Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I love to cook. Baking is my passion, but I like all of it. And boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for anyone but myself—other than my customers, of course, and that’s always baking. Sure, I slap items together on a sandwich, mix up a batch of cumin mayo sometimes, but it’s not the same as cooking a big meal.
Perhaps I should cook for Brendan tomorrow night.
“No,” I say aloud.
That would send the wrong message.
We’ll go to dinner. We can’t have dinner at Brendan’s place because it’s still a wreck.
And it apparently all has something to do with my family.
I do love my family, but things are getting so strange.
I pour myself a glass of water and pull out my tarot deck. I keep it wrapped in an old scarf that once belonged to my mother. She gave it to me when I was little, said it belonged to her mother. I only have limited memories of my Grandma Diamond.
Yes, her name was Diamond. Diamond Lee Thornbush.
She passed away when I was around eight or nine and Gina three years younger.
Her voice was low and raspy from years of smoking cigarettes, and she lived with us for a little while, but that was so long ago. She died of lung cancer. Mom and Dad, of course, saw that she had the best care their money could buy, but she was too far gone.
Which is why I will never smoke a cigarette in my lifetime.
The scarf is made of silk, and the color is a soft warm pink.
Eerily similar to the color of my hair.
I’ve always loved the color, and scattered across is a pattern of daisies.
I love the simplicity of daisies. The simple yellow center, the simple white petals.
A friendly flower. An unassuming flower.
While my sister and cousins adore roses and lilies, I prefer the minimalism of the daisy.
I unwrap the tarot deck, shuffle it once, twice, three times, and then I clasp my hands around the deck, close my eyes, and hold it to my heart, infusing it with my own personal energy.
When I do a reading for someone else, I let them hold the deck. Infuse it with their energy, so that I may give them a good reading, and so the cards will display themselves accurately.
But tonight I want a reading for me.
I don’t normally do a large display when I do readings for myself. I prefer pulling one card as I did earlier when I got the text message.
I choose to do the same now. I pull one card off the deck and lay it down face up.
Hmm… A gallant knight holding a chalice. He’s sensitive. A poet. He adores all things romantic and refined, but he has a tendency to get lost in love and romance. His energy must be used with caution. If it’s hurting your situation, you need to exercise restraint.
The knight of cups.
A bit on the nose, but at least I didn’t draw the lovers card.
I need to be cautious because the knight of cups seems to want to take me on an exhilarating ride.
A ride I’m totally not ready for.
This card seems to urge caution for me. I can’t get swept away.
I’m not the type to get swept away, but the knight makes me think there’s something about Brendan that could make me want to dive in.
I need to watch myself.
Yeah. I’m definitely not making dinner for him here at my place.
No way.
Brendan Murphy is attractive, but I’m not getting swept off my feet by anyone.
I have too much else going on.
In fact…maybe I should cancel the date.
Is it even a date?
I mean, sure, it’s a date. It’s dinner. I’ll just make sure he understands that I’m not looking for anything serious. That I’m not the kind of woman who will jump into bed with him.
That’s not my style. It never has been.
I lost my virginity when I was an old maid of twenty. Hell, Gina lost hers before I lost mine, and she’s three years younger than I am.
I was in college at the time, and I had been dating this guy for a couple of months. I’m kind of ashamed to say that I slept with him just to get it over with. To surrender my V-card.
I wasn’t all that into him. He was a nice guy, but I didn’t feel a spark.
I’ve never felt that spark.
With Brendan?
There might be a spark.
I’ve suppressed it, to be honest. He’s just way too old for me, and I’ve never given him a second thought.
But you never know…
I’m taking a turn behind the counter while one of my employees takes a quick break. The lunch crowd has died down, so I have a moment to breathe.
Until the bell dings and someone walks in.
It’s Callie Pike, assistant to her fiancé, Snow Creek City Attorney Donny Steel.