“It’s not that bad. I was more interested in checking out what they have on their menu,” Aiden admitted. “I’m always looking for new ideas.”
“Maybe we need to orchestrate something where Corbin needs to rescue Sebbie…” Toby started, but a chorus of “No!” from everyone, including me, shot that down.
Toby stuck his tongue out at us, but Dexter, whose chair was practically on top of Toby’s, just gave his shoulder a squeeze.
God, those two were so freaking cute.
I sighed. “Maybe he just isn’t interested in me.”
Q snorted, Aiden huffed, Toby rolled his eyes, and Thea raised her eyebrows.
“Corbin is just slow,” Dexter said. “He always has been. It’s all his woo-woo stuff.”
Despite Dexter’s calling it “woo-woo stuff,” I didn’t sense any mockery in him.
Toby elbowed him. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was a witch! I have so many questions!”
“I’m sure it was mentioned in front of you before. It isn’t a secret,” Dexter said. “And I don’t know anything, so save your questions for Corbin.”
“You were probably plotting something else when you heard it,” I told Toby. He could be a little absent minded when he was involved in a book, which was pretty much always.
“Still, I would think a witch would catch my attention. That’s prime source material.”
“We’re getting off track,” Q said. “We need a firm plan of action.”
That sounded scary. “I think we need to finish shopping. And didn’t you two need to go back to Paradise Falls to the coffee shop anyway?”
Aiden sighed. “He’s right, Q.”
“I’ll drive you guys. I’ve had enough bonding time for today,” Thea volunteered.
I stuck my tongue out at her. She’d been a good sport and had shopped with us for a couple hours, so I supposed she could be let off the hook. I looked at Toby and Dexter. We’d taken two cars, and Thea and Dexter had driven.
“I’d like to shop some more if you want to stay with us,” Toby volunteered. “I want to hit that new age shop. I have so many ideas now, and I need to do some research.”
With that, we finished our snacks (which weren’t bad, but definitely didn’t compare to Aiden’s baking) and gathered the garbage to throw away. We parted at the doors to the shop, with Thea, Aiden, and Q heading back to the cars. Toby grabbed my hand and pulled me along, spouting off ridiculous ideas about how Corbin and I could be set up.
By the time we were at the new age shop, Toby was animatedly talking about setting up some kind of “only one bed” scenario. Dexter was just smiling at him fondly, like it was perfectly normal and adorable, and I just let him talk. Toby knew that his book ideas wouldn’t work in real life. Usually, anyways. Sometimes I thought he got a little confused on where real life and fiction were separated.
The minute we walked into the shop, he was totally derailed. “Oh my gosh, check this out! It even smells like the supernatural!”
I laughed at that, because I didn’t think of patchouli as very supernatural, and I was pretty sure that was the incense that was permeating the shop. It did smell nice, though, and I was glad it distracted Toby. He was absentmindedly walking around and touching things like a little kid, and Dexter followed him, steering him out of the way when another customer walked by.
They were so good together. I was really happy for Toby—he deserved to have the best boyfriend ever, and Dexter was great for him. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him so happy. And now Josh was dating Dexter’s adopted dad, which was a huge relief, because his ex-boyfriend had been a total piece of shit. Toby and I had both worried about Josh for quite a while, and I was glad he was settled and happy with Wilder.
Really, it was like something out of a romance novel to think that I could pair up with another one of the Smith brothers. They were all incredibly attractive, even if they were a little weird sometimes. I liked the family, though, and we wouldn’t have metAiden and Q if it weren’t for them. We counted them as really close friends now, and you could never have too many close friends.
I walked around the shop and browsed, staring at bundles of herbs and books. I really did love all my friends, but… It wasn’t that I was jealous, exactly. That word made me think of negative feelings, and I didn’t have any negative feelings about the guys. Maybe I was a teeny bit envious? They absolutely deserved every joy in life, and I was so happy for them. Their happiness made me happy. But, I could admit to myself, I did want my own special someone, too. From past experience, I kind of doubted that was happening anytime soon. I had horrible luck with dating.
That was a terribly pessimistic thought for me, though, and I brushed it aside. I wasn’t going to let myself get gloomy. I loved my friends, I loved my job, I loved my house, and I loved my routines. I was happy, and my life was rich and full. I was blessed, and I knew it.
Maybe I should look for a gratitude journal or something. I browsed the shelves, and I ended up at the tarot card section. There was a deck of cards just kind of sitting on the shelf, and I was surprised it wasn’t in a case. I didn’t really know anything at all about tarot cards aside from what I’d seen on random television shows. I flipped the deck over, and the card on top was labeled “Death.” It was a skeleton in black armor holding a flag and riding a horse. Well, wasn’t that cheery? I gave a little snort at that thought, but I kept on looking at the card.
There was something about it that looked weirdly familiar. My eyes were drawn to what looked like a body laying underneath the horse. It seemed like a man with golden-colored hair, and heseemeddead. He was laid out beneath Death, after all, but the sun was shining in the card, and someone was standing before the horse with their hands clasped together, likethey were asking for help. Maybe the person underneath the horse wasn’t dead yet. Maybe there was still time and they would be okay.
I was lost in staring at the card, my eyes not seeing anymore, my mind wandering, when I heard… something. It sounded like someone who had been badly injured. It had that gaspy, groaning sound that people in pain make without even knowing it.
I put the deck down and looked over to where Toby and Dexter were. They were talking with the person working the shop—a tall, slender woman with long hair in a skirt and peasant top, and they seemed fine.
