Kaitlyn nibbled on the ragged hangnail of her ring finger—a horrid trait she had when she was stressed or nervous—and dubiously watched the tarot reader shuffle before she placed the tatty and bent cards on the black velvet tablecloth. Between her and the other colorful people making up Jackson Square, Kaitlyn felt really out of place.
The woman let her hand hover over the deck and closed her eyes, tipping her head back to the sunlight. Kaitlyn looked at Anya and raised her brow.
Anya smiled and put a finger to her lips in the international signal of be quiet. Kaitlyn countered with narrowed eyes, but turned her attention back to the woman. The tarot reader focused on the cards once again and appeared to know she was doing. Then again what did Kaitlyn know? Nothing, as far as this sort of thing went. But she did think the woman would appear more credible if she abandoned the clichéd stereotype and maybe tried to look like a normal person.
Then again normal was relative.
“Stop frowning, Kaity,” her best friend whispered. “She’s the best at this.”
Kaitlyn smiled painfully and cocked a brow. “Anya, trust me, I like surprises, and I don’t need to know the future. How do you know she’s the best?”
The woman looked up and focused on Kaitlyn. “Because I am.”
Oh, okay well why didn’t she just say so to begin with? Kaitlyn was aware their conversation in front of the woman was rude, but hello. Saying you’re the best doesn’t make it so. Then again, what was the standard? Was there one? Gah, this was getting complicated and the tarot wasn’t even spread yet!
The other thing Kaitlyn wouldn’t admit was she found her nerves on total edge. A panicky feeling rushed through her bloodstream. Did other customers feel the sort of anxiety before their future was read? And as to that, if life was all about choices, and you made choices based on the reading of a card, did that seriously alter your life path, and would it change her stars? It was that whole argument of path pre-ordained opposed to free choice.
Kaitlyn rubbed her temple where a headache was beginning to form, and suddenly the beignets and coffee weren’t settling as well as they had before. She hadn’t felt this anxious or sick when she was taking her final medical exam before she graduated.
“Ha, that’s what you think.” Her friend patted her on the arm. “You need a little excitement in your life.”
“And exactly how does having my tarot read going to provide that, huh?”
“Cut zee cards,” The woman across the table said as she indicated the deck in front of Kaitlyn. “Make a wish before you touch them.”
Kaitlyn sighed and closed her eyes and made her wish. I hope I have the most erotic night of my life with the man of my dreams tonight. Since she knew there was no way in heck that was going to happen, as the man was literally a dream, she felt a little bad about setting the woman up for failure. Kaitlyn didn’t believe in tarot, or gem readings. Chalking it up to just a bunch of tourist entertainment and nothing more, Kaitlyn sat back and watched as the woman dealt the cards.
