‘We’re not going down without a fight!’
There’d been no word on whether Harold would still proceed with the eviction of Quinn, and Quinn didn’t expect any. It seemed Harold would not bow to the mounting pressure being put upon him. Disappointment flooded through Quinn every time he thought of his stepdad and his decision, and the floodgates burst when he thought of his mother, allowing such a thing to happen.
‘You look different.’ Ivy observed him like he was something she’d never seen before. ‘Your aura has changed.’
Quinn looked around him, as if he could see such a thing. ‘Has it? Does it compliment my skin tone?’
‘It does,’ Ivy said. ‘It’s a shade of pink. You’re giving off a loving vibe, but it’s not happy.’
Ivy’s accuracy struck him. ‘A lot has happened over the weekend.’
‘Get the kettle on and tell me everything.’ Ivy turned to Daniel. ‘And your aura. You seem … stressed? No, confused.’
‘Don’t read my aura,’ Daniel said, half-joking.
‘Sorry,’ Ivy said.
‘Enjoy your teas.’
‘Don’t want to join us?’
‘I’m good, I think,’ Daniel said.
‘Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m going to close early. Lots happening. Go get some you time, Daniel. I think you need it.’
Daniel sighed. ‘Thanks, Quinn. I appreciate it.’
Daniel got his coat and headed to the door, turning the open sign to closed. Quinn followed him. ‘Daniel, I mean it. If you need to talk, I’m here for you.’
Daniel sighed. ‘Maybe we can talk once all of this has blown over?’
‘Whenever you’re ready.’
‘Cheers, Quinn.’
Quinn locked the doors, made the teas, and filled Ivy in on everything from Gordon to the shop.
‘So, Harold is Scrooge,’ Ivy said, ‘and Gordon is a good guy?’
‘I’m not sure if he is a good guy,’ Quinn said. ‘But he’s better than we thought.’
‘I think we can work on him.’ Ivy tapped her fingers together, like an evil villain hatching up a scheme. ‘We can get him on our side.’
Quinn loaded up more posters on his screen and hit print.
‘I’ve never spoken to him like that before. It made a change. He’s human.’
‘Shocker.’
The final posters were printed, and Quinn handed them to Ivy.
‘There’s more, though,’ Ivy said. ‘I did a tarot reading before I came and I drew the eight of cups.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that you’re feeling lost and confused,’ Ivy said. ‘There seems to be a lot of illusions, maybe even options for you, and you’re not sure what is best for you.’
Quinn, thinking of Noah, of Hermione, of his future and the shop, dismissed this with a wave of his hand.
