“I understand that, but do you think you could be an awesome big brother and take your sister into your room and read her a story?” Cope eyed his toddler who was playing peek-a-boo with Jude from inside the suitcase. “I could really use your help.”
“Okay! I love being your little helper!” Wolf climbed off the bed and lifted the top of Lizbet’s hiding place. “Let’s go read books, LizzyB.”
“’Ooks!” Lizbet clambered out of the suitcase, tripping over the handle and landed on her stomach. “Oopsie!” She picked herself up and ran after Wolf.
“Now I can hear myself think,” Cope muttered to himself.
“This place looks like a bomb went off in it.” Jude surveyed the room. Stacks of clothes were everywhere, piled on the dressers, on the chair and spilling out of their closet.
“Be a good boy and help me get things organized, will you?” Cope asked. He was reaching the end of his endurance. Earlier in the day he’d had readings with customers that left him feeling physically and mentally drained. One was the son of a harsh man, who only wanted to berate his son from beyond the grave and the second was with the daughter of a cancer patient who’d been in the ladies room when her mother passed. If they weren’t leaving for Canada in the morning, Cope would already be in bed for the night without having dinner.
“I love being your little helper!” Jude said, echoing Wolf.
“Don’t you mean mybighelper?” Cope waggled his eyebrows. His eyes were glued to Jude’s crotch.
Jude grabbed a nearby pillow and held it over himself. “Don’t start distracting me now or we’ll never get this packing done. We’ve still got to feed our little Gremlins.”
As if on cue, Cope’s stomach rumbled. “Let’s just get pizza from Greek Life.”
“What, no salad?” Jude asked, his eyes twinkling.
“I’m too tired to eat veggies or to try and make our kids eat them too. Just get a large pepperoni and bacon and call it a day.” To be honest, Cope was hungry enough to eat a large pizza by himself. “Make that two and get some of those toasted ravioli’s Lizbet loves them.”
Jude snapped off a quick salute and reached for his phone. Cope listened while his husband ordered the pizza and a got some deep fried mozzarella to go along with the ravioli it. “Food will be here in half an hour. Let’s try to knock this out before then. I’ll pack Wolfie, you get Lizbet.”
“Deal,” Cope agreed, even though packing for their eighteen month old daughter required two bags. One for clothes with accessories and a diaper bag with supplies and snacks for the plane. Thankfully, all of the supplies he needed were at hand. He’d done three loads of laundry last night. Now, it was just a matter of pulling clothes from the right piles situated around the master bedroom.
“How are you feeling about PsychicFest?” Jude asked.
Cope had been so busy with work and laundry that he hadn’t had much of a chance to think about the actual reason they were going to Niagara Falls. “I’m excited to meet some of the other psychics that will be there. According to the festival’s website, there are also going to be vendors there, selling tarot cards, candles, and other magickal what-nots. Ten and I are interested in seeing if there are any new products we can add to the shop.”
“What about the people who will be there wanting readings?” Jude asked, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. A sure sign he was nervous.
“That’s always the wild card, isn’t it? Everyone has camera phones now and everything I do this weekend will be recordedand scrutinized. Makes me miss the days of the old carnival psychics, with the damask fabrics covering the reading tables and gorgeous turbans and their trademark crystal balls.”
“Go through the list of events with me again.” Jude counted out several shirts for Wolf and added them to his suitcase.
“Tomorrow night is the welcome reception for the psychics and vendors. There will be a dinner in the hotel’s ballroom. Thankfully, Kaye is coming and she can keep Lizbet and Ezra with her. I think Everly, Wolf, and Aurora are big enough to eat with us.”
“I love that Fitz and Aurora are coming on this trip.” Jude grinned.
“Me too. I know he says he wants to be there for a little extra security if me or Ten needs it, but I think he’s got a little bit of FOMO.” Cope laughed at the surprised look on Jude’s face.
“Can you blame him? I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything either.” Jude started sorting through the stack of Wolf’s pants. “What’s next on the itinerary?”
“The first group readings are on Friday morning. According to what Ten told me, each group will have ten participants each. We’ll work with those people for an hour or so. Then we break for a few hours where we can eat or go back to our rooms, or walk the convention floor to see the vendor booths. We’ve got readings and photo ops in the afternoon and then a dinner with the fans that night. I think we’ll leave the kids with Kaye that night. I don’t really want them to be available to the public. Not that it will stop people from asking about them.”
Jude chuckled. “People are interested in kids because it’s common ground. It also shows they care about you by asking about your family.”
“I know,” Cope agreed. “I just worry about people who have less than pure intentions toward them.” Cope loved the idea of the kids coming with them on this trip. He hated being away from his son and daughter, but the last thing he wanted was people getting too close to them. If Fitz hadn’t asked to come along on this trip, Cope would have invited him. He felt much better knowing the police captain would be with them.
“I hear you and I know Ronan feels the same way,” Jude agreed. “Okay, that’s it for Wolfie, except for his backpack for the plane. We’ll put his comfort items in it after breakfast.”
“I’m just about done with Lizbet too.” Cope added two more sets of fleece pants to her suitcase.
“Why are you packing all that fleece? We’re going to Ontario, not the North Pole.”
“It’s Canada, Jude. It gets cold there.” Cope rolled his eyes. Leave it to Jude to think he could go north of the border with only shorts and t-shirts.
