Doug glanced at the door and then looked back at Kate. “I thought I heard Celeste was going to be here?”
“Kami did say she was bringing Celeste straight from the beauty salon. She should be here soon,” Kate said.
“That will be nice. Petey always likes to see his friend Celeste.”
Kate gave Hannah a look and said, “He sure does.”
Hannah nodded slowly. Kate rocked on her heels. This was going to be a fun night.
Chapter Three
Hannah thought she might have figured out the best way to approach the pet readings. In all cases, bring it around to love. Thank goodness for Kate’s signals when she talked to Doug. Now Doug sat across from her, and her hands had stopped shaking.
Petey sat on Doug’s lap, gnawing on his finger. Doug kept removing his hand from the general vicinity of Petey’s mouth only to have the little ball of fluff tug on the yellow cuff of his mustard costume.
“So how does this work? Do I need to pay you?” Doug used his free hand to reach into his pocket. Hannah was impressed that the costume even had a pocket.
“It’s a simple one-card reading for ten dollars. The fee is being donated to fund spaying and neutering. I’m from New Age Stones and Witch Crafts. We carry teas, crystals, essential oils, and other items. We even have a section of holistic skin and hair products for dogs and cats.” Hannah wished Zaina was there tohear her quick commercial for the shop. She sat up straighter and shuffled the cards.
“Petey’s hair used to be glossy; now it’s dry, and I think it has split ends. Maybe I should check out what you have.”
“Great! Here is a flyer for our upcoming November sales and events.”
Doug moved his hand away from Petey and picked up the flyer. Petey promptly chomped on the flyer, tearing off a corner. Doug quickly folded the rest of the paper and shoved it in his pocket.
Hannah cleared her throat nervously. “Did you have a question for the cards?”
Doug looked toward the front of the store. A family with two King Charles Cavaliers walked in. Hannah watched his face fall. Petey gave a quick bark.
“Petey, do you have a question?” Hannah asked.
“He wants to know if he’ll be spending Christmas alone.”
Hannah nodded. She let her “Maxim” persona step out. She really hoped that the guests tonight understood most of this was just for fun and if Maxim got something really wrong, not to seek her out on social media.
Be Maxim,she reminded herself.Maxim always understands how to feel the energy.
She placed the deck of cards on the table. “Split the deck anywhere you want and take the top card.”
Doug leaned forward, concentrating on the deck. She waited as he continued to stare at the cards. Just when she couldn’t take waiting a moment longer, Doug cut the deck and took a card. He stared at it, and Hannah watched as Petey’s long tongue came out and did a big swipe of the card. Now she was going to have to disinfect the deck.
She held her breath, waiting for Doug to show her the card. Whatever it was, she hoped it would mean Doug might spend the holidays with Celeste’s owner, Kami.
It was the Three of Wands, which would have been fine, but it was reversed. That meant the card, which usually meant preparation, progress, and foresight, instead meant unexpected delays and obstacles to long-term goals. Well, shoot, now what was the Magnificent Maxim going to say? She took a deep breath and tried to channel her inner Zaina. Because she was feeling awkward, she didn’t make eye contact with Doug; she chose to look at Petey as she spoke.
“This is an interesting card you’ve chosen, Petey. Because it’s reversed, its meaning has changed. This doesn’t mean you will necessarily spend Christmas alone. It could mean that the one you most want to find under the mistletoe is unavailable for Christmas, but if you can get past an obstacle or two, you’ll be sharing a New Year’s Eve kiss.”
Hannah held her breath. Doug blew out a breath. “Okay, well, that’s pretty good, I guess.” He sat slumped in the chair, petting Petey as seconds ticked by. Hannah’s stomach churned. She didn’t know if she should say more and try to comfort him. She’d done the best she could with the card he’d picked, and to say anything more positive would be to completely disregard a reverse Three of Wands.
A German shepherd wearing yellow braids and a German serving girl costume entered the shop with her human. The woman had dark hair up in a bun and was wearing a beer stein costume. She looked over at the table where Doug was still sitting and waved her free hand. “Hey, Petey!” She said.
Doug immediately popped up, “Kami! What a surprise to see you here.”
Hannah chuckled and leaned back in her chair. She could do this.
After Kami arrived, a steady stream of people and pets came into Kate’s shop. Everyone wanted a reading, and Hannah, as Maxim, was happy to oblige. After a few readings, Kate stopped by Hannah’s table and set down a mason jar that had ‘tips’ written on it in black Sharpie. She smiled and touched Hannah’s shoulder. The heat from Kate’s hand spread throughout her body, and Hannah wished she had a free moment to do a quick reading and see what the card said about whether Kate was a good kisser.
By the time nine p.m. rolled around, only a small pile of broken tortilla chips was left at the snack table. The sangria had run out an hour before, and Kate was ushering her last guest out the door.
