I’m sure,” Veronica said dryly.
“Yes, I do!” Melanie insisted. “It’s not like real psychics are wandering around every street of the city. And being psychic is the reason you don’t date. So if dating is extra complicated for you, it’s because of your gift.” Melanie leaned back, triumphant, and sipped her coffee. Melanie always had been more comfortable with Veronica’s gift than Veronica was herself.
She sighed. “I’m afraid he’s going to realize it’s not worth all the drama.”
“What’s not?”
“Dating me.”
“Veronica, he’d be a fool to let you go.”
“I appreciate that you think so. But as we’ve clearly stated, I just got out of a three year dry spell. It would be really nice if I didn’t have to start the next one right away.”
“My point, Veronica, is that Daniel is not a fool. So he won’t decide you’re not worth the drama, or whatever. Besides, telling him he’s obnoxious for gloating over having sex with you isn’t drama. I’d slap Chris upside the head if he did that.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Veronica sipped some coffee.
“So you’ll talk to him,” Melanie said.
Veronica glanced at her, then looked around the room.
“V. You’ll talk to him.”
Veronica rolled her eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, missy. You know I’m right. This needs to be dealt with.”
“Okay! Okay,” Veronica said. “I’ll talk to him today when we take Harry to the lake. Now can we change the subject?”
“Sure.”
“How’s Chris?”
“Fine. He’s drowning in work, as usual, but it’s just as well because I want to be around for Angie, in case she needs me.”
“Mellie, you know she’s okay, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Melanie gave Veronica a tense smile.
“Mel, you both have been through a lot. But she’s okay. She’s going to be back to normal, sneaking out of her bedroom window…” Veronica’s voice trailed off.
Melanie sat upright and grabbed Veronica’s hand. “What? What, Veronica? What did you see?”
Veronica shook her head. “I didn’t see anything, then. But saying that just made me think…”
“What?” Melanie prompted her.
Veronica shook her head again. “It’s nothing. Just a dream.”
Melanie frowned. “V, the last ‘dream’ you told me about involved Sylvia Gomez getting murdered in McKinley Park. You want to maybe fill me in on this one? And what it maybe has to do with my daughter?”
“Nothing,” Veronica said. “Really. She wasn’t in it. She doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Just tell me about it.”
“Okay. I was with a bunch of kids. I was one of them.”
“Maybe you were Angie!”
“No. I really don’t think I was her.”
“Why not?”
Veronica thought about it. She couldn’t be sure, after all. Maybe it was something that was going to happen, in the future. Maybe Angie was going to make friends with Caitlin Garrity and her crowd, and she’d end up wanting to impress them by running across that freeway. But she couldn’t imagine it. Angie, smoking pot, with the words “fuck” and “slut” written on her fingers, climbing over a chain link fence and running into oncoming freeway traffic.
“I don’t think it was her,” she told Melanie.
“But you’re not sure.”
“I’m not sure. But if it was her, it’s something that hasn’t happened yet. And won’t happen for a while.”
“You dreamed about Sylvia because her killer was a danger to Angie, Veronica.”
“I’m not even sure this dream was a special one, Mel. Really.”
“Okay, just tell me the rest of it.”
“Okay. So I was with these kids, and it was nighttime. We were standing under a street lamp, and one of the kids wanted for us all to go to his place, because it was cold.” Veronica left out the part with the joint. No need to send Melanie on a rampage about something that might have nothing to do with her daughter.
“Okay,” Melanie said. She seemed to be relaxing a bit.
“Yes, I do!” Melanie insisted. “It’s not like real psychics are wandering around every street of the city. And being psychic is the reason you don’t date. So if dating is extra complicated for you, it’s because of your gift.” Melanie leaned back, triumphant, and sipped her coffee. Melanie always had been more comfortable with Veronica’s gift than Veronica was herself.
She sighed. “I’m afraid he’s going to realize it’s not worth all the drama.”
“What’s not?”
“Dating me.”
“Veronica, he’d be a fool to let you go.”
“I appreciate that you think so. But as we’ve clearly stated, I just got out of a three year dry spell. It would be really nice if I didn’t have to start the next one right away.”
“My point, Veronica, is that Daniel is not a fool. So he won’t decide you’re not worth the drama, or whatever. Besides, telling him he’s obnoxious for gloating over having sex with you isn’t drama. I’d slap Chris upside the head if he did that.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Veronica sipped some coffee.
“So you’ll talk to him,” Melanie said.
Veronica glanced at her, then looked around the room.
“V. You’ll talk to him.”
Veronica rolled her eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, missy. You know I’m right. This needs to be dealt with.”
“Okay! Okay,” Veronica said. “I’ll talk to him today when we take Harry to the lake. Now can we change the subject?”
“Sure.”
“How’s Chris?”
“Fine. He’s drowning in work, as usual, but it’s just as well because I want to be around for Angie, in case she needs me.”
“Mellie, you know she’s okay, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Melanie gave Veronica a tense smile.
“Mel, you both have been through a lot. But she’s okay. She’s going to be back to normal, sneaking out of her bedroom window…” Veronica’s voice trailed off.
Melanie sat upright and grabbed Veronica’s hand. “What? What, Veronica? What did you see?”
Veronica shook her head. “I didn’t see anything, then. But saying that just made me think…”
“What?” Melanie prompted her.
Veronica shook her head again. “It’s nothing. Just a dream.”
Melanie frowned. “V, the last ‘dream’ you told me about involved Sylvia Gomez getting murdered in McKinley Park. You want to maybe fill me in on this one? And what it maybe has to do with my daughter?”
“Nothing,” Veronica said. “Really. She wasn’t in it. She doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Just tell me about it.”
“Okay. I was with a bunch of kids. I was one of them.”
“Maybe you were Angie!”
“No. I really don’t think I was her.”
“Why not?”
Veronica thought about it. She couldn’t be sure, after all. Maybe it was something that was going to happen, in the future. Maybe Angie was going to make friends with Caitlin Garrity and her crowd, and she’d end up wanting to impress them by running across that freeway. But she couldn’t imagine it. Angie, smoking pot, with the words “fuck” and “slut” written on her fingers, climbing over a chain link fence and running into oncoming freeway traffic.
“I don’t think it was her,” she told Melanie.
“But you’re not sure.”
“I’m not sure. But if it was her, it’s something that hasn’t happened yet. And won’t happen for a while.”
“You dreamed about Sylvia because her killer was a danger to Angie, Veronica.”
“I’m not even sure this dream was a special one, Mel. Really.”
“Okay, just tell me the rest of it.”
“Okay. So I was with these kids, and it was nighttime. We were standing under a street lamp, and one of the kids wanted for us all to go to his place, because it was cold.” Veronica left out the part with the joint. No need to send Melanie on a rampage about something that might have nothing to do with her daughter.
“Okay,” Melanie said. She seemed to be relaxing a bit.
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