by Olivia Swift
“I still think that you must just hit lucky with the things you say.”
“There are no customers. Sit there and I will read the stones for you.” She gave his chest a little push, and he sat down by the counter. Carly brought in her little velvet bag of crystals and held them in her hands.
“This reading is for Dexter Sutherland,” she said and dropped them from a height of about of eight inches. They spread fairly evenly, and Carly looked at them for some seconds. She looked up at his face and felt a little pull in her insides. He waited, and she could see the skepticism in his face.
“Around six months to a year ago, you had a health scare. It was quite a shock, but it is over, and you are well again,” she stated, and she saw the change in his eyes.
“Go on,” he asked her quietly, and she covered the change in his home circumstance.
“But I knew that already,” she said. “Nevertheless, the amethyst is right in the center of the home area. It is joined by rhodonite and one or two other stones. I think you like your home to be a place that people come to and relax. In fact, I think they bring you their troubles, and you make them feel better.” She paused. “Again, I know there is a disruption in the part of your life that covers work but green aventurine has fallen into that place, and it usually means that a new venture is about to start. It might take a month or so to arrive, but it will prosper.” She told him about his spirituality and health and came to the partnership. “You have a darkness over a partnership that has ended,” she paused and looked at him. “This was not a personal relationship. It was a business partnership, and it has cast a shadow for the time being.” She saw a brief nod as he listened and covered his hand with her own. “I see the center of the place where the stones lie as the present and the further out from the center means further away from the present. Your partnership area is much brighter in a couple of months. Clear crystal and rose quartz are telling me that good things lie ahead. Now you are going to say that I am trying to make you feel good, but honestly, that is what I see in my mind when I look at these stones.” She sat back, and he continued to look at her.
“It wasn’t that bad was it?” She tried to joke, but he shook his head.
“It was so accurate that I don’t know how to respond.”
“Wow,” Carly breathed out and took his hands in her own. She felt the little shivers of electricity at his touch and suddenly smelled the lavender close around them like a perfumed cloud. Dex noticed it too, and a feather’s touch stroked her cheek before the perfume drifted away. “I don’t need to know what happened, but I’m glad you are a step closer to believing in these things.”
Dex stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“It’s getting through the afternoon. Close up a little bit early and I’ll treat you to a steak,” he invited. “If you don’t mind listening, I’ll tell you why I was so taken aback.” She smiled and accepted the invitation. One or two more customers came and went before Carly closed up. Dex had the security blinds worked out by now, and they took one last look around before locking the door. The diner was not far to walk and sitting in a normal, busy restaurant with people chattering all around, it was easy to relax and talk about anything.
“Steak and fries always do the trick,” she told him as she started eating. Dex paused in eating and looked at her.
“I haven’t told anyone else at all, even Evan, about my health scare or the partnership thing,” he said. Carly thought it best to go on eating and just let him talk. “I had a cancer scare nine months ago. They operated and gave me chemo and then told me I had a clean bill of health.”
“That is good then,” Carly answered. “You should have told Evan though. He would’ve been there for you.” Dex nodded.
“He was going through that awful time where his ex-wife was accusing him of assaulting her, and I knew he was barely getting by himself. The medics were great, and I just did what needed to be done.” She reached over and squeezed his hand.
“I’m glad it’s over,” she told him, but he replied that the worst blow was the business.
“The man I was in partnership with took the chance when I was ill to run out and take all of the business money with him. He’s somewhere in Colombia living on my cash.”
“Oh, Lord,” Carly stopped eating. “That is horrendous.”
“I had nothing left except the house that I have now sold, and I’ve done some work as a freelance consultant.” He ate for a few moments and then added, “You could not possibly have known any of that because no one could have told you. If you ever wanted proof that the readings work, I think you just got it.”
“And from a logical sceptic who didn’t believe it would work,” she chuckled at his expense. He took it well.
“There has to be an explanation though, somewhere, somehow. It must be possible to know why it happens.”
“I guess there has to be, but I just accept that the thoughts maybe come from another plane. I don’t know how or why the things spring to my mind but over the years, I’ve learned to just say it and see how people react.” She paused. “I’m not always right. Sometimes it goes pear-shaped, but I think that applies to anything you do.” He nodded.
“I’m glad you did the reading,” He said.
“And you should tell Evan what happened,” she answered, “when they have had their few days in New York.” She thought about her friend Jasmine and wondered if she was right in sensing what she had that morning. “I hope she does some proper shopping. We don’t get to go to the big city very often.” They finished the meal. “Thanks for the steak. My turn next week.”
“You mean when I’ve worked hard and earned it,” he grinned, and she nodded.
“I’ll take up your offer of help in the shop,” she told him as they headed for the door. Walking back up the street, he asked what the shop’s name would be, and she told him that she had been thinking ‘Hearts and Roses Jewels’.
“I wonder if I should call it ‘Amethyst and Lavender Jewels’ now that the resident spirit brings her perfume around me.” At the car, she said that she would wait until she had made enough money to afford a decent sign and all ideas about the name were welcome.
“Carly’s Jewels,” he suggested, and she grinned as she opened the door.
“That’s a good one. See you tomorrow,” she answered and started the motor.
“See you, Boss.” he answered and watched her drive away. His own vehicle was quite nearby, and it occurred to him to wonder why he had found it easy to tell her about his troubles when he had never mentioned it to anyone before. A picture of her lips stayed in his mind, and he wondered what it would feel like to hold her in his arms and taste the sensation.
“Pull yourself together, Dexter,” he said sternly and out loud.
5
The next day saw Evan and Jazz leave for the big city, and Dex wandered around the huge house for a short time thinking how empty it was with only one person. He saw where they would divide the building up into two separate dwellings. It would just need a double door in the archway. He looked out over the gardens from what would be his living area and saw where he would put the dividing wall to make a kitchen.
“I need a dog to keep me company and give me a reason to go outside and walk a bit more,” he said out loud. “This place is still like it was forty years ago. It needs a smart, modern update. I must start to make some proper plans and begin the work.” He found a couple of books on stones and how they were formed and also his laptop. He dressed in a colored shirt and clean jeans that he thought might suit the shop better than his usual clothes and made sure the place was locked up before driving to start his new job. He smiled at the thought.
“Never saw myself working in a jewelry store before but what the hell? Life changes. Maybe the stones are right and a whole new venture lies ahead.” Carly had opened up, tidied the stock, and was working away at making some bracelets when he arrived.
“Mornin’, Boss,” he said cheerfully. “Reporti
ng for duty, and I brought the laptop to try and find out more about this place when it was a hotel if there is time between customers.” Carly had opted for pink hair that morning along with a deeper, hot pink top and green jeans. She left the bracelets and stood up.
“I’ve got coffee on. No reason why we shouldn’t have a drink before we start.” He followed her into the rear room and accepted the drink and the offer of a cookie.
“This sort of boss I can really appreciate,” he told her. “I’ve been thinking about your reading, and maybe a new venture will prosper. I decided to make a proper start on plans for the house and maybe get a dog to follow me around and liven the place up.”
“You see, crystal readings are a power for good,” she answered. “Sounds good to me. I love dogs, but I am out of the house all the time so it wouldn’t be fair.” The door tinkled, and they both said ‘morning’ in unison. Carly went through and spoke to the two customers who were browsing the shelves, and Dex opened the laptop. He had the photo on his phone from the lady whose grandmother was born in the place and the name of the hotel. It was only moments before he was deep into the Raigmore Hotel, its history, its high points, and the low point when it had to close the doors and be sold. There were archive pictures to be found and because he had the one he had taken, he could identify what he found quite easily and saved lots of the information onto his computer. He saw that Carly was busily making things and when the door jingled again, he went through to be useful. She was not so involved that she realized that the women who were shopping rather liked being attended to by a likeable and quite handsome man. He made several sales, and by the time lunchtime arrived, the stock had increased, and the till was nicely full. She had one booking for a reading in the afternoon, so they decided to order a pizza.
“I have found a lot of information about this place in between customers,” he told her as they ate and flicked the laptop around to show her the gallery of pictures that he had found. I’ve bookmarked the pages that had a lot to read. We can look at that later.”
“It would be rather nice to have some of those old photos framed and in the shop,” Carly answered as she flicked across the screens. “Any mention of a lodger who worked here?” He shook his head.
“I think reading the detail will take longer. Would you like to meet up later and go through some of it together?” She looked at him and he smiled back.
“Not a date or anything. Just satisfying curiosity about the place.”
“Okay,” she relented. “Come down to my place about seven, and I’ll rustle up some sandwiches.”
The little shop was doing well. Carly still wondered if it was beginner’s luck, but she was starting to feel more confident. It was good to have someone around as a backup, and she was grateful to Dex for simply being there. She hesitated and then told him that.
“Thanks for helping,” she said hesitantly. “It makes me braver to have someone around to be part of it.”
“I never thought of you as being nervous,” he answered. “But happy to help at any time.” He left her finishing up and drove back to Chestnut Hall. Carly looked around as she was leaving.
“What do you think? I’ll try and find out your name and why you are still here after all these years,” she asked the air in general. There was a slight rustle in the air, a waft of perfume, and one of the paper roses rolled off the end of the shelf at her feet. She picked it up. “Thanks for answering,” she said. “See you tomorrow.” Then she closed the door and locked it. The rose was still in her hand and she took it home. She put it in a bud vase and looked around and suddenly panic set in as she realized that she had invited a man down for a sandwich at seven. She rushed around setting the place straight and making herself look good as well.
“Not a date,” she muttered as she tried several sets of clothing, “but it feels like a date.” She finally decided on a soft lavender top that was fairly loose and pretty with blue jeans and lavender sandals with jewels on their straps. They had little heels but nothing that would look silly in the house. For Carly, this was a very gentle look. Her hair was a pale pink and blended in with the outfit. She tied it back in an artistic knot with a jeweled pin pushed through, then spent more time than usual on her makeup. With a wrap tied around her, she made sandwiches of chicken salad and placed some seasoned potato wedges into the oven. The cake that she had bought on the way home would be dessert.
Dex found her small ground floor apartment tucked away as she had described. He wondered what it would be like given that her clothes and hair were colorful and everchanging. She was a woman that was hard to predict and true to form, she surprised him. Carly loved color, but she also did not like clutter and loved clean lines. She would never have explained that to anyone, but in fact, she always chose furniture with modern smooth surfaces and softened the effect with blocks of strong shades to decorate. The apartment was tiny but looked bigger than it really was because she had created an element of space with her choice of furniture. She brought him inside and realized that it was quite important to see what he thought of her home. She need not have worried because the choices were exactly what Dex would have made himself.
“Great minds think alike,” he declared. “My own furniture is very much like this.”
“Even the colors?” she laughed.
“Well no, maybe not the colors but the modern look of things. I will arrange to transport my stuff when I go back to finish sorting things out. It’s in storage at the moment.”
“Chestnut Hall is stuck in a time warp,” Carly said. “But I guess it was enough until Evan had changes made. His new kitchen is great but he loves cooking, and I suppose he wanted it to be special.”
“I’ll turf everything out and bring in something more up-to-date,” he said and followed her into the kitchen. There was room for a small table and chairs, but the sight of pure white units and gleaming work surfaces were a joy to his eyes. She had added the equipment and containers in shades of mint, and it worked well with matching curtains.
“I’ll have something like this at the hall,” he told her. She produced the food and drink and they sat and ate across from each other.
“When I locked up, I told the resident spirit that I would try and find her name. A paper rose rolled off the shelf and fell at my feet.” She picked it up and showed it to him. “You’re still not convinced, are you?” He agreed that it was all strange to someone with an entirely logical brain, but he was open to finding out.
“There’s a very small courtyard garden outside and working for Jazz, I managed to collect some lovely plants. They are all in pots and tubs, but it is a pretty place to sit on a summer evening,” she added and then as an afterthought. “I never have much time to enjoy it.”
“We could sit and research out there,” he suggested, and they retired with mugs of coffee, tablets, and laptops to the pretty courtyard and the gentle sound of a water feature.
“Down to business,” he said and handed her a list of pages to visit. They set about working in silence and concentration for some time.
“Oh, these pictures are wonderful!” Carly exclaimed.
“I’ve found some official names and lists of residents,” he answered without looking up. “The lady who left the photo said her grandparents were called Howard and I’ve got them resident there in eighteen eighty-seven.” Carly came and looked over his shoulder.
“Is there anything about other people in the hotel?” They looked down lists and seemed to be getting nowhere until Carly spotted the child registered as Eleanor Howard. “We must be at about that time,” she added and went back to her own tablet to continue the search. Just when it seemed there was nothing else to find, Dex found it. There was a list of residents in the hotel in eighteen ninety-five. One of them was the child, Eleanor, daughter of Connor and Mary Howard. There was also listed a servant, Emily Duval, and her son who was still a baby called Jedediah Duval.
“Oh Lordy,” Carly jumped up and paced about “Do you think tha
t Emily Duval is our resident lavender woman?”
“Well, we have a name to follow up. We have a first name and a surname. It’s the next step in the search,” he answered. “I’ll look a bit further tomorrow.” He stood up as well.
“Oh, it’s so exciting,” Carly said. “Thanks for being interested.” The courtyard was small, and as they were face to face, Dex allowed himself the luxury of tipping her head towards him with his hand and brushing his lips lightly over hers. It was as if a thunderbolt went bang inside Carly James’s head. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and without any hesitation, she put her arms around his neck and returned that tentative kiss. Carly had never really thought that time could stop, but it did seem to happen. The universe fell away, and there was just the two of them and the feel of his lips against her own. Caught in an unexpected spell, Carly floated on a cloud and would have stayed there indefinitely. It was Dex who pulled back in the end.
“Sorry. I said it wasn’t a date,” he said and held her hands as she looked decidedly shaky. “Sorry,” he said again. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have taken advantage.” Carly sat down on the chair and he knelt beside her. “Sorry,” he told her again, and she managed a smile.
“Wow. What just happened there?” She put her hands on his shoulders. “And stop saying sorry. I kissed you back.”
“I don’t know what happened,” he said, “but we could try it again to find out.”
“I need a little recovery time,” she answered. “Let’s take it a step at a time. Work, research and—” she paused. “Remember I am still the boss.” Dex laughed and stood up. He pulled her to her feet and resisted the urge to sweep her off her feet.
“Deal,” he said. “You’re the boss. We’ve got the next thread to follow in the history, and the shop seems to be doing well.”
“Deal,” she repeated and helped him collect his notes. She watched as he stepped into his car and drove away with her hand touching her lips where his had been only minutes before. Then she stepped back inside, closed the door, and sat for quite a long time on the sofa wondering about Dexter Sutherland. Dexter drove back to the empty Chestnut Hall singing a little song under his breath and giving some thought as to the new ventures which they talked about in his reading. He resolved to ask her the next day why she did not read the crystals for herself.
