“There will be three tests to prove that you have embraced your gift and you will know when you have passed each one.”
“Will I be visited by the ghost of Christmas past?” Sarcasm dripped from Amethyst’s tongue. Let the smiting commence.
Now Galmadriel smiled broadly. Yes, there was definitely a sense of humor there. “You have already been visited by two ghosts and an angel. Is that not enough for you? Maybe I should send a unicorn.”
That sparked an answering grin, “Are there unicorns? My friend Gustavia would…” she paused and thought better of it before crudely mentioning uncontrollable bodily functions to an angel “…love to see one.” Dodged a bullet there.
“I can neither confirm nor deny so your friend’s pants are probably safe for the time being.” Now Amethyst was certain she saw a twinkle in the angel’s eye and that she could read minds.
The angel probably had places to be but Amethyst still had to ask, “I saw a man inside Logan—you know who that is?” There was an answering nod. “I could see two auras and then two men struggling inside him. It was quite clear. I think Logan is possessed. Maybe by a demon.” Her voice rose making it a question though she was sure it had not been a demon.
“Not a demon. An Earthwalker.”
“A what, now?”
“Earthwalker. It is what we call a spirit who deliberately turns from the light.”
“Okay. So, what do we do about the Earthwalker?”
“Pass the three tests and we shall see.” And, with a sober smile and a flash of light, Galmadriel was gone.
From somewhere behind her, Amethyst heard Reid’s low whistle. She’d totally forgotten about him. She turned and as the last of the angel’s light faded, noted that he looked about as shaky as she had felt earlier. No longer dizzy and overwhelmed she found his wide-eyed shock slightly amusing especially knowing it probably mirrored her own at that first meeting with Galmadriel.
“You keep interesting company these days.”
Her voice coming out of the darkness was solid, dry. “Just another Sunday.” A pause. “Still want to make it work? With all the craziness and complications? No one would blame you if you turned and ran.”
Reid opened the car door to let the interior light spill out. He needed to see her face. What he saw was her best blank expression. He knew it well, it was the one she used when she was trying to cover up pain or anger or fear.
He shrugged then looked down at his feet. “These aren’t my running shoes, guess I’ll stick around.”
“Your choice. Let’s get moving before anything else happens.” Amethyst swung back into the car and shut the door firmly.
This whole increasing her level of abilities thing was only more complicated by dealing with her ex—no wait—her current husband. Necking in the car like teenagers was the cherry on top of that particular sundae. Still, cherries made tasty treats and so did Reid, come to that.
***
Minutes later, they pulled back into the drive at Hayward House. Gustavia’s “baby” was quite deliberately parked behind Amethyst’s car. No chance of slinking home to adapt and adjust in private. Reid rolled to a stop, switched the ignition off, and asked the one question she was not ready to deal with. “Where do we go from here?”
About five different answers, each one more sarcastic than the last, wanted to pop out of her mouth as her stomach fluttered with nerves, but she resisted the urge and gave him the honest one. “I need some time to adjust to everything that’s going on.”
His jaw clenched; she saw it and reassured him. “Not distance, just time. Can we just let things happen naturally? Without expectations?”
Her words soothed some of the tension inside him. They still had a conversation ahead of them—probably more than one—before any real resolution could happen but if the door was still open, he could wait.
***
“…and so now I just have to pass the three tests, whatever they are.” Listening to the words hang in the air for a moment, Amethyst realized exactly how ridiculous her story sounded when she said it out loud.
“When this is all done, I fully expect Gustavia to write a book about it.” Her flippant attitude did not fool her friends. Pale skin and trembling hands were dead giveaways to her state of mind.
“Did Zack find anything? With everything that had happened, it would have raised more questions than it answered if I had stayed to wait for him.”
“No, he was long gone before the police arrived.”
After a cup of tea and some time in a safe space, she felt calm enough to drive home. All she wanted to do was climb into bed, listen to Tommy purring, and sleep for at least a week.
***
The first chance he had to get Tyler alone, Reid cornered the man. “Just how dangerous is this Logan character?”
“He tried to break in here but he didn’t know about Lola and she got the jump on him.” Tyler told him about Gustavia’s booby trap.
“Then he cut Gustavia’s brake lines. She and Kat—well, it was a near thing. If Gustavia hadn’t had defensive driving training, they might have been killed. After that, he bashed up her car with a baseball bat. We put in an alarm system here and Gustavia’s got one as well.”
A chill of dread settled in Reid’s belly as he asked the next question, “Does he have it in for Amethyst, too?”
“Not so far. I think he blames Gustavia for turning Julie against him and sees her as a threat but at the same time, he thinks she is the more vulnerable of the two. Funny, he doesn’t appear to have the stones to come after me. I wish he would.”
His words went a long way toward settling Reid’s nerves.
“I’d like to stick around a bit longer. See what I can do to help. If you don’t think Julie would mind.”
Tyler knew exactly what motivated this decision. A woman he wanted to protect and the irresistible call of a treasure hunt. It hadn’t been so long since he’d been drawn in by them. Still was if he was being honest.
“Consider yourself invited.”
“And you’ll square it with Julie?”
“No worries.” Tyler wondered what Amethyst would think about this new turn of events. He could tell something had happened between the two of them but neither one was talking.
Chapter Thirteen
During the ride into the city, Amethyst fingered the ten-dollar bill in her pocket knowing it was evidence that she lacked any sort of impulse control. When had Kat proposed a bet that Julie would find a wedding gown that fit her perfectly right off the rack it seemed too good to pass up. There was no way. Wedding gowns always required a little something to fit perfectly and not to say that Julie’s figure wasn’t well proportioned—it was—but that’s not how these things worked. A safe bet if ever there was one.
For their first stop, they were going to be meeting Gustavia’s great aunt and the cousin, Beth, who owned that cute little boutique. Beth had agreed to hook them up with a friend who owned, in her opinion, the best bridal shop.
Still slightly nervous around her new extended family, Gustavia was nevertheless excited to introduce them to her friends. Valerie, who by all accounts, was the complete opposite of her twin, the infamous grandmother who had raised Gustavia in a palatial but cheerless home, greeted them warmly.
The bridal shop Beth guided them to was only two doors down from her own business, and from the front, it didn’t look like much. The tiny showroom was clean enough and well decorated but with only three gowns on display, Amethyst knew that if this was the only place they shopped, her ten dollars was about to be doubled.
Beth led them through the showroom and made for the back of the store calling out as she went, “Hey Luce, we’re here.” From somewhere distant, they heard a muffled voice, “I’m in the back,” and followed the sound.
Beyond a small but spotlessly clean changing area, was another doorway and the second they stepped through it, Amethyst felt the uncanny sensation of her hair lifting off her head to stand on end, then
just as quickly, it plastered itself to her scalp. Looking around the huge room bursting with row after row of gowns encased in protective bags, she knew it was the static from all that plastic that affected her finely textured hair.
Great, now I’ve got helmet hair or worse, she thought.
The huge space extended behind the storefronts on either side to create a vast warehouse of dresses. The ten-dollar bill in her pocket suddenly felt less secure.
“This is my friend, Lucy. She’ll take excellent care of you. Trust her, she always finds her customers the perfect dress. They call her the bride whisperer. You’ll stop by my place again before you leave?” This last was directed at Gustavia who nodded but her attention was on the bounty around her and Amethyst could see her weighing whether or not it would be rude to try on a few dresses herself.
Lucy was a tall, extraordinarily thin woman whose mannerisms were vaguely birdlike. Without even a “hello,” she cocked her head appraisingly at the group then turned directly to Julie and asked the date of the wedding.
“Two days after Christmas. I know that doesn’t leave much time,” Julie apologized.
Lucy shrugged off the time constraints as she motioned for Julie to do a slow turn. Lucy appraised the bride-to-be then nodded. “Make yourselves at home; I’ll go pull some options.” She waved a hand around the room pointing out different areas with designer names on the walls. “Browse around, have some champagne, try on anything you like.”
“Was it just me or was that weird? She didn’t even ask which one of us was the bride.” Julie whispered loudly, eyes round with surprise.
Gustavia grabbed Kat and peeled off toward the Vera Wang section while Amethyst followed Julie toward a much larger changing area than the one they had just passed through. Overwhelmed by the number of selections, Julie stopped then turned in place with no idea where to start.
Determined to make the most of her time, Gustavia set a land speed record choosing several gowns for Julie to try on then succumbed to the urge and picked out one for herself. Just in case.
Since Julie was still leafing through racks, Amethyst took the dresses from Gustavia and sorted through them.
“No, this one is out. It has big puffy sleeves, the skirt is too full, and there’s too much bling.” The dress just screamed princess and Amethyst knew Julie didn’t see herself as the Cinderella type.
“What about this one, it’s elegant,” Gustavia insisted as she held out a straight column with a striking neckline that looked amazing on the hanger.
“Fine.” Amethyst hung the dress in the changing area then dragged Julie over to try it on but with the stiff neckline standing up behind her head, she looked like she had gone from princess to evil queen.
Lucy was still roaming around somewhere deep in the warehouse area when Estelle shimmered into view next to Kat. She glanced around to make sure no one else would see her and said, “Kathleen, I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Are you ready?”
Having channeled Estelle multiple times now, Kat opened up to let the spirit slide into her consciousness and with tears in their eyes, Kat and Estelle hugged Julie then hit the racks to become part of the gown choosing process.
Five dresses later, Julie had ruled out anything with an exaggerated train, bustle, or that was too slim-fitted to walk in easily. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the evening dragging her dress along behind her. Exaggerating her backside by affixing a large lump of fabric to it held even less appeal and there was no way she intended to mince down the aisle in anything so tight she couldn’t take a full step.
Lucy had already pulled a dress—the dress, in fact—but held back awhile before presenting her choice in order to give the group more time to enjoy themselves. They were lovely women who laughed easily and with great affection.
After trying on seven or eight dresses, Julie was getting overwhelmed and that was when Gustavia grabbed her own choice and sneaked into the dressing room. When she came out looking like the doll on top of a bohemian wedding cake, Amethyst gave in and selected something for herself.
Now with the three of them wearing white, they turned on Kat.
“Oh, no. You three are crazy. Leave me out of this. You know I’m never getting married.”
Amethyst snorted, now that was a bet she could win. Kat was not destined to be alone.
“Let’s put this to a vote. Everyone in favor of Kat trying on a dress?” Amethyst intoned.
Three hands lifted in the air. Then, to her chagrin, Estelle lifted her own hand as well.
“It seems you have been outvoted.” Amethyst leafed through a few racks and picked out a beautiful sweep of white with a beaded bodice. “Go forth and dress yourself.” She gently pushed Kat into the dressing room.
When Lucy swept in pulling a wheeled rack hung with a single opaque, zippered bag behind her, she found all four women dressed in white and posed like Charlie’s Angels in front of the mirror.
To their credit, they looked slightly embarrassed to be caught playing. “I think I have just the thing, follow me.” A grinning Lucy scooped up the bagged dress and led Julie into the fitting room.
Once changed back into her own clothes, Amethyst slumped down on a white chaise and sipped at her glass of champagne. All this wedding dress shopping made her slightly wistful. Eloping had robbed her of this experience.
“At least with Julie, you know she won’t make us wear one of those ugly bridesmaid dresses. She’s not vain enough for that.” It was the simple truth but Amethyst raised her voice enough to let Julie hear the comment. With three older siblings, her closet already contained a couple clunkers.
After a few minutes, Julie reappeared in the dressing room doorway looking radiant in a fall of sparkling, icy white.
The dress was perfect in every way. A very simple, long-sleeved top in a soft, stretchy material with a gently rounded neckline rose above a graceful bell-shaped skirt that was just slightly longer in the back. The only embellishments were a row of buttons down the backs of the sleeves and a narrow sash at the waistline with a small bow in the back. It was simple and plain but those qualities were what made it elegant.
“Oh, Julie. It’s spectacular.” Amethyst teared up a little.
Estelle took over Kat’s body for just a moment and, stepping forward, pulled Julie into a fierce hug. Amethyst heard her whisper, “My darling girl,” and that was all it took to have the tears spilling over. It must have hit Gustavia the same way because despite her beaming smile, tears were streaming down her face as well.
Even Lucy looked a little misty.
Once the hugging ended, Lucy asked Julie stand on a low pedestal while she assessed the dress to see how much tailoring might be needed. After circling several times, she lifted up the hem a little to inspect Julie’s shoes. “You’ll be wearing these same heels?”
Julie nodded.
Lucy circled again. She stood behind Julie and smoothed her hands across the shoulders. She tugged the waistline gently and twitched the folds of the skirt.
“Then this is a first because I can’t find a thing that needs adjusting.”
Rolling her eyes, Amethyst pulled the ten from her pocket and handed it over to Kat who accepted the money with a self-satisfied smile.
“No need to gloat.”
Julie went back into the dressing room to remove the dress then it was her turn to recline on the chaise and watch while the others tried on bridesmaid dresses. Red and silver were her wedding colors but she had not considered just how many shades and textures there were of each.
Gustavia, of course, gravitated toward bright, scarlet reds. Kat picked out muted silvery grays and Amethyst found a rack of red dresses with white fur trim that were a bit too on the nose for a Christmas wedding.
“There’s an art,” Lucy explained to Julie as they watched Gustavia pawing through the racks, “to choosing the dresses your attendants will wear. I can tell that you have a healthy ego so I won’t pull anything unflattering.” She winked to ack
nowledge Amethyst’s reference to “ugly bridesmaid dress syndrome.”
“Yes, I want my friends to look beautiful.”
Lucy smiled then turned to Amethyst. “Will your hair color change for the wedding?”
“Why? Is it wrong? Julie, do you want me to change it?”
“Of course not.”
“No,” Lucy spoke gently, “I just want to find a dress that flatters your coloring. The bouquet? Have you decided what it’s to be?”
“Red roses with a few white stephanotis and silver twigs.”
“Brilliant.” Looking at each woman in turn, she mused, “Deep reds to match the roses and because it works with most skin tones—silver accents—something that works for the petite woman as well as the tall one and in stock because time is of the essence.” She drummed her fingers against her thigh. “I’ve got just the thing.”
As Lucy hurried away, the four women and Estelle watched her with great interest. Choosing the right dress was more than her job, the woman had a gift and a calling. When she returned, with an armful of deep red, there was a satisfied gleam in her eye and she did a little dance step.
“Try these.”
Amethyst followed the Lucy into the dressing room
For the next several minutes, Julie heard rustling and giggling noises from the dressing room then it was quiet. Finally Gustavia called out, “Hey, Jules. Turn around and don’t peek.” It was easier to humor her than argue so Julie did as she was asked.
“Okay, now you can look.”
Julie spun around and when she saw the others, her mouth dropped open. Cocktail length chiffon gathered at each shoulder then skimmed across a molded bodice to fall in tiny pleats toward a cinched in waistline banded in silver, then flared back to a flirty, knee-length hem. Artfully posed, each woman looked like a Greek statue come to life. The deep, almost wine red flattered every skin tone and did not clash with Amethyst’s vividly colored hair.
“Lucy, you are a genius. These are perfect.”
She Shall Have Music (The Psychic Seasons Series Book 3) Page 10
