“No, of course not,” he said, coming back to himself, “but its influence is, um, constant.”
“So you don’t like astrology at all,” Siobhan said, and Mateo reached for the cup automatically and then yanked his hand back as if it had burned him. “It’s, um, hot.”
“But you sell books for a publisher that sells astrology books,” Niamh said slowly.
“I, um, believe any kind of framework can surface blind spots and true desires. It’s not you, but the stars. That actually is science.”
“So, consulting all the books in your hand is about as useful as consulting a stranger off the street, right?” Cat asked with an edge in her voice.
“Yep,” he said happily and then remembered where he was. “No. My books are better.”
“Right,” Siobhan said.
Niamh stood up delicately. “I’m going to get you more tea. Perhaps something with ice?”
She bustled out, and Siobhan followed.
“What are you doing here?” Cat said. “And what was that?”
“What did you want me to say? The Pleiades are going to make you rich this year?”
“They’re not on the zodiac either.”
“They are on the ecliptic!”
“Oh yeah, they’re in Taurus, so I guess so, but only the starsinthe constellations matter.”
“You cannot believe this!” he exploded, suddenly questioning his own sanity for trying to rip his life apart for this girl who apparently took business decisions from three stars surrounding some other stars.
“I know that the world is a great deal more complicated and magical than most people can ever believe,” Cat said, “and I know not to dismiss literally anything. I also know the power of suggestion.”
He closed his eyes. “But you still consult your horoscope every single day.”
“So a random girl generating content for her blog can tell me it’s going to be terrible? No. But that one’s pretty good.” He looked down as she pointed to a book on the page calledThe Year Ahead.
“Okay.”
“When were you born?” she asked.
“January 3rd.”
“Oh my god, you are such a Capricorn.”
“Am I?”
“It’s literally called the CEO sign!”
He scoffed. “It is not.”
She dug a book out of the pile on the coffee table. He vaguely recognized the cover from the brochure in his hand. She read, “Disciplined, vision, strategic thinker.”
He couldn’t help smiling. “Wouldn’t that be you?”
“Hunh.”
He shook his head. “I was never supposed to be a CEO.”
“No? You accidentally founded a company?”
