A slow starter in the morning, Casey offered sleepy nods to regulars—two cops, the woman from the insurance agency across the street, Millicent who ran a gift shop, Larry from the health food store—and made her way to a table next to the window. Her bottom barely hit the seat before her BFF appeared at her shoulder.
Natalie gestured toward the rear of the diner and said, “I’ve got us all set up special in the back. Time to watch and learn. Our lucky winner could call at any time.”
“Oboy.” Casey followed her friend to her office. Desk and computer against one wall, a small table and chairs against the other. And yet more photos of Phil.
“Over there, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Nat. This looks yummy.” Casey eyed a plate of scrambled eggs set on the table next to a tray of fresh baked scones and muffins. She sat and poured a mug of her favorite roast from a carafe.
Natalie slid a stack of papers with a cell phone on top across the table. “Keep this phone with you. It’s the number our winner has been given for Madame Lumina.”
“So, is this person anyone I know?”
“He’s somebody from out of town. Can’t remember his name. Got a quick glimpse of him when we passed out the prizes. A real looker, but I’d never seen him before.”
“That’s a relief.”
Natalie shuffled a deck of tarot cards and dealt a few out on the table. “Step one, you let the cards do the work.” She pointed to the papers. “I’ve made charts of the basic meanings for each and every card. If a meaning still isn’t clear or doesn’t make sense, study the pictures on the card. Go by what symbols you see. For instance. White lilies mean purity. Maybe she’s still a virgin.”
“Then she didn’t go to our high school.”
“Stop joking, Casey. I’ll bet you’ll like doing this. And you’d be surprised how accurate you can be.”
“Oh, I’ll be surprised all right.” Casey bit into a cinnamon scone.
“By the way, the Death card does not mean you’re going to croak. If that comes up just tell him things have run their course and it’s time to start anew.”
“Got it.” Casey refilled her coffee and added half-and-half. Another few cups, and she might actually have the courage to face the bank officer. She considered opening up to her friend about her lease problem but decided Natalie had enough worries keeping the Coffee Cove running.
Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of starting anew. When are you going to get out of your comfort zone and begin dating someone other than Trevor?”
“Trevor’s a good guy.”
“He’s a domineering bore. And he didn’t even show up to see your students perform yesterday.”
“He’d already made plans to go out of town.”
“You told me having sex with Trevor is about as exciting for you as playing catch in the backyard with your neighbor.”
Casey paused with her cup halfway to her mouth. “Did I say that?”
“You sure did.”
“Yeah, well, I guess maybe every so often things get a little…”
“Admit it, girl. You’re in a funk.”
“Okay. So he’s not my ideal.”
“The man is limited. Sure, he’s good looking, has a great bod. But his world is the size of that cup you’re drinking from, and you know it. How many times have I heard you complain that he doesn’t get your jokes or understand half the things you say to him? Like his mind was spawned on a different planet from yours. At least I believe that’s how you put it. Remember?”
Casey nodded.
“Well, then? Wouldn’t you rather have somebody who understands what makes you tick? A man who can keep up with you? Even challenge you at times?” She leaned forward and quirked a brow. “A guy who’s so dangerously sexy he turns your knees to Jell-O.”
Drew Byrne immediately came to Casey’s mind. Now there was one dangerously sexy dude—and did he ever challenge her. No question the electricity flowed when he got close to her. In fact, hot fantasies of his powerfully graceful body moving over hers had kept her tossing in bed for the last two nights.
But between accusing him of abducting his own son and then embarrassing him in front of the boy with a ping-pong beat-down…
“Wouldn’t work,” Casey said, her voice sober. “Even if a guy like that ever bothered to get serious with me, Calamity Richardson would do something dumb and mess it up.”
“Don’t call yourself that. You are not a calamity. Always blaming yourself every time something goes wrong.”
“I just somehow manage to fail at everything.”
“Your dance academy is no failure.”
Casey shrugged, thinking about her latest dumb mistake. The one she’d made by not hiring a lawyer before signing her lease. And this one would likely cost her the little school she’d worked so hard for.
Natalie reached across the table and touched Casey’s wrist. “I think you’re avoiding when it comes to men, sweetie. Living in denial. You’ve been hiding behind that possessive and pushy Trevor Barton long enough.”
“Okay, okay. But this one’s got all the makings of another Jeff Renstadt.”
“This one?”
Casey’s hand flew to her mouth. Her fantasy had invaded her conscious mind. How bad was that?
Natalie pulled Casey’s hand away. “You met a guy.”
“Not really. In fact, it was more of a squabble than a meeting.”
“But you’re into him. I can tell. Who is he?”
“The divorced father of one of my students. But I’m certain he’s just another rich, arrogant player. And I’ve learned my lesson with those kind.”
“Just because you got burned by Jeff doesn’t mean it will happen again. I mean, take your choice. Which is it gonna be? The World Series or that same old boring game of catch?”
Casey stared into her coffee. Natalie had her dead to rights on the safety versus excitement thing. Why else would Drew Byrne’s piercing eyes and wickedly sexy body be seared into her brain, taunting her, when she knew going anywhere near him would spell trouble?
“Okay, you got me, Nat. Only problem is I know I’ll end up saying, ‘I told you so. Calamity does it again.’ ”
***
Drew spent the day in Long Island City at Byrne Trucking’s regional repair and maintenance depot right off Route 485. The sound of heavy rain pelted against the glass as the winds picked up outside the windows of the giant warehouse. The damp air intensified the familiar smell of gasoline, a smell that always reminded him of the man who’d provided a warmth Drew could never get from his cold, demanding father.
“Really blowing up out there,” Keith Hutchins said in his deep, wheezy voice. With one eye fixed on the underbelly of the truck hoisted on a lift above his head, he kept the other on the TV monitor perched within the wall’s tool rack as if the constant stream of ESPN were some sort of lifeline. A revitalizing transfusion that kept him going. Lovingly referred to around the garage as the K Man, the tattooed ex-marine with an artificial leg was the best mechanic Drew had ever known. And he’d seen dozens come and go. “What’s up with you?”
Drew muttered an obscenity. “Either I’m nuts or else going through some kind of over-thirty crisis. I met this woman only twice, we barely spoke, and already I have this thing for her.”
“So? You’re always getting hot on some new woman till you’ve had her for a week or two.” Keith reached out his left hand.
Drew knew exactly which wrench to pass him. He’d done this routine a thousand times since the days when he was a kid learning all about his dad’s business from the ground up. “More than that going on here. Not sure what, but it kind of freaks me out.”
“Watch out. Could be love at first sight.”
“Oh, come on. That’s pure bunk.”
“Who is she?”
He described Casey, telling about their little tiff over Josh’s ballet classes and his confusion after seeing his son’s bold performance on stage. “I was so emphatic in the things
I said to her. I can’t just turn around on everything now. Make a fool of myself.”
“Getting just like your old man. Won’t admit when you’re wrong.”
Drew scowled. That was the second time in two days he’d been compared to his dad. Not a good sign.
Keith walked toward him, wiping his hands on an oily rag. “I told you about the night I first met Lizzie?”
“Many times.”
“Knew right away she was the one.”
“A rare exception to the rule.”
“How’d you ever get to be such a cynical young man? I got one leg, smoke riddled lungs and a whole lot of bad memories from the war, and I still got an outlook that’s a helluva lot brighter than yours.”
That gave him pause, since it came from the one person in his life who always told him the truth no matter what. But Drew had a difficult time swallowing the idea of some sort of magically destined romance. He believed in hard work, shrewd, aggressive business tactics, and plenty of hot sex with women who couldn’t get their claws into you.
“That reminds me, I won some free psychic readings in a raffle. You want them? Maybe Lizzie would like talking to Madame Lumina.”
“Why give them away? You’re the one who needs them.” Keith let out a laugh that turned into a cough. He was a relentless chain smoker. Drew had begged him for years to quit. But all he’d get would be a wry wink and playful puff of smoke blown his way from the corner of the grizzled old grease monkey’s mouth.
“Don’t tell me you believe in this stuff, too?”
Keith’s tone sobered, “While I lay wounded and bleeding in Nam I went through some experiences I don’t tell most people about. Things that would make your hair stand up and your feet tingle. There’s a lot in this freaking world that can’t be explained. And what makes a man fall in love with a woman is one of them.”
“Zheesh. Now you’re turning mystical on me.”
“You just call up that Madame Lumina and ask her about this girl. And while you’re at it, see if she picks lottery numbers.”
***
Casey finished teaching her intermediate level jazz class at seven thirty. By nine p.m. she’d eaten a bowl of pasta, showered, and slipped into a comfy sleep tee. Setting a cup of Earl Grey on her night table, she sat cross-legged on her bed with Natalie’s notes and the tarot cards spread out in front of her on the daisy print quilt.
She’d gotten a call from the raffle winner that afternoon on the cell phone Natalie had given her. He’d scheduled a nine o’clock appointment. Now she waited, nervously going over the tarot cards, Sugar Boy snoozing on her left, leaning his warm, black-and-white fur against her thigh.
At the cell’s shrill ring, Casey took a breath and dropped into her role, making her voice deeper and matronly. “Hello. This is Madame Lumina.”
“Hi. We spoke this afternoon. I’m the person who won the free psychic readings at the North Cove bazaar.”
“Yes. Your name please?”
Silence. Then, “Let’s skip that.”
“You can make one up if you prefer to remain anonymous.”
“That’s what you do, right? You don’t expect anybody to believe Madame Lumina is your real name.”
“No.”
“Okay. Uh, Dionysus.”
“All right, Dionysus, any particular subject you’d like advice on?”
“Yeah. A woman.”
Spreading the deck facedown across the bed, she pulled a card: the Queen of Swords. “I see a woman.”
He let out a smug chuckle. “Is there an echo in here?”
“What I’m saying is that the card I just turned over has a woman on it. So, I’d say we’re in tune here.” Casey figured that sounded good. She told herself not to panic as she shuffled quickly through Natalie’s crib notes. Queen of Swords, where are you? Aha. “She has dark hair, a keen intellect, a fondness for dancing.”
“Hey, you are good.”
“I am? I mean, uh, yes. I am.”
“She runs a dance studio. My son goes there. Or used to.”
Her skin prickled. No, it can’t be. She listened closer to his voice. Was it familiar? “So your son goes to her dance studio…”
“Just the other day I went in and yanked Josh right out of her ballet class.”
Josh? Casey gasped. “Ohmigod.” It was Drew Byrne.
“No, no, no. Take it easy. It wasn’t all that bad. Nothing violent. I just led him out of the studio with this hot, leggy dance instructor on my heels making a fuss. And that’s when the problem started. There we were. Me and this sexy bitch—pardon my language —fighting about my son and who did I think I was and my interrupting her class. And the whole time it’s happening I’m picturing the two of us…well. Anyway, I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Really?”
“Which is interesting considering the number of women I’ve got on a leash. You’d be amazed.”
She suppressed a groan. “I’m sure.”
“But there’s something different with her. Not only that she’s poles apart from the top –of-the-line high rollers I usually date. Although I think she’s just as beautiful. But that’s not it. I can’t put my finger on what’s happening. I don’t usually get caught up like this. Feel like a stupid kid with a crush. So what do I do?”
Stunned, Casey croaked out a feeble, “Good question.”
But then with a giddy sensation she began to enjoy the moment. He said she was beautiful. And that he had a crush on her. Whoa. And here I sit behind the control panel. I mean, what are the odds?
“Why don’t you ask her out?” The second the words slipped out of her mouth Casey balked. Did she really want to get into anything with Drew Byrne? He was such an obnoxious egomaniac. Meanwhile, she hadn’t wanted to jump a guy’s bones this badly since that Puerto Rican boxer she’d met back in Manhattan.
“Ask her out? I’m way too uncomfortable for that. Feels too weird considering this mess around my kid and the dance classes. But I was thinking of this other thing. And ironically it could also be a compromise my ex will go for around my son.”
“Around your son being taken out of his dance classes. I’m seeing that your ex doesn’t like it.”
“Right again. But I found this poster. It’s for a summer program this woman is teaching. It might be a way to just—”
“Hold it.” She couldn’t resist. “I’m getting some letters: F-A-M-I…”
“That’s it! Family Fitness. You really are unbelievable.”
Casey flopped back onto her pillow, her lips clamped together holding back giggles. When she got control of herself she said, “I see that this would be a good way to make contact with her if you take part. I also see that your son will like this.”
“Think so? I’ve been trying to get closer to him.” His tone softened. “It isn’t easy. And it’s my own fault. I waited too long. Got all caught up in my business and my indulgent pastimes, and before I knew it the baby turned into a boy I hardly know. One who probably doesn’t like me too much. And I don’t blame him.” He sighed.
Casey’s heart melted when she heard the tenderness and regret in his tone. She’d observed him with Josh at the bazaar and remembered feeling a little bad for Drew. She could see the awkwardness between him and his son and how hard Drew was trying. She sat up and without the cards said, “The signs show that it’s not too late. Keep at it with your son. My advice is to try and get to know him, to understand who he is, not just who you want him to be.”
He asked a few questions about his finances. This time Casey did pull cards for him. And if they were right, this guy was as rich as her brother had implied. She wondered what he did with it all.
The time went by quickly, and at the end of the session Drew said, “Gotta be honest, Lumina. I didn’t think I’d go for this psychic twaddle. I’ve never done anything like this before. But you’ve really been spot on.”
“Thank you…Dionysus.”
“How about we make my next appointment a week f
rom now? Same time?”
“I’ll check my calendar.” A little background noise for realism, Casey mussed up the paper notes on her bed. “Yep. That works. Good luck with your beautiful dancer. You did call her beautiful, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but there is one thing that turns me off about her looks.”
“Oh?” Why had she opened her big mouth? Concealing the urgency in her voice, she asked, “And what’s that?”
“She’s so damn pale. And if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s a woman who looks like she never gets out in the sun.”
“But people don’t go out in the sun anymore. It’s not safe.”
“There’s always tanning cream, right?”
After they signed off, Casey reached for the notepad on her night table and jotted down: pick up tanning cream. Large tube. Am I insane? What am I doing? This is like walking into a lion’s cage.
But by the time she went to sleep Casey decided she’d made the right decision because little Josh would still be getting a good workout.
Chapter 5
The noisy echo of kids shouting in the North Cove High gym brought back memories for Drew. He’d been a star athlete in high school and played college ball at University of Southern California. Josh seemed nervous about joining the Family Fitness class, but he brightened when he saw Miss Casey.
So did Drew. Except his reaction was more like a fire he couldn’t control. Blood rushed to his groin at the sight of her butt in tight black bicycle shorts and her breasts pressing against a pink, form-fitting tank top that read Zombies Hate Fast Food. To put him in even more pain, her smooth, taut skin had great color tonight, like she’d been playing volleyball on the beach or something.
Looking around, Drew felt like he was part of a giant board game. A pattern of blue exercise mats checkered the floor next to different kinds of equipment: kettle bells, dumbbells, medicine balls, jump ropes, and push-up bars. Pull-up bars, step-up stools and an upright boxing bag on the perimeter.
He also scanned the room to size up the competition. Some of the dads and moms seemed in all right shape, others in serious need of this program. But none of the men had the buff arms, chest, and abs Drew had worked years to achieve.
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