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“Thank you,” she replied with as much casualness as she could muster. “Have a lovely day, Sam.”
He sank his teeth into the apple again and turned back to the computer. The sound of his juicy crunching lingered in her ears even as she left the store and hurried to her car. She got into the driver’s seat.
Her cheeks were still hot. Obviously Sam didn’t buy the “research” explanation one bit, and though he hadn’t said anything disparaging about romances, hissilencehad been a tad judgmental.
What had he thought? That Brooke devoured romance novels because she was a lonely, almost-broke loser pushing thirty who was scared she’d never get on a stable career path and who spent most of her weekends curled up with obscenely ripped pirates and billionaires because she hadn’t had a good date, much less a boyfriend, in almost two years?
Well, that wouldn’t be far from the truth.
With a groan, she thunked her head against the steering wheel.
Come on, girl. Focus on the bright side.
She’d have plenty of time in the next ten days to read as much as she wanted. She could finally master the warrior pose without being self-conscious around her fellow yoga enthusiasts. She could dance and sing Beyoncé songs in her pj’s without worrying that she was bothering her downstairs neighbor. She could eat ice cream straight from the container (well, she did that all the time anyway). She could practice rune casting. Maybe there would be little woodland creatures in the forest, and she could toss them scraps of food while humming a—
Okay, even Sunny Side Up had her limits.
A knock came at the side window. She lifted her head to find Destiny Storm peering at her from beneath her wild tangle of black curls.
Brooke rolled down the window. “Hi, Destiny.”
“Hi, hon.” Destiny’s smooth forehead crinkled. “What’s with the energy of despair?”
“I’m fine. Just…” She twirled her finger beside her ear to indicate that her brain was still in something of a turmoil. “I really need to get away.”
“You certainly do.” Destiny patted her hand. “With Venus moving through Aquarius, this is a perfect time for you to set positive goals. Have you chosen a word for the new year?”
“A word?”
“I find it very helpful to pick a word, likeloveorcreate, to use as a north star for the course of the year.” Destiny flicked a long curl over her shoulder. “It sets your intentions and helps guide your decision-making.”
“How do I choose a word?” Brooke glanced at the dashboard clock. Though she always welcomed her friend’s mystical advice, she’d intended to leave two hours ago. “Do you need to do an Oracle card reading for me?”
Destiny gave a throaty laugh. “Not for this, sweetie. You just pick your word.”
“Randomly?”
“Well, notrandomly.” Destiny’s eyes twinkled. “Upholsteryorhamburgermight not be the best guiding principles…unless you’re a car salesman or a restaurateur, perhaps. Just think about what you want to achieve this year, maybe write down a few words that resonate with you, and then choose one. It’s that simple. Well, hello, handsome.”
She pushed away from the car window and wiggled her fingers at Sam, who was walking away from Title Wave. He approached the sidewalk in front of the car, giving them both a short nod of acknowledgement.
“Got any special New Year’s plans, Sam?” Destiny called.
“No.” He stopped to cross the street.
“You should.” Setting her hand on her hip, Destiny scanned him from head to toe. “Scorpio, right? Saturn is moving through your third house in January, which will infuse you with passion and ambition. It would be a shame to waste that kind of powerful energy.”
“I’m an Aries.” Sam met Brooke’s gaze for half an instant. Surely she was imagining the faint amusement in his eyes? Like they were sharing a private joke.
Then he was crossing the street, his long legs carrying him half a block in just a few seconds. He moved with an easy, measured stride that reminded Brooke of a tiger. She could practically feel the flex and pull of his strong muscles under an expanse of warm, taut skin—
“Whew.” Destiny fanned herself, her attention also still on Sam. “Sex on a stick right there. But if he’s an Aries, I’m Mother Theresa.”
With a chuckle, Brooke started the car. “I need to get going, Destiny.”
“Have a wonderful retreat, honey. Don’t forget to choose your word.” With a wave, she stepped away from the car and sauntered down the sidewalk.
As Brooke shifted into gear, she caught sight of her tote bag. She braked again and reached into the bag to remove the bracelet she’d bought on impulse. She rubbed her thumb against the copper disk.
Courage.
Maybe she didn’t need to choose a word after all. Maybe the word had chosen her.
She fastened the bracelet around her wrist and shifted into gear again.
Your future starts now.
Drawing in a breath, she eased her car on to the street and started toward the highway.
