Zaina stopped her again. “When you do the spread, tell the client how the first card represents the past, the second the present, and the third what might lie ahead. So, they understand that before you tell them what the cards mean. Let’s try again from the beginning.”
Hannah gathered the cards and started over. They were able to do three run-throughs before customers began coming into the shop for the afternoon sachet class. Hannah ran the class, and at the end, she offered three card readings for twenty-five percent off, but no one in the class had time for a reading.
Chapter Fourteen
On almost any given Wednesday, Kate went over to Hop’s Heaven for pierogi night. Oma’s Pierogi Truck parked at the brewery from six to eight each Wednesday with their delicious pasta pockets of goodness. They served the pierogies pan-seared with onions in fresh butter. And that, in Kate’s opinion, was the secret to why Oma’s pierogies were one of the best things you could choose to put in your mouth. Kate pulled into the parking lot and smiled when she saw the baby blue food truck with a smiling grandma on the side. There were only four people in line waiting. She’d rushed over straight from work to make sure she could get her regular order before the truck started selling out of the various types of pierogies.
Kate checked her text messages. Jax had sent her a GIF of dancing pierogies.
Kate
Six cheese and six sauerkraut?
Jax
You know me so well.
Kate got out of her car and joined the line. Her mouth was watering. She’d been so busy at the store putting out the Christmas stockings she had on consignment that she hadn’t had a chance to run upstairs to her apartment and bring down something for lunch. After looking at her bank mobile app, she realized she’d been spending too much on ordering out, and she needed every penny she could find to put toward buying the building. But there was no way she was going to deprive herself of her favorite carbs. Kate waited impatiently for her turn to order. It had rained off and on all day, but now the sky had cleared.
The full moon shone so brightly that Kate found herself watching it almost like a meditation, at least until her stomach growled. The full moon in the November sky made her think about Hannah. What was it about the moon? Then it came to her, Hannah’s tarot cards had a full moon illustration that looked exactly like the sky tonight. Kate let herself imagine Hannah here by her side. Her long red hair tumbling over her shoulders. Her plump lips begging to be kissed. If she were here, Kate would share her pierogies with Hannah. She inhaled quickly. She hated sharing food—especially comfort carbs.
Finally, Kate had her and Jax’s food. She couldn’t wait to sit down and have these with a cold pint of beer. She opened the door with her shoulder and walked over to the bar.
Jax gave her a head nod while they finished a drink order. Kate sat down. Unable to wait a second longer, she opened her box and took out one of the potato and cheese pierogies and shoved it in her mouth.
Jax came over and shook their head. “You know they always put plasticware and napkins in the bags.” They yelled down the bar to the other bartender working, “I’m taking my break!”
The other bartender said, “Sounds good!”
Jax dove into their meal, “See how even though I am starving, I took the time to find a fork instead of using my fingers.”
“You are far better than me.” Kate bowed her head in jest.
Jax shook their head. Their long, dark brown hair was in an intricate fishtail braid.
“Who did your hair? That must have taken forever.”
“Ellie did it; she saw a tutorial on YouTube.”
Kate stuffed another pierogi in her mouth. This time she used a fork. She chewed and said, “I take it things are better with you two?”
Jax sighed and their shoulders slumped. “No, we’re really stuck. Like it sounds super lame, but we’re more like just roommates. I’ve got to—well, I should say we have to make a hard decision. I thought maybe she was just tired of monogamy. We’ve been together so long, you know?”
Kate nodded her head, “I hate to ask this right now, but can you get me a pumpkin ale?”
“Oh yeah, one sec.”
Jax got a pint glass and put it under the tap. When it was full, they placed it in front of Kate, who downed half of it.
“Do you want a water, too? I assume you drove here.”
Kate nodded, and Jax got water for both of them. “So, what happened, you tried to talk to her about seeing other people, and she didn’t go for it?”
“I haven’t worked up the strength to talk to her about it. I think she is in denial about anything being wrong. Even though it’s been weeks since we’ve done anything. She’s always asleep when I get home.”
“She isn’t sick, is she?”
“Only sick of me. Shit, we’re going to have to break up, aren’t we?”
