Marina stopped at the coffee kiosk and ordered a chai latte, and River got a chamomile tea. Then they kept walking. Had she used the stop to decide how much she wanted to share?
“Tell me more about your business.” Marina sat on a bench opposite a sculpture. “What is it you do there?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” River asked. “I didn’t think you had any interest in woo-woo stuff.”
“I’d still like to hear about it.” Marina smiled and lightly touched River’s arm.
Red flags started waving and alarm claxons started ringing as River felt the deception in Marina’s energy. Whatever she was feeling, it wasn’t genuine. There was something beneath it,something that suggested a lie somewhere in her words, as plain as they were. “What’s really going on, Marina?” River asked softly.
“What do you mean?” Marina dropped her hand. “I’m just trying to get to know you.”
River stood and backed away. “You may not believe in the things I believe in, but you should know that I feel things other people may not. And I can feel that something isn’t right. You feel…off.” She waited for a moment, but Marina just stared at her, her expression implacable.
“Okay.” River sighed and looked away, trying not to show her disappointment. “I was hoping this was real, but Audrey warned me things are chaotic in your head?—”
“You’re telling me she really can read other people’s thoughts?” Marina looked indignant. “Ifthat’s true, it’s an incredible invasion of privacy.”
“It is true, and yes, it can be. But when someone telegraphs the way you do, it’s hardnotto hear it. Your thoughts, your energy…” River shook her head and took another step away from Marina’s darkening cloud. “You send it out like a beacon. Thank you for the walk, but I think I’m going to head home.”
Marina took a step toward her, her hand outstretched. “River?—”
There was a childish screech, and a toddler freewheeling on a tricycle rammed into Marina from behind, knocking her forward over the raised concrete block and into the manicured flower bed. Dry summer dirt plumed into the air in every direction, and the toddler continued screaming down the path, a juvenile delinquent driver in the making.
River couldn’t help it. She laughed, and then continued to laugh, as Marina scrambled from the flower bed on her hands and knees and glared at her. Thick dirt spots coated her palesuit and face, and some was even in the ends of her hair. River wheezed and put her hands on her knees.
“Oh yeah?” Marina grabbed a bunch of flowers, ripped them from the ground, and flung them at River, who danced beyond the clump.
“I’m sorry. Let me help you up.” River reached out but Marina waved her off.
“No need. You made how you feel clear, and I’ll see myself off.” Marina brushed by her, holding herself erect and didn’t look back.
River let her go. She wiped the tears of laughter away and sighed as the disappointment reappeared. Audrey was right. Marina wasn’t what she seemed.
So why did River want to go after her so damn bad?
CHAPTER 9
Marina openedone eye and looked at Yvonne, who raised her eyebrow as she set a stack of files on Marina’s desk.
“Do you have a change of clothes in the office I can get for you?” Yvonne asked.
“No. I took the last suit out for dry cleaning and haven’t picked it up yet.” No questions about why she was covered in dirt or why she had her feet up on her desk. That was good, wasn’t it?
“Give me the name of the cleaner and I’ll go get it. Ms. Black could call at any moment, and I doubt you’d want to get dirt onhercar seats.”
Without taking her feet off the desk, Marina reached into a desk drawer, pulled out the stub, and handed it over. “Thanks.” Before Yvonne pulled the door shut behind her, Marina tapped the desk. “Yvonne, what do you think of psychics and all that stuff?”
Yvonne turned, then came back in and shut the door behind her. “Odd question. Is it work-related?”
Okay, so maybe Yvonne was a little too starch and steel. “It is. I’m aware one of the businesses we’re about to displace is a metaphysical one. I’m considering how to approach them.” It was partially true and seemed to mollify her.
“I think…” She frowned and leaned against the door. “I think there are people who believe there are things we can’t explain and people who think everything is explainable. I think they rarely overlap, and communication can be fraught. But one thing we all have in common is a desire for respect. If you approach the shop owner with respect and empathy, it will make things far easier for both of you.”
Marina nodded. “Thank you. I’ll think about that.”
Yvonne left and Marina sighed, wiggling her toes in her silk stockings. That had been about as useful as a chocolate scalpel. She was right, of course, but her words were too obvious, too simple. Marina had tried to respectfully ask about River’s business and had been shut down. The fact that River had somehow sensed that Marina was hiding information was disturbing.
Rob knocked and peeked in. “Coffee?”
