Whispering Wishes (21 page)

“I was finally able to recover,” he smirks.
“Actually, I came by to apologize.”

“Oh really?” I cross my arms over my chest and his eyes follow the movement
. “You? Apologize?”

“Yes.
I shouldn’t have made fun of your, uh, situation.”

“Whatever.
What do you really want?”

He ignores my question and turns to look at Mischa
. “Hello, nice to see you again.” He gives her a killer smile and her eyes widen a little at its effect. “How are you?”

“I’m doing great, thank you.
I’m so happy I finally talked Aspen into coming and working here once in a while. I can use the help and I’ll take any excuse to hang out with her.”

He smiles
. “I know what you mean.” I raise my eyebrows at his comment. “The staff at D’Vine really seem to enjoy having her there, too.”

“I don’t doubt it.
And you? What do you think about having her at work
and
in your home now, too? You sure it isn’t too much of a crazy thing?” She smirks with the question.

“Hey!” I protest.

Wes just laughs. “Is there such a thing as too much crazy?” His question doesn’t require an answer, and he turns to me. “I’m actually out and about because I’m checking out a couple potential real estate places for my bar.”

“Oh!
That’s super exciting! Any luck so far?”

He grins
. “Not yet,” He stops for a minute and almost seems shy as he looks away from me, to the floor and then back again. “I was wondering… if I find a place that may work, would you maybe come and look at it? With me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I would really like your input. I would be interested to see what you have to say about it.”

“Wow.
Yeah. I mean, I would be happy to. I’m thrilled that you would even ask.”

“Well, I value your opinion.”

Maybe Mischa is right. That he would think to ask me to do such a thing is a big deal - I’m blown away. I look at Mischa with my thought, and as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking, she looks at me and smiles and winks. “I’m going to go to the back for a few minutes, Aspen, will you be good?”

“Yeah, definitely.
I’ll call you out front if I need you.”

“Okay
, please do. Nice to see you again, Wes. I hope you find a great place today.”

“Thank you.
I hope so too.”

After she leaves, Wes turns back around and looks around the store
. “I’ve never been in here before.”

“No?
Isn’t it great?” I ask, coming around the counter.

“It really is.
I mean, I have no idea what half of this stuff is, but she’s got it decorated really nice and it feels, I don’t know, homey or something.”

“Yeah I know what you mean.
It’s crazy new agey stuff, but it’s cool at the same time.”

He looks at me and smiles
. “Exactly.”

He picks up a pack of tarot cards.
“Have you had a reading before?”

“Yes a long time ago.
Mischa knows how to do it.”

“Oh, so you can’t do one for me?”

I laugh
. “Not if you want it done right. I can read your palm for you though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Sure, give your hand here.”

He places his large hand in mine and tingles run up my arm at the contact.
No one has ever made me feel the way small touches from him can. It’s almost intoxicating.

I open his palm in my hand and run my finger down a long line in the center, “See this line right here?”

“Um hmm,” he murmurs looking at his hand.

“It means you are going to have a long happy life.”

“It does? Does it tell you anything about that life?” he asks, looking into my eyes. “Like does it tell you if I will find someone special to share it with?”

“Hmmm, let me see,” I trace the small line in his hand
. “Well, this line tells me that you might already have your hands full with a short, gorgeous, amazing girl, so you should be careful about wishing for more.”

“Is that right?”

I make the mistake of looking up into his eyes and stifle a gasp. They can only be described as smoldering. It makes me nervous and I look back down at his palm again. “And this line right here? It says that you are holding something back. That you should take a leap, you might be surprised.”

I can’t believe I just said that.
I lift my head to look at him and at the same time, Wes leans towards me. I think we’re going to kiss and my heart starts racing, warmth floods between my legs and my breath hitches in my chest. He’s so close; I can feel his breath on my lips. Just as I think he’s going to touch his lips to mine, someone comes in the door to the shop, making the chimes clang above the door. We jump apart like guilty teenagers.

Wes clears his throat
. “Okay, well I should go, and let you get back to work.”

“Okay,” I tell him
, my voice sounding shaky. I can’t discard the feeling of disappointment I feel at being interrupted. He was going to kiss me – I know it. And I wanted it. Desperately. “Maybe I will see you at home later. I don’t know what your schedule’s like. But have a good day, and good luck looking at property.”

“Okay, sounds good.
Before I leave, do you think you can ring up a purchase for me really quick?”

“Oh, sure.
Of course I can.”

He walks to a table and picks up a couple things I can’t see, because he’s blocking the table.
I walk behind the register, and he makes his way back to me. He places some candles on the counter, “Can you ring these up for me? I thought I would keep them on my bedside table. You know… just in case.”

It was a
successful afternoon at the store. Mischa and I stayed busy and closing time came really fast. I had a great time, Wes’s little prank aside, and I think I’m really going to enjoy helping her out there.

When I get home, Wes isn’t there yet so I take the opportunity to run up to my room and check myself out in the mirror.
After the moment we both shared, I want to make sure I look nice. I feel… excited. I can’t wait to be alone with him. I change into some jeans and a cute top. I don’t want to look like I am trying too hard, but I don’t want to just wear sweats either. I add a little more blush and comb through my hair and call it good.

I’m not sure when or if he will be home for dinner, but if not, I can just save him some left overs, so I get started on making some pasta and a salad.
I quickly chop and mix the salad ingredients - lettuce, cucumber, green and red pepper, tomato and red onion, and even make a homemade Italian dressing. I have sauce (okay it’s bottled, not homemade) simmering on the stove but I add some basil, oregano, and additional garlic with a slight sprinkle of Splendid to give it more flavor. I’m stirring it together when I hear the front door open. I smile as I hear him clomp down the hallway, immediately coming into the kitchen. I have no doubt he followed his nose here.

“Something smells good.”

“I’m making pasta with marinara sauce. Are you going to be here for dinner?”

“Where else would I be?”

I shrug. “I didn’t know if you had to work tonight or maybe had other plans?”

“Nope.
I had the entire day off. So, is it okay if I join you for dinner?”

“Of course, I was hoping you would,” I confess with a smile, which he returns.

“How was the rest of your day? You and Mischa stay busy?”

“Yes, we did, and surprisingly, I really like it.
She’s been asking me to come and help her for so long, and I feel bad that I kept telling her no, but I really didn’t think I would like it. Plus, I was really afraid it would somehow negatively impact our friendship, which is the last thing I want. I mean what if I hated it or made a huge mistake or something? Ya know?”

“Yes, I get it, but I have a feeling she told you that your concerns were ridiculous?”

“Pretty much,” I admit. “She’s paying me well which is silly considering I’m only part time, but she won’t hear or do it differently, and it feels good to help her since she really needs it. The age old advice of not mixing friends and business is smart for some, but maybe not something I need to worry about with Mischa.”

I taste the sauce and think it could use a little more spice, I hold the wooden spoon out to Wes and gesture for him to try.
I watch his lips as they taste the sauce on the spoon, and then meet his eyes. He smirks like he knows exactly what I was doing, “Good?” I ask him, my voice coming out a bit raspy.

“Delicious,” he says
, looking at me in a way that makes me wonder if he’s really referring to the sauce.

I turn back to the stove, and busy myself with adding a little more dried spice into the sauce.
Once that’s finished, I put the lid on top to let it simmer and absorb the essential oils, then I grab a pot from the bottom cupboard, fill it with water, add a bit of salt, and sit it on the stove to boil.

“Tell me about you and Mischa.
How did the two of you meet?”

“We met in college.
She was my assigned roommate.” I smile fondly at the memory. “When I first walked into my room and saw she had the whole side of her room decked out in crazy hippie stuff, I almost walked out right then and there. I was going to ask our resident assistant for a new roommate.”

“That bad?”

“Oh you have no idea. When I first saw her, she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, and meditating to crazy music. I thought we weren’t going to get along at all and would have absolutely nothing in common. I’m so glad to say I was very wrong.”

“You guys hit it off then?
Right away?”

“Yes, pretty much.
When she finally heard me at the doorway, she greeted me with a huge smile. We talked about where we had each come from and our families. I told her about my parents and that I’m an only child and she told me all about her parents and brothers. Her family basically ended up becoming mine and vice versa. Now, it’s funny because I refer to things in my life as before Mischa and after Mischa. I had friends in high school but no one that I was really close with like I am with her. The few friends I had, we lost touch when we left for college. I was more than happy to develop a friendship with Mish.” I smile and admit, “I can’t imagine my life without her. Yep, we hit it off, and we’ve been nearly inseparable ever since.”

“You are really lucky.
Not many people have a friend like that.”

“Believe me, I know that very well.
As I said, I had friends, but no one that could compare to her. I will take her any day of the week – even with all of her crazy kookiness and wish making ideas.”

“Wish making?”
Wes stops and looks at me curiously.

“Yes… it’s just one of Mischa’s crazy beliefs that she talked me into trying.”

“I’m all ears.”

I don’t hesitate and before I even realize it, I’m telling him all about the night I made my wishes.
“Well she had been bugging me for quite a while about making wishes on the night of a new moon.”

“New moon?”

“Yes, as in the moon cycle. She said that on the night of a new moon, I should sit and make a list of wishes. The wishes could be anything - things I wanted to happen in my life - or just declarations that I wanted to make. She told me to reflect on them, meditate on them, and then burn my list.”

“Why do you have to burn it?”

“
Because after the list burned to ash, I blew it into the air, as she instructed. It represented sending my wishes into the universe.”

Wes just looks at me in silence for a moment then says, “And you did this?”

“Well, not at first. She mentioned something about it before, and I blew her off. She became persistent, so I finally decided to give it a try, thinking it would appease her. But, I also thought ‘what do I have to lose’, you know?” he nods and I laugh.

“What’s funny?”

“The night that I did it, I really thought it worked. I mean, right after I burned the list, a sudden breeze erupted and it felt magical. It felt…”

“Like exciting?
Special?”

My eyes meet his and I know he’s not making fun of me.
In fact, he’s looking at me with dead seriousness - like he’s really interested in what I have to say, “Yes,” I whisper. “It really felt enchanting, almost fairy-tale like. I remember smiling at the possibilities, but I know now that I was wrong.”

“Why do you think that?”

I reach over and grab the package of noodles, intending to drop them into the boiling water. “Well because ever since I made that damn list, I’ve had nothing but trouble.”

“What do you mean?”

I lift the pot of sauce again and give it another stir. After that, I drop the noodles into the pot so they can start cooking while I contemplate how much I want to divulge. “Well I guess in order to know that, you have to know what my wishes were.”

“You don’t have to tell me.
I understand if that’s too personal.”

I look at him out of the corner of my eye to see he’s leaning against the island, all casual and cute and open.
Talking to him is easy and before I think about it much more, I start talking again. “They were simple, really. I wished for the promotion I didn’t get. Though, admittedly, when I wished for it, I thought I was a shoo-in, but still thought wishing for it couldn’t hurt. And okay, I confess, I may have also wished for my own administrative assistant with the promotion, too. But, in my defense, I was just being smart – I would have been taking on more responsibility and stuff.”

He laughs
. “Well of course. Who wouldn’t want their own assistant with a promotion?”

“Right?” I agree.
“Well you know how badly that turned out.”

“What else did you wish for?”

“I wished that my car would continue to run without giving me problems. It’s paid off and I don’t want to take on another car payment right now. I wished for more time to save money.”

“Ah, and then your car broke down.
Speaking of which, what is the status on that?”

I sigh
. “They are supposed to call me when it’s finished. He said it could be a few days, but I should probably check on it since they haven’t called me with an update yet. I admit I’ve let it go too long because I’ve been distracted by life lately.”

“Understandable.
I’ll help you remember to call.”

“Thanks.
Then, I wished for my house. That I could work out a deal and buy it soon. Make it mine. As you know, my landlord had been telling me for ages I would be able to purchase it from her. Mischa told me today she thinks my landlord probably just told me that to keep me there all this time. And I thought she was so honest, so kind. Obviously, I’m a great judge of character, huh?” I can’t help but laugh bitterly at my comment. “Anyway, I think she may be right, but I really didn’t realize I was being conned the whole time.”

“It sounds like maybe Mischa’s right.
I’m sorry that happened.”

“Me
, too, but you know, better for me to know that now, I guess. Besides, my current set up isn’t too bad.” I turn around shy at my confession and take the pot of pasta off the stove so I can drain the water. I put the lid with the built in strainer on the top and hold it over the sink, but before I can start to pour, Wes is there.

“Here, let me.
I don’t want you to burn yourself.”

“It’s alright, I’ve done it plenty of times.”

“Maybe so, but tonight, you’re going to let me do it, okay?”

I look at him, and he’s looking at me.
“Okay.” I place the pot on the counter and let him drain it while I turn back and take the sauce off the stove, put the bread into the oven, and grab some plates out of the cupboard. I also get some glasses and a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator. “I also wished for opportunities for me to take time to do things I love, but often don’t do. Like going to the park or the zoo. Going to concerts, reading more books… that kind of thing.”

“I get that.
It’s easy to get so caught up with our responsibilities that we aren’t always that great with doing things that we really enjoy.”

“Exactly,” I smile at him.
“You know, going on blind dates, isn’t really something that I do.”

“No?”
he asks with a lift of his eyebrows.

“No.
The reason I agreed to it is because another thing I wished for was to date more. Like I told you, after Jeffrey, I haven’t dated very much. The occasional guy here and there, but that’s it.”

“So, you want to date more?”

I put pasta on each of our plates and sauce. The sauce is very hot and steam from the heat is twirling into the air, and I watch it for a moment thinking about Wes’s question. “Once the bread is done, we will be all set.”

“Great, it smells delicious.
But, you didn’t answer my question. You want to date more?”

“I guess I do.
I mean, that’s how I’ll find
the
one, right?”

“The one?”

“Yeah, you know what I mean, that someone that’s the other half of me. I want to find him. I know it probably seems crazy and I’m still young and blah, blah. But the thing is, while I loved my house, and my job was okay, with all this stuff that’s been happening to me, I realized I’m missing something.”

“What’s that?”

I look at him, he looks at me, and I say it. “Someone to share it with.”