“Yeah. All the names you provided had arrests that led back to the same person. Why didn’t you email me with your suspicions?”
“I figured they might. These guys aren’t local to Black Oak, so they had to have connected somewhere. Jail was the easy answer. I figured that’d be a good place for a clever drug dealer to recruit his team.” Which was true. But it didn’t answer Hunter’s question. So Caleb admitted, “I didn’t let you know because I don’t know if he’s working alone or not.”
“You’re worried about your girlfriend? I couldn’t clear her.”
Faint though it was, layered there beneath the official tone, Caleb could hear the regret in Hunter’s voice. His old friend was hard-line about the law, but he didn’t enjoy hurting people. Caleb flexed his shoulders and shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever you’ve got, it’s bullshit. Because I know Pandora. She’s not involved. Not knowingly.”
Hunter didn’t say a word. He just offered up that enigmatic stare of his. Caleb had lost a lot of poker money to that stare over the years. He wasn’t losing Pandora.
“Just wait,” he said, wincing, but unable to resist the cliché. “I’ll prove it.”
12
PANDORA WAS ALMOST skipping when she stepped into Moonspun Dreams an hour later. A night of wild sex with a gorgeous man without any aphrodisiacal aid had done wonders for her attitude.
Well, that and the little pep talk from Caleb the night before had made her realize she needed to come to terms with her issues. After a night of sweet, sexy loving, she figured she was in just the right mood to try to make nice with her mother.
“Hi, Paulie,” she said, bending down to rub her fingers over the silky black fur of the cat’s purring head. “You having a good morning, too?”
“Hey, Pandora,” Fifi greeted, coming out from the back room with an armful of fluffy handwoven blankets. “We can’t keep enough of these on the sales floor. I’m blown away at how much demand there is for all this homemade, organic stuff you’ve brought in.”
“I think it’s a cyclic thing,” Pandora said, straightening up and crossing over to give Bonnie’s ears the same loving attention she’d offered Paulie. “Twenty years ago, holistic was all the rage. I’ll bet in ten more, it’ll be back to New Age glitz.”
Something she’d do well to remember.
“Is my mother here?” she asked, heading back to the office to put away her purse.
“Um, no,” Fifi said with a grimace.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, I know you’re running the store now, but I’d thought that, you know, when Cassiopeia was back in town, she’d be involved. At least to do readings or something.”
“Well, yeah,” Pandora agreed slowly, turning to face her assistant. “Of course she will. That’s what she does. We’ve had dozens of calls while she was gone, and people are going to be lining up to see her now that she’s back. So what’s the problem?”
“Well, you left right after your mother, so I didn’t get to mention it. But I asked Cassiopeia on her way out if she wanted me to start booking readings. She said not until she found a place to do them.” Fifi scrunched her nose, looking as if she might cry. “What’s going on?”
Pandora shrugged a shoulder that was suddenly as heavy as lead. Like the fragile flame of a candle, her happy, upbeat morning disappeared into a puff of stress.
“What do I tell people?” Fifi prompted. “I’ve already had a few calls and I don’t know what to say. Is she going to come back?”
Pandora almost said that Fifi should tell them to find a new psychic. Lying on the counter with her black-and-white face looking so patient, Bonnie caught her eye, making her wince. Besides being immature and spiteful, doing something like that would sink the store.
“I don’t know,” Pandora said, biting her bottom lip and trying to figure out how they were going to deal with this. “I guess she’s upset about…” Pandora being an ungrateful brat who blamed her momma for her problems instead of pulling up her big-girl panties and facing them herself. “Something or other. I can call her later, see if we can get this fixed.”
As soon as she said the words, the throbbing in her temples faded and her earlier euphoria returned. Yep, all she had to do was take charge and have a good attitude. No more hiding and running.
“I’m glad. I was telling Russ about the readings last night, how totally accurate they are.” Fifi’s grin made it clear that she’d been sharing a lot more than store gossip with the new guy. “He’s a little scared to get one, but maybe after he sees how much people like them, he’ll change his mind.”
Pandora’s gaze cut to her newest employee, who stood out like an awkward third wheel as he tried to help a customer choose between tumbled carnelian or a citrine spear. At least she supposed he was trying to help. It couldn’t be easy with his hands hidden behind his back.
“Um, Fifi,” she said with a grimace, nodding at Russ. “I know he’s only been here a couple of days, but he’s got to get past that skittish thing he’s got going on.”
Fifi scrunched her nose and gave a little sigh. “He’s great with some of the customers. Younger ones, you know? He’s bringing them in left and right. But with our regulars…” She winced as he held out a handkerchief to take the handful of stones the customer had chosen. “Maybe I told him too many stories about how powerful you and your mom are?”
“Sorry, what?” Pandora asked. The rest of the room faded as she stared at Fifi with wide eyes.
“Well, you know. You’re the Easton women. Your gramma was a witch, right? And your mom is a famous psychic. You’re so amazing with reading people, and then you made an even bigger splash with the café and all those aphrodisiacs. You always know just what to offer the customers, and how to keep them from getting all silly about it. Everyone talks about it. You’re almost as big a legend now as Cassiopeia.” Fifi glanced at Russ, who’d rung up the crystal purchase and was now by the books with a young guy who looked as though he should be shopping in the herbal-bath section. “I’m betting Russ is a little freaked, you know? I mean, he’s a believer, so it’s all kinda intimidating.”
Pandora couldn’t care less about Russ anymore. She was too stunned by the rest of Fifi’s words. She thought Pandora was on the same level as Cassiopeia? Fifi and the customers considered her one of the gifted Easton women?
It was like being enveloped in the biggest, brightest hug in the world. Pandora’s heart swelled. Her smile spread from ear to ear and tears sparkled in her eyes.
“You okay?” Fifi asked, her own eyes huge with worry.
With a shaky sigh, she forced herself to focus and pull it together. There was nothing empowering about sniveling like a baby over validation.
“Sure. Yeah,” Pandora sniffed. “I’ll call Cassiopeia and get this fixed. Go ahead and start taking tentative bookings, letting people know that they might change depending on her schedule.”
She glanced at the café and added, “Be sure to make the bookings for after two, when the café is closed. That way she has as much time and space as she needs.”
Four hours later, the store was filled with week-before-Christmas shoppers. Both locals and out-of-towners browsed, compared and purchased enough throughout the morning that Pandora was ready to do a happy dance on the sales counter. She’d barely had time to leave her mom a message, let alone worry about how she’d patch things up.
By the end of lunch, her feet hurt, her cheeks were sore from grinning and she was sure they’d just had the best sales day in Moonspun’s history.
She’d just pulled up the numbers on the cash register to check, when there was a loud furor at the door.
She glanced up, but couldn’t see what was going on because of the throng of bodies. Then she caught a glimpse of red curls.
Showtime.
Cassiopeia took her time crossing the room. She spoke with everyone, stopping to offer hugs and exclamations to friends and strangers alike. With Paulie draped over her shoulder like a purring fur stole, and her flowing hunter-green dress and faux-holly jewelry, she was the epitome of famous-psychic-does-holiday casual.
Pandora leaned against the counter and watched the show. She didn’t realize she was grinning until Russ stepped closer and whispered, “Who is she? She’s famous, right?”
Her smile faded as she looked at Moonspun’s newest employee. Fifi had said she’d known him, like, forever. And hadn’t his application indicated he’d lived here for years? How could he have lived in Black Oak for
any
length of time and not know who Cassiopeia was? Heck, everyone in the five neighboring towns knew her by sight.
Before she could ask, though, her mother swept close enough to catch her eye.
“Russ, will you help Fifi cover the store?” Pandora quietly asked him. “My mother and I will be in the back. Please, don’t interrupt unless it’s an emergency.”
His pale brown eyes were huge. The guy was a basket case. He was probably afraid they were going to concoct some magic potion or poke pins in a doll.
It was kinda cute, in a silly sort of way. She just patted his arm, then walked over to her mother. She heard him sputtering behind her as she went.
“Mom, do you have a minute?” she said, interrupting her chat with Mrs. Sellers. “I’d really appreciate it.”
“Oh, here I am hogging your time and you must want to see your daughter,” Mrs. Sellers said with a sweep of her hand. “You probably have so much to discuss. And you must be so proud of Pandora. She’s definitely a chip off the old block. Or in this case, a crystal off the sparkling quartz.”
Pandora glanced at her mother’s face, expecting to see at least a hint of disdain. Instead, she saw just what Mrs. Sellers indicated. Pride.
Joy, as warm and gooey as her Hot Molten Love chocolate cake, filled her. Had her mother ever looked at her like that before? Or had she always, and Pandora had ignored it since it meant she’d have to move that chip off her shoulder?
“Mom, I’m so glad you’re here. People have been asking about you all day.” Pandora came around the counter and held out her hand. She put as much love and apology into that move as she could. “They’re hoping you’ll be available for readings soon.”
Her mother’s smile trembled a little in the corners and her eyes filled before she blinked thickly coated lashes and tilted her head in thanks.
“I’m glad to be here as well, darling.” She rubbed a bejeweled hand over Pandora’s shoulder, then spoke to the room at large. “I’m going to be spending some time catching up with my daughter. But I’d love to do readings. Fifi, will you go ahead and set up appointments?”
The perky blonde nodded. Before she’d pulled out a small spiral-bound notebook, there was a line of excited customers in front of her.
“You’ve brought in a stellar crowd, darling. Shall we go back and celebrate with cake or something sweet?” Cassiopeia said to Pandora, twining her fingers through her daughter’s in a show of both pride and solidarity.
Pandora didn’t trust her voice, so she offered a smile and a nod instead. Before they got more than two steps, though, the bells chimed on the front door again. Pandora’s heart raced when she glanced over and saw it was Caleb. His sexy friend was with him, and the two of them made such a sight. Pure masculine beauty, with a razor-sharp edge.
“Can we talk a little later?” she murmured to her mother.
“I’m glad to see you have your priorities straight,” Cassiopeia returned quietly.
Pandora glanced over, trying to see if her mother was being sarcastic. But her vivid green eyes were wide with appreciation. She gave Pandora an arch look and mimicked fanning herself, then tilted her head. “Go say hello, dear.”
“Caleb,” Pandora greeted, crossing the room. She knew at least twenty sets of eyes were locked on her, but she didn’t care. Not anymore. She reached out and took his hand, then, determined to push her own comfort envelope, leaned in and brushed an only slightly shaky kiss over his cheek.
There. That’d show everyone. She was dating that bad, bad Black boy and she didn’t care who knew. Or what they thought.
“Hello,” she murmured. She was so caught up in her own internal convolutions that it took her a few seconds to notice his lack of a response. Chilled a little, she stepped back to get a good look at his face.
Closed. His eyes were distant and cold. There was something there, in the set of his shoulders, that carried a warning. As if he was about to tell her a loved one had died. But she glanced around, making sure her mother and the two cats were still there, all her loved ones were front and center.
Her gaze cut to Hunter, who looked even more closed and distant. Was Caleb leaving with him? Was that why he was here? To tell her goodbye?
Then he smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Confused, Pandora stiffened, trying to figure out what was going on. He didn’t feel right.
“Sweetheart, I’ve been telling Hunter how great your cooking is. We stopped by so he could check it out.”
She glanced at Hunter, dressed in jeans and a black sweater that should have been casual but wasn’t. Yeah. He looked like a guy stopping by to sample cookies.
“Sure,” she said, not having a clue what was happening. But it felt important, and secretive. So she’d wait until she had Caleb alone to ask. “Why don’t you both come into the café. We have some pasta salad left, and sandwiches, of course. The cookies are fresh this morning and I have a wooable winterberry cobbler that’s fabulous with vanilla-bean ice cream.”