Proof to Cari, Laurie, and Marie that she was honoring her promise to enjoy her solo vacation. The best part would remain her secret for now.
With a naughty grin, she toweled off, dressed, and arranged her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Normally, she wore it in a ponytail—but this was a time for trying new styles, new hobbies, even a new persona.
“Why, hello there,” she purred into the mirror as she dressed. “I’m Danielle, singer-songwriter and international woman of mystery.” With a flip of her full skirt, she stepped out into the glorious sunshine.
All day, she sent her friends and kids a steady stream of photos: the dunes, the beach, Main Street, her new glitter-dusted pedicure, her giant Greek salad with grilled shrimp. She already had hundreds of shots of Trappers Cove, but they centered on her kids doing kid things: collecting seashells, slurping slushies, playing Skee ball in the arcade, driving bumper cars. Though she missed Olivia and Noah fiercely, it was fun examining this well-loved place through a different lens.
On a tip from one of the art gallery owners, she stopped in the town’s library to admire its ocean-themed mosaics. Behind the desk, a familiar face smiled. “Hello there. Matteo’s friend, right?”
She returned the librarian’s smile. “That’s me.” She extended her hand. “Danielle.”
“Right, the speech therapist.”
“Um, how—”
The woman patted her hand. “It’s a small town, honey. Seems you’ve made quite an impression on our Italian stallion.”
Danielle attempted a carefree laugh, but it came out brittle. “He’s a special guy. I’m sure he has lots of women friends.”
The librarian shrugged. “Not that I’ve seen. So, you been to my wife’s place yet?”
“I’m not sure. Which shop is hers?”
She tilted her chin. “End of the block. Crystals, fairies, tarot cards. Check it out—she spent all spring sprucing the place up for summer visitors.”
“I will, thanks.”
Back on the sidewalk, Danielle fanned herself. She’d wanted a glimpse at the real town, but she hadn’t counted on being their entertainment.
The tourist crowds were thinner here at the far end of Main Street, where real estate offices mingled with shabby antique shops. The sea breeze lifted Danielle’s hair and wafted the scent of sandalwood incense. She followed her nose to a brick-fronted shop, its window filled with tie-dyed T-shirts, crystal skulls, tribal-style jewelry, and a dozen creepy-looking daggers. A carved wooden sign hung above the door:Madame Zelda’s Psychic Emporium. The curtain of glass beads covering the doorway clicked like chattering teeth as she pushed through.
A few visitors browsed shelves of figurines and racks of jewelry and books. Behind the counter, a plump, petite woman beamed. “Ah, Matteo’s sweetheart. I had a hunch you’d stop by. Come, have some tea.” She bustled over to a tall wooden cabinet, a wonder of carved embellishments, nooks, shelves, and drawers. Its marble counter held a samovar and chipped China cups. She patted the wood. “Recognize your boyfriend’s work?”
Did the whole town know they were together? She accepted a steaming cup of tea that smelled of cardamom and cloves. “Are you Madame Zora?”
The little woman patted her poufy cloud of salt-and-pepper hair. “In the flesh. How about a reading, dear?”
“Oh, I, uh—” No one had read her tarot cards since her woo-woo college roommate.
“On the house, of course.” Zora added. “Besides, I’m dying to know about this mystery woman who captured our Matteo’s heart.”
Embarrassment prickled like sand in her undies. What had Matteo told his neighbors?
“Don’t worry, hon. Matteo’s not a gossip.” The fortuneteller nudged her with a sharp little elbow. “But Mo, the kebab guy, is. We play poker on Tuesdays. Seems our Italian stallion bought a kebab feast for a romantic rendezvous.”
She sat at a low table and patted the armchair beside her. “Let’s see what the cards say.” From a drawer beneath the table, she pulled a deck of tarot cards swathed in red silk, unwrapped them, and handed the deck to Danielle. “While you shuffle, focus on a general area—relationships, health, money, or spiritual growth.”
The memory of Matteo’s sexy grin tugged her lips into a smile. “Let’s do relationships.”
While Danielle shuffled the slippery cards, Zora closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
She handed the cards over, and Zora divided them into three piles face down. “Just a simple past, present, future spread.” She turned over the top card on the first pile—a prone figure with swords bristling from his back.
Zora winced. “Ten of Swords. Betrayal. End of a relationship. Does this look like your past, hon?”
Danielle gave a dry chuckle. “Yeah, there’s definitely a backstabber in my past.” Who could blame her for imagining her ex face-down and stuck with swords?
The second card was upside down, a hand holding a five-pointed star encased in a circle. Zora pursed her lips. “Very interesting. Ace of pentacles. A good sign, and a warning.”
