teeth turned out great.”
I grin at her blunt honesty. Playing games is fun with other chicks. With Alexis, I need to rip away our glossy exteriors and get down to our roots.
“Back to that reading-fortunes thing. Is that real?”
“Are you asking if I can read fortunes or if I’m starting a business reading fortunes?”
“How about both?”
“I’ll read fortunes at Penny’s Best Pizzeria.”
Instantly, this pizza place’s employees frown at her, so I state in a booming voice, “Stop eavesdropping.”
Alexis’s eyes widen. “How do you make your voice echo like that?”
“I don’t know. My pa does it, too.”
“Very masculine. It’s probably from your wide chest. The sound rolls around inside, bouncing off the walls before coming out of your mouth. Neat trick.”
Again, I feel like she’s screwing with me. Or maybe I’m just that impressive. Well, I know I am. However, I still think she’s playing games.
“Why would Penny have you tell fortunes at her restaurant?”
“As a gag attraction, mainly. Like how she’ll have a clown painting kids’ faces on Tuesdays. I’m doing that, too, by the way.”
“How do you make money from these jobs?”
“I get paid to show up as a clown or crystal gazer. Then, over time, I make connections and grow my client base. In Fork Falls, I had seven regulars who came to me every week to have me speak to the spirits through my crystal ball. Others came when they were struggling.”
