“You had an extremely stressful summer. You’ve spent the past several weeks worried about your life partner. Sesame returning had to have been quite the shock even without the psychic vertigo. And you haven’t been sleeping well. It could be like when your body is run-down, you’re more susceptible to viruses and infections. I think you gave yourself a case of the psychic flu.”
“Do you think my powers could come back?” she asked, trying not to hope for the impossible.
“I think you’d be surprised at what happens if you take care of your body and mind. Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself time to heal. You’ll find your way back on track in no time.”
Riley bit her lip. “I know this isn’t fair of me to ask. But could you not tell Gabe about this? I feel like he should hear it from me.”
“Of course. Be vulnerable when you feel safe. Do what you think is best, and I’ll support you on your journey,” Wander promised.
Riley reached out and squeezed her hand. “Thanks. One more favor?”
Wander smiled indulgently. “Of course.”
“Can you invite Marie and Miguel Santiago to Nick’s surprise party Saturday? Marie is more likely to say yes to you than me.”
“I’d be happy to,” Wander promised.
“You’re a pretty awesome little sister.”
“And you’re an extraordinary woman. Don’t forget it.”
They watched Burt dive headfirst into a fresh pile of leaves and then roll onto his back, his gangly legs sticking up in the air. “Speaking of extraordinary, Nick and I are back to having awesome sex.”
“How nice for you.”
To the untrained observer, the tiny pinch of sarcasm in Wander’s tone would have gone unnoticed. Riley’s eyes widened. “That’s the equivalent of a snide ‘must be nice.’”
Wander squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to spew venom like that all over you.”
“There was no spewing,” Riley assured her. “You fixed me. Now it’s your time to vent.”
Wander stared up at the trees. “Gabe is wonderful. He’s kind, generous, compassionate, intelligent, calm, present, peaceful, incredibly good-looking.”
“Super handsome,” Riley agreed.
“And he hasn’t made a move for second base, and I’m so sexually frustrated it’s driving me insane.”
“What’s the holdup? I mean, I can’t imagine a man holding out against all this,” Riley said, waving her hand in the direction of Wander’s rockin’ bod. The woman owned an entire wardrobe of crop tops.
“All bodies are beautiful and deserve to be loved,” Wander replied.
“Uh, especially yours. You were nine months pregnant and still had an eight-pack. Obviously you’re not the problem. If we weren’t sisters, I would be attracted to you. Hell, I think Nick’s mom is one hot yoga class away from switching teams for you.”
“Maybe he’s just not interested in moving forward in that direction with me.”
“Maybe he’s just a big, cuddly virgin who needs a sexy older lover to show him the ropes?”
Riley and Wander twisted to find Lily joining them on the patio. Mrs. Penny marched up behind her, armed with a pitcher of what smelled like all the alcohol from the state store. It had a straw sticking out of it.
“You’re not sleeping with Gabe, Lily,” Riley said.
The older woman pouted and took the empty chair next to Wander. “Party pooper.”
“Maybe Gabe’s penis is too big to work. I knew this guy in the Marines who passed out every time he got turned on,” Mrs. Penny said.
“Just make sure you use two hands when handling it,” Lily advised. “Those things can get slippery.”
“This is my karma for bringing drama into your home,” Wander said with a sigh.
