Page 51 of Witchful Thinking
“Thanks,” Lucy muttered.
Alex hid his grimace behind his cup. Maybe he shouldn’t say his thoughts out loud, but around her his defenses came down like sandcastles being knocked out by a rushing wave.
“As you finish the tea, leave a little liquid at the bottom,” she ordered Alex.
He left enough tea for the leaves to float and bob in. She took the cup from him. A zing went through him at her gentle contact. He was getting hooked on holding her, touching her—just being around her. She swirled the mixture thrice, then dumped the leftover liquid on the saucer. She waited for three seconds, then turned the cup back over. Lucy eased the dish to the side, then cradled the teacup in her hands. Small sighs escaped from her lips. She peered at the teacup. Alex leaned in close to her. The scent of honeysuckle flower and sharp spice radiated from her skin; her body oil invaded his senses. The world spun off its axis momentarily.
For a few precious seconds nothing weighed him down.
“Anchor, Square, Moon,” Lucy said clearly.
He crashed back to reality. No way. Where did she see all these things? Alex reached for the teacup; their hands brushed together. Sparks like small fireworks popped from their skin. Whoa. She gasped. He hovered, soaking in energy from their touch. Pleasure rippled in the air. Take it easy.
He held the cup out for both to view. “Show me what you see, please.”
Lucy scooted closer, until their knees bumped together. He tore his eyes away from her and focused on the teacup. Shapes in the porcelain appeared slowly but surely.
“Tell me what you see,” she said.
“It’s going to sound weird.”
“Not to me.” Lucy bit her lip, then leaned in. He got close. “Stop trying to shape the leaves and just read what’s there. Read what you see, not what you feel.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll start with the anchor symbol on the rim.”
“So, anchors mean good luck in business and a stable love life.”
“Are you sure that’s my cup?” Alex said without humor. “I don’t have a love life. I have a void.”
He hadn’t been with another woman since Nahla left him.
“Really?” Lucy asked. Her brow wrinkled in thought. She opened her mouth, then closed it. He wanted to tell her what happened and make sense of the last year for himself. He’d moved on from his last relationship, not bothering to talk about what happened.
If he kept moving, then he wouldn’t feel the pain.
“I know you saw the post,” Alex said. “I got engaged last year.”
“I saw.”
“She wanted this. My ex-fiancé wanted this place.” Alex pointed to the walls, then dropped his hand on the table. “She wanted a home base.”
“That’s not what you wanted.”
He still heard Nahla’s soft yet firm voice. You can work from home. Your job doesn’t need you to be there. They need me to be in Denver. I must go to San Francisco. I need you to be my anchor. Be here. I need to know you’re here for me, for us.
There was another bakery she was opening in a city hundreds of miles away, another event she had to attend to help promote her cookbook. He’d been her anchor for a while, but the walls had begun closing in on him. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, aching for the ocean and sea. She accused him of not being serious and only wanting fun times. He hung his head. The truth was he wanted to try to be there for them. He just wasn’t strong enough.
“Next symbols, please,” he said quietly.
“Squares mean comfort and peace. You’re going to get a sense of order in your life. Things you’ve planned will come into place,” Lucy said, turning the cup in his hand. “Moon, especially the crescent moon, means happiness and success. You’re going to have some happy times soon.”
Alex returned his cup to the table. “Is it going to be in this house?”
“That depends on you. How’s the house design going?”
“It’s been going. I have a bed, a table, and chairs.”
“That’s an improvement,” Lucy said with a grin.