Emoni rolled her eyes. “You are too much, Sunny.”
“What? Like you’re not thinking the same!”
Both of them had also met Daniel at the mixer and had been way less cool about it than Halmoni. Emoni literally stroked his arm and said, “So exquisite.” Nonetheless, I don’t think he suspected anything, nor did he find it annoying. He, in fact, seemed charmed by my family. They were, of course, utterly charmed by him.
“You two just lookso righttogether,” Emoni said dreamily. “Very good-looking couple.”
“Yes, and in a less-superficial observation, you seemed socomfortable around each other already,” Sunny added. “It was like you’ve known each other forever.” She paused. “Which I guess you have, in a way.”
Itdidfeel comfortable with Daniel. There seems to be this shorthand for us getting to know each other. Maybe it’s just because we’re around the same age—we cut through the bullshit. We also have many of the same pop culture references—I discovered that as we walked through the gallery and both madeFriendsjokes when we overheard security tell someone to “pivot away from the art.” And even though we hadn’t met under romantic circumstances originally, I know we’re on the same page about this. Other than Brooke, Daniel didn’t speak to any other women that night, and when I had to go back to work, he left the event.
“We had a nice time,” I said, aware that I was being annoying and cryptic. But the entire situation was so heavy with expectation that I found myself treating it with care. At the moment, anyway. “I think it’s clear that he came to the event for me and is interested.”
“Of coursehe’s interested,” Emoni said heatedly. “Look at you! Our perfect girl.”
“Oh my god,” I said with a laugh. “Please refrain from that kind of sweet but delusional talk around Daniel.”
Halmoni waved a hand in the air. “This is all going well. Did you make plans to see each other again?”
I hesitated. “Well, kind of? It was implied…”
Everyone groaned and I stood up. “Okay! That’s enough girl talk, ladies! I have to go to sleep—good night you pushy broads!” They left, but Halmoni gave me one final death stare to make it clear to me that I needed to follow up with Daniel.
And I will. After work.
My first appointment today is with a man in his fifties who losthis husband two years ago, Lawrence. He’s got thinning red hair and a beard. His nose is strong and high-bridged, and his eyes are deep-set and sorrowful.
Hairline:A thinker. Intelligent.
Eyes:An emotional open book. It makes you both vulnerable and open to good fortune, as well.
Nose:Ambition and generosity.
I like Lawrence. I want to find Lawrence’s fated. “Look over my shoulder at the bird charm, please.” His eyes shift and I concentrate my entire being into finding his fated.
In a few seconds I am in one of his past lives—a rural village. The hills are verdant and rolling, sheep dotting the landscape. Two men walk by, wearing furs and wool, heavily bearded.Northern Europe?I catch an exchange of words and the region is confirmed, although I can’t make out the language. I’ve done this hundreds of times and it’s still not enough to place European countries fast enough. I look closely at their clothing, too. Maybe medieval? Early Enlightenment?
Honestly, who cares. I’m here to find Lawrence. As the men reach a dwelling with a thatched roof and simple wood structure, the front door flies open and a man’s standing there, cheeks ruddy with a huge grin. I can smell woodsmoke and meat. Feel the warmth of the building through the crisp air.
Lawrence. Perfect. Which one of these men is the one? Within seconds, the red thread unspools from him to one of the men carrying fur—a tall one with a blond beard and sparkling green eyes. The two exchange a secret smile and I see the longing in the blond man’s face before I’m brought back to present day.
After I set the name of Lawrence’s match in his drawer, I go to Halmoni’s office, where she’s writing something down in a notebook. She looks up with a smile. “Did you want to have lunch today?”
I sit down in a chair. “Oh, actually I’m meeting Mar today. I came in to talk to you about something else.”
She puts her pen down. “Okay, what?”
I’m nervous about this talk, but I know what makes Halmoni happy, when to approach her with big asks. And now that I’ve found Daniel, she should be the happiest she’s been in a long time. “So, while we did great for the summer event, we still need to drum up more interest so that we can increase our prices. I think we need to seriously expand our reach.”
“I don’t know, Cassia.”
I pull out my phone. “Look. I told Matteo and Lila to create an Instagram account to start. We already have one thousand followers from them doing a couple weeks’ work.”
“Really?” She puts on her readers to look. Her eyes skim the screen and then she takes off her glasses, looking weary. “I just worry that this will put us at risk.”
“Halmoni, no one in the whole wide world would believe us even if we told them!” I wave at the cupboard. “ ‘We see past lives and a magical thread spells out your past love’s name’? We’d be laughed off the internet.”
She rests her chin on her clasped hands. “You’re probably right. It’s just…a lifetime of habit.”
