Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(17)

“Again?”

“To art.”

Monica let out a cackling laugh. “Oh, I bet you love that.”

Robin raised her hands in surrender. “You know… I think I just give up with that kid. Tell me what to do, mother of three grown boys.”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“Ignore him.” She raised a finger. “As long as he’s making good grades in school, keep helping him with tuition, but he should be paying some of it.”

“He is.”

“Good.” Monica shrugged. “Then ignore him. It’s his life. You can’t figure it out for him anymore. You and Austin have always been too close in personality. Let it go.”

Robin took a deep breath. “I’ll try.”

“Good place to start.”

“How are you feeling?”

Monica shrugged. “Eh. I’m okay. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

Footsteps came from the back, and Jake walked through the door with Brent. “You didn’t mention the sleep thing, Mom.”

Monica shot her a look. “Because you’re my kid and not my doctor,” she said. “Hi, Brent. How are you?”

Brent rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m good. Sorry to hear you’re not sleeping well. I think we got that dresser loaded up. Do you want to come take a look?”

“Sure, I—” Monica glanced at Robin’s desk and her face froze. “Robin, who’s that?”

“Who’s—?” She saw where Monica’s eyes were. “Oh, remember the guy I thought I saw in the lake? Doctor said he was a figment of my imagination.”

Jake leaned over the desk. “Wow, you’re a really great artist, Robin.”

Brent said, “She won a state competition in high school.”

“That’s so cool.”

Robin kept her eyes on Monica. “What’s going on?”

Monica shook her head. “I don’t… I’m just… I’m sure it’s nothing. Let me go take a look at the dresser, and then we should get going.”

Robin got her phone as soon as Monica walked to the back and texted her friend. You better tell me what you saw.

A text came back almost immediately. It’s nothing. It’s probably nothing.

Stay here for lunch. Tell Jake to come pick you up later. We need to talk.





Chapter 6





Val dropped three sandwiches on the table in the shop kitchen. “Okay, this better be good. My cook is pissed at me for abandoning him right now. Today is crazy.”

“Something weird is happening.” Robin flipped the sign on the front of the shop and walked back to the kitchen. “We’ve barely talked since the accident, but something is going on.”

Robin had made another pot of coffee. It was fall in the mountains, and once it got cold enough, she could drink coffee all day. Monica was sitting at the table, staring at the sketch in Robin’s notebook.

“So what’s going on?” Val looked at the sketch. “Who’s that? Robin, are you drawing again? It’s about time.”

Robin said, “It’s the mystery man. Remember him?”

Val rolled her eyes. “This again? The doctor said—”

“I saw him.” Monica raised her eyes to Val. “I saw him too.”

“Where?”

Monica looked down. “It was in a dream,” she said quietly. “I don’t know him. Why would I see him in a dream?”

Val opened her mouth. Shut it. “I don’t know. Robin probably told you what she saw and you—”

“I didn’t see a guy kinda like him, Val. I saw him.” Monica raised the notebook and pointed at the detailed sketch. “I saw this guy. Exactly him.” She punched her finger into the notebook. “In one of my crazy dreams.”

Val frowned. “What crazy dreams?”

“The ones I am having like every single night since the accident,” Monica said.

Robin said, “I’ve had nightmares about the car too.”

“We almost died,” Val said. “Of course we’re having nightmares.”

“They’re not nightmares.” Monica shook her head. “I do have nightmares about being stuck in the car, but it’s more than that.”

Robin sat next to her. “More like how?”

Monica was frustrated. “It’s just… they’re dreams, right? But they’re super vivid, and it’s like I’m there. I used to dream about Gil all the time, which my therapist says is totally normal.”

“See?” Val rolled a sandwich toward both of them. “We’re all stressed out and that’s all this is. Eat. Robin, I got you turkey because we’re almost out of chicken.”

“I don’t care about the food.” Robin set the sandwich to the side. “Monica, you said the dreams were weird. Weird how?”

“They’re weird in that they’re not weird. Does that make sense?”

Val and Robin exchanged a look.

“No.”

“Not really.”

“Okay, okay.” Monica drummed her fingers on the table. “Okay, so you know how dreams are kind of all over the place? Like you’re in one place, and then all of a sudden you’re in another place, and it makes perfect sense in the dream, right? You don’t even notice it.”