Slightly.
Nevertheless, as soon as she could—after the comments about her reading died down—Fiona excused herself from the little group before someone else asked to have their palm read.
Brad wanted to accompany her as she put distance between herself and the others, but with a playful little laugh, she told him, “I’m just going to step into the powder room for a minute. Why don’t you stay here and talk to your constituents for a bit? I’m sure they have a few things on their minds.”
The chuckles from the group followed her as she stepped away, and it wasn’t until she’d made her way across the room that she felt able to breathe again.
Between unexpectedly seeing Gideon and his fiancée, and then having the strange reaction to Brad, Fiona definitely needed a few minutes to herself.
Her knowledge of the layout of the facilities at the Meijer Gardens aided her in her quest for privacy, and Fiona had no trouble finding a small alcove where she could stand and pretend to admire a modern metal sculpture while trying to get her composure under control.
She felt a presence behind her almost immediately, and, half-expecting—wanting, and yetnotwanting—to see Gideon standing there, she turned.
Her heart plummeted.
“Iva. I’m so glad to see you again…and I want to apologize for my comment about you not coming by. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot—it was very rude, and I feel terrible about it.” She heard herself babbling, but she couldn’t stop. She was afraid what would happen when her emotions caught up with her.
“Fiona,dear,” was all Iva said before pulling her into her sweet-smelling embrace.
The short, plump woman hugged her tightly, and for a minute, Fiona didn’t want to let go. She blinked hard, trying to keep surprise tears from spilling from over her eyes and ruining her makeup.
“I wasn’t offended at all,” Iva said into her ear. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me—at least, not for awhile. I should be the one apologizing for not coming by. I wasn’t certain what had happened between the two of you. And, well…you know Gideon. He wouldn’t say anything about it.”
Tears knitted into the corners of her eyes and Fiona felt a huge lump forming in her throat. How could this woman she barely knew evoke such an honest response in her when her own mother never could?
Finally, Fiona pulled from the comforting embrace, only slightly embarrassed by her emotional reaction. It had felt good to let someone hold her—to let herself grieve for a minute.
“You love him,” said the older woman, looking up at her with sad blue eyes. “Just like I love Hollis.”
Fiona swallowed over the heaviness in her throat, considered lying, but then nodded. “Yes.”
“He’s making a terrible mistake, Fiona,” Iva said, beginning to dig around in her handbag. She pulled a tissue free and offered it to her. “I know you’re not used to such a small purse.”
Fiona smiled again and blew her nose. “Thank you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me…well, actually, I sort of do. Something happened tonight.”
“What do you mean?” Iva’s eyes turned sharp. “Did Gideonsaysomething to you? Or that woman Rachel?”
“No, no,” Fiona replied quickly. Not only did she want to change the subject, but she needed to tell someone about Brad. And Iva, of all people, would understand. “When I picked up Brad Forth’s hand just now to read his palm, something strange happened.”
“You weren’t hit with a bolt of lightning and fell madly in love with him, were you?” Iva demanded.
“No…in fact, it was quite the opposite. Exactly the opposite. I felt this surge of dislike rush through me. I almost dropped him—his hand, I mean. That horrible sensation made it difficult to focus on what I was reading, and I just made some stuff up. I just wonder what caused me to react that way.”
“Does he frighten you? Perhaps you shouldn’t be alone with him, Fiona.” The older woman was dead serious, and she gripped Fiona’s hand tightly. “Don’t forget we still don’t know who’s been breaking into the shop and trying to find—well, whatever they’re trying to find. Has anything new happened in the last few weeks, Fiona?”
Fiona shook her head. “No, nothing. And Helga and Captain Longbow don’t really have any news.”
“I don’t trust that man,” Iva said. “That politician. Ever since I first met him, I had a…feeling about him.”
Fiona rushed to clarify her experience. The last thing she needed was Iva saying or doing something about Brad…
“It wasn’t necessarily that Bradfrightenedme when I touched his hand—after all, I’ve been alone with him many times, and he’s never raised the hair on the back of my neck like tonight. He’s never given me cause to feel uncomfortable around him before.
“I think it must have just been the fluke of a moment…maybe he’s just another dishonest politician, and it came out in his palm.” She shrugged off the older woman’s concern even as her insides remained tight and nauseated. “I’ve already decided I’m not going to see him anymore anyway. He’s just not my type.”
“Well, he is Valente’s grandnephew,” Iva said with a gentle smile, looking at her with a gleam in her blue eyes. “We’ll get to the other stuff in a minute—about that foolish boy Gideon—but first, I found out some things about your benefactor that might explain your ghost.”
Fiona raised her eyebrows, glad to have something to focus on instead of her riot of emotions. “You did some research at the library?”
