An Honest Lie(43)

If she’d told Grant about her past, then he wouldn’t have pressured her to go on this stupid trip; she should have just been honest with him. She hated herself; she hated her inability to know what was best. Leaning against the wall, she listened to her own breathing as she calmed herself down. She knew they’d come to check on her if she didn’t come out. She washed her hands, avoiding her own gaze in the mirror, formulating the words she needed to get the fuck out of there. The knock came before she’d dried her hands.

“You okay?”

It was Mac. Rainy opened the door, and before Mac could react, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the bathroom.

“I need you to get me out of here. I don’t want to do this.”

At first she thought Mac was going to ask why, but then her face transitioned from worried to confused to determined right in front of Rainy.

“Okay,” she said. “But they’re waiting for you, and you know how Tara is...”

Rainy nodded.

“Splash some water on your face. Make your makeup run more.”

Rainy wasn’t expecting the burst of laughter that came from her own mouth, but Mac being sneaky was a treat.

They left the bathroom together, arm in arm. Rainy dipped her head and tried to look even more miserable than she was.

“It’s your turn!” Ursa spotted them first, her voice filling up the store with its bold, smooth tenor. Mac squeezed her arm, leading her forward.

“She doesn’t feel well,” she told them. “I’m taking her back to the hotel.”

“Oh, no, Mac, you were looking forward to this!” Ursa said. “I’ll go back with Rainy.”

Rainy flinched. She didn’t want to ruin either of their experiences because she was having a ridiculous emotional breakdown. Squaring her shoulders, she loosened herself from Mac’s grip.

“Go. You should. I’m feeling better. I’ll just sit right here and wait.”

Mac’s look said that she didn’t believe her.

“I promise. Go.”

She had to shove Mac toward the table a few times before she went, glancing back at Rainy like she wasn’t sure. To make her feel better, Rainy sat in one of the armchairs facing the table and smiled at her. She ignored the looks Braithe and Tara were exchanging and focused solely on the table where Luc was laying out Mac’s cards.

The reading didn’t take more than ten minutes. When Mac stood up, she was beaming. They all turned to Rainy, and she shook her head.

“Come on!” Ursa urged, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the table. Rainy stopped short, yanking Ursa to a halt.

“I really don’t want to.”

Tara’s head swiveled around to catch Rainy’s eye. “Why not? It’s just for fun.”

Tick tick tick—Rainy felt the seconds prickle by with no solution. If she didn’t have her cards read, she’d look like the same sourpuss who hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. But if she just did it, they’d move on. Pressing her palms to her shorts to clear them of sweat, she walked cautiously over to the table where a dude of indeterminable age—wearing a fishing hat, of all things—sat beneath harsh lighting. There was nothing special or showy about him, which bothered her more than if he’d been in some ridiculous costume. Maybe he didn’t need to play the part because he was real.

She almost laughed at herself as she gripped the back of the chair and pulled it out so she could sit. Mr. Fishing Hat Dude had a soul patch. He didn’t smile at her when she sat down, tucking her ankles underneath the chair and sitting forward nervously. He laid the cards out without show, keeping his eyes down as he worked. She could feel the others watching from around the shop, and she tried not to think of Tara, who made her feel angry and embarrassed at the same time. What was he going to say to her? Had they brought her here to see how she would react? No, that was ridiculous—stupidly narcissistic. She pulled herself back to the sound of his voice. He read the cards, blinking slowly as he tapped each one, explaining what they were. What was his name again? She didn’t remember.

“You don’t like to be known. You hide.” He splayed his hands as he spoke, and Rainy wanted to scream for him to stop. Did they know she was dying inside? She refused to turn around to read their expressions, afraid of what she would see.

“You got the Four of Cups. So, in the tarot the suit of Cups talks about love. You love someone.” She nodded, for lack of anything better to do. Didn’t everyone?

“And that someone loves you back, but Four of Cups is the moment when your love temporarily pulls away from you. Make sense?”

“Not really...” Rainy said.

He turned over another card. “The High Priestess.” He glanced at her. “This card is about killer instinct. Do you get that?”

“I get it, thanks, dude.” Like, was this guy for real? Maybe it was part of his show. Settling back into her seat, she gave him a dramatic sigh. His lips twitched. Almost made you smile, she thought.

“You have those instincts, but they’re clouded right now. You can’t see things clearly.” He flipped another card before Rainy could respond.

“The Emperor,” he said. “Okay...that’s a strange follow for the High Priestess. So the Emperor is about power and authority. So, another power could be seeking to usurp yours.”