I are separated. He ’ s still in England.”
“I ’ m sorry. That must make the pregnancy more difficult.” April squeezed her hand in sympathy.
Cate lifted a shoulder. “It ’ s not been bad so far.” She was lying . Oh , how smooth she ’ d gotten at glossing over the truth.
“Liar.” April squeezed Cate ’ s hand, then picked up her own cup and cradled it in two hands.
Cate tried to shrug off the uneasiness that had moved in to her shoulders at the sight of the man on the street who looked so much like her old friend. She did feel a hint of regret for not calling him. She ’ d sent him a quick note of apology before leaving England to say she ’ d be traveling to America to attend to a family emergency and didn ’ t know when she ’ d be back. The last part was true at least. The emergency? She had to get away from her only remaining family--Grayson--before he ate her. Michael didn ’ t need to know the particulars.
“Any chance of a reconciliation before the baby arrives?”
Cate drained her cup. “Not much, I ’ m afraid. I ’ d need a miracle.”
“I can ’ t produce a miracle.” April tapped her pale pink painted fingernails on the table and considered her, then looked into Cate ’ s cup. “However, I can tell you if a miracle is on the way.”
“How?” Curiosity sparked inside Cate . So she hadn ’ t imagined the energy when she ’ d stepped through the door. She ’ d wondered if the tea shop, or rather its owner, was magickal , but couldn ’ t guess what form her magic might take.
Cate didn ’ t sense shifter. N o dragon mage, were-creature, or vamp. Thank God. Cate seemed to be a magnet for shifters. You had only to look as far as Grayson and Cate ’ s indefatigable attraction to him to see how she drew the deadliest shifters. She was too tired to deal with another one. April ’ s energy was different. Fresh.
Something she hadn ’ t encountered before.
Elf? Diviner? Intuitive?
She really couldn ’ t guess by looking at April. Magic k was funny that way. Sometimes, you couldn’t tell what lurked below the surface until the magickal decided to reveal the gift. Yet Cate always picked up on magic k . Maybe not the specifics, but the existence of it nearby.
She’ d detected magick around Grayson for years, but had assumed he’d never been taught to acknowledge the magickal or supernatural realm until he’d gone and done the unthinkable and shifted into a dragon.
“Lift your cup in your left hand. Swirl the contents. Three times, clockwise. Invert the cup to drain the liquid onto your doily. Then hand me your cup.”
“You ’ re an oracle? You read tea leaves.”
April rested her chin onto her upturned palm and smiled. “Yes. Tea leaves. Auras. Chakras. Zodiac. Tarot. You name it. If it can be interpreted, I can read it. Are you game?”
“I ’ m not sure.” Cate didn’t really want to know her future or have a virtual stranger poking about the ruins of her life. Past. Present. Or future. Her heart ached enough, battered by her past and bereft by a future she didn ’ t want to imagine without her husband.
Cate took a deep breath. What did she have to lose? She ’ d already lost almost everything of importance in her life. She caressed her baby bump. No. Not everything. She still had the precious life that grew inside of her. Flesh of her flesh. Blood of her blood. She ’ d make it through, carve out a new life for herself and her child.
“ You ’ ve got nothing to lose. If the message doesn ’ t resonate with you, then chalk it up to my lack of talent. You can tell everyone I ’ m a lousy seer.”
The woman ’ s uncanny ability to read her thoughts made Cate wonder if April couldn ’ t also read minds. She shook her head and laughed at the other woman ’ s self-deprecating humor. Her openness appealed to Cate . She ’ d been hiding for too long. Time to seize the moment. “I ’ m game. Let ’ s do this.”
“Good for you. I ’ ll grab two
“I ’ m sorry. That must make the pregnancy more difficult.” April squeezed her hand in sympathy.
Cate lifted a shoulder. “It ’ s not been bad so far.” She was lying . Oh , how smooth she ’ d gotten at glossing over the truth.
“Liar.” April squeezed Cate ’ s hand, then picked up her own cup and cradled it in two hands.
Cate tried to shrug off the uneasiness that had moved in to her shoulders at the sight of the man on the street who looked so much like her old friend. She did feel a hint of regret for not calling him. She ’ d sent him a quick note of apology before leaving England to say she ’ d be traveling to America to attend to a family emergency and didn ’ t know when she ’ d be back. The last part was true at least. The emergency? She had to get away from her only remaining family--Grayson--before he ate her. Michael didn ’ t need to know the particulars.
“Any chance of a reconciliation before the baby arrives?”
Cate drained her cup. “Not much, I ’ m afraid. I ’ d need a miracle.”
“I can ’ t produce a miracle.” April tapped her pale pink painted fingernails on the table and considered her, then looked into Cate ’ s cup. “However, I can tell you if a miracle is on the way.”
“How?” Curiosity sparked inside Cate . So she hadn ’ t imagined the energy when she ’ d stepped through the door. She ’ d wondered if the tea shop, or rather its owner, was magickal , but couldn ’ t guess what form her magic might take.
Cate didn ’ t sense shifter. N o dragon mage, were-creature, or vamp. Thank God. Cate seemed to be a magnet for shifters. You had only to look as far as Grayson and Cate ’ s indefatigable attraction to him to see how she drew the deadliest shifters. She was too tired to deal with another one. April ’ s energy was different. Fresh.
Something she hadn ’ t encountered before.
Elf? Diviner? Intuitive?
She really couldn ’ t guess by looking at April. Magic k was funny that way. Sometimes, you couldn’t tell what lurked below the surface until the magickal decided to reveal the gift. Yet Cate always picked up on magic k . Maybe not the specifics, but the existence of it nearby.
She’ d detected magick around Grayson for years, but had assumed he’d never been taught to acknowledge the magickal or supernatural realm until he’d gone and done the unthinkable and shifted into a dragon.
“Lift your cup in your left hand. Swirl the contents. Three times, clockwise. Invert the cup to drain the liquid onto your doily. Then hand me your cup.”
“You ’ re an oracle? You read tea leaves.”
April rested her chin onto her upturned palm and smiled. “Yes. Tea leaves. Auras. Chakras. Zodiac. Tarot. You name it. If it can be interpreted, I can read it. Are you game?”
“I ’ m not sure.” Cate didn’t really want to know her future or have a virtual stranger poking about the ruins of her life. Past. Present. Or future. Her heart ached enough, battered by her past and bereft by a future she didn ’ t want to imagine without her husband.
Cate took a deep breath. What did she have to lose? She ’ d already lost almost everything of importance in her life. She caressed her baby bump. No. Not everything. She still had the precious life that grew inside of her. Flesh of her flesh. Blood of her blood. She ’ d make it through, carve out a new life for herself and her child.
“ You ’ ve got nothing to lose. If the message doesn ’ t resonate with you, then chalk it up to my lack of talent. You can tell everyone I ’ m a lousy seer.”
The woman ’ s uncanny ability to read her thoughts made Cate wonder if April couldn ’ t also read minds. She shook her head and laughed at the other woman ’ s self-deprecating humor. Her openness appealed to Cate . She ’ d been hiding for too long. Time to seize the moment. “I ’ m game. Let ’ s do this.”
“Good for you. I ’ ll grab two
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