Soul Seers Complete Set (14 page)

Determination in her gaze, she
licked her luscious lips, and braced herself.
 
Dipping her sponge into the water bowl, she then began
gliding her dainty fingers along the silky white clay, pulling the sides up
like a professional.

“Did you pretend to need my help
just so I would stay here with you?” I said jokingly.
 
Her eyes didn’t leave her fingers as she grinned and bit
that sexy lip of hers again.
 
I had
to close my eyes and take a deep breath, calming myself and my raging guy
hormones.
 
She was going to be the
end of me.

“I’d like to make this into more
of a bottle shape.
 
Is that
possible at this point?” she asked sweetly.

“Of course.
 
Take your hands like this and act like
you’re wringing its neck,” I said as I lightly guided her hands in the position
to bring in the neck of the bottle.
 
Her hands were so soft, especially with the wet porcelain slip gliding
through her fingers.

“Now, you don’t want to make it
too narrow, because we need some room to bring in the throwing stick,” I
explained as I reached over to the community tool barrel and grabbed a throwing
stick tool used for throwing bottles.

Once we were pretty much complete
with our shape, she brought one of her fingers up and quickly dabbed my nose
with wet clay, then honored me with that beautiful laugh of hers.

“Oh, we’re going to play like
that, are we?” I chided as I quickly wiped some clay on her cheek.
 
She lightly squealed and backed away to
the point where I thought she might lean right off the back of the chair.

Without thinking, I reached around
and caught her, placing my very messy, very wet hand dead center on her back,
essentially mudding up her shirt.

“Oh, shit.
 
I’m sorry, Ella.
 
I just got clay all over your shirt,” I
said as I held her.
 
I was actually
holding her and she still stayed solid within my grasp.
 
I wanted to pull her against me and
feel her soft body pressed against mine.

“It’s ok.
 
I purposefully wore clothing that could
get messy,” she said as she lightheartedly placed both her muddy hands on my
chest, making perfect little handprints on the pecks of my t-shirt.

Both of us laughing, we held each
other for several moments before finally breaking free and wiping the rest of
our mess on the towel.
 
I left her
handprints on my shirt—a clear indication she actually touched me and was
really and truly here.

As we were finishing up, she
stared at our bottle, smiled, and said, “I should have you help me every
time.
 
This is beautiful.”

Looking her directly in the eyes,
I boldly confessed, “I’d work with you anytime, lovely Ella.”

Quickly making my way home, I
bounded through the door, screaming for my mom.
 
I was surprised I managed the volume I did because I was
definitely out of breath.
 
I didn’t
run, but I definitely walked rather quickly and I still wasn’t in good enough
shape for such activity.

Worried by the racket I was
making, she came running out of the bathroom with nothing on but her towel,
half soaped up and dripping wet all over the wood floors.
 
I stifled a giggle at her appearance,
which annoyed her a little bit as she placed her hands on her hips in a perfect
scolding-mother stance.

“What the hell, Ella?
 
Are you ok?” she screamed, half
concerned and half infuriated.

“Sorry, Mom.
 
Didn’t mean to scare you.
 
Yes, I’m ok.
 
Actually, I’m PERFECT!
 
Absolutely perfect!” I shrieked as I bounced on my tippy toes and
skipped toward her.

“Well hell, Ella!
 
Let me get back in the shower and you
can talk to me.”

Once my mom got back in the
shower, I sat on the bathroom counter and told her about my encounter with
Jonah.
 
Since my mom could clearly
see my thoughts, I knew I couldn’t hide anything from her.
 
So, I spoke freely when I told her how
drop-dead sexy he looked while walking over to where I sat at the wheel.
 
I made sure she saw the image of him
and how he looked at me as if I were some rare gem he’d never seen before.
 
I even projected to her how I felt when
he touched me.
 
How his laugh
trickled up my spine and spread sparks of warmth through my insides.
 
And also how playful and kind he was,
making me feel comfortable and confident around him.

By the end of my rants, she was
standing in front of me, holding my hands to her heart, crying, while still
clad in nothing but a towel.
 
At
least now she wasn’t all sudsy.

“The owner of Lavendine?
 
What a coincidence.
 
I dreamed of getting back into pottery with
you.
 
The next day I signed up at
the nearest studio and it just so happens to be owned by your Jonah?
 
What are the odds?”

“My Jonah.
 
Oh, Mom!
 
He was so wonderful!
 
He seemed to be a little scared of me at first though,” I admitted as I
remembered him being unwilling to shake my hand.

“Men do that kind of silly stuff,
Ella.
 
They send such mixed
emotions,” she said as she dried her hair.

“So, I take it you never got in
touch with Jonah’s dad?”

“No.
 
I couldn’t seem to find him.
 
He’s probably unlisted.
 
I was going to check public records next, but since you have
found him, I don’t need to anymore, right?” she asked with a wink.

“Right.”

“So, tell me more,” she encouraged
while she dressed.

“He was blocking me, but I’m not
sure it was intentional.
 
I know
this sounds weird and it could just be my imagination, but it seems I can tell
when someone is intentionally blocking me.
 
I get different… I dunno… feelings.
 
Like, yesterday, you were blocking but
it was more out of excitement and happiness.
 
Whereas, today, Jonah was blocking, but it seemed out of
defense.
 
Like, he was scared or
unwilling to let his guard down.”

“It doesn’t sound odd, Ella.
 
You’re just more gifted than the
average soul seer,” she explained.
 
“Some seers can actually feel the emotions behind a shield.
 
And, given enough time and practice,
some seers can even penetrate those shields.”

“Penetrate?
 
You mean, get past someone’s mental
block to see what they are hiding?”

“Yes.
 
And usually those who can feel the emotional reasons behind
a shield can also penetrate that shield.
 
Only those who know how to block their emotions are the ones who cannot
be penetrated,” she explained as she looked at me.
 
“Make sense?”

“Sort of, I guess.
 
I feel so out of control with it all
though.”

“You’ll get it.
 
Once we are stable with your PT, we’ll
start working on your mind.
 
For
now, don’t worry yourself about it.
 
You have your entire life to hone in on your abilities.”

A few minutes later, we were
enjoying a late lunch out on the back deck.

The sun was shining brightly
through the canopy of trees above our little stone table, peeking its rays
through the branches and kissing my skin ever so slightly—as if it was a
shy child wanting to come out and play.
 
Leaning back, I lifted my face and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth
against my skin.
 
Sounds of Debussy
flooding from the French doors of the house overtook my senses and began
lulling me into a deep meditative state.
 
I wasn’t sleeping, but I sure as heck wasn’t paying attention to what
was around me.

Suddenly, my mom’s cell phone
rang, startling me from my trance and causing me to crack an eye open to make
sure she was still there to answer it.

“Ella, it’s for you!” she
practically screamed as she sprang from her chair, held her hand over the microphone,
and bounced from foot to foot in excitement.

With a wrinkle to my brow and a
confused look on my face, I asked, “Who is it?”

“I think it’s him!” she squeaked
and pushed the phone into my chest.

My eyes went wide and I swear, if
I hadn’t been sitting down, I would have surely fell flat on my face.
 
Jonah is calling me?
 
I pushed myself up into a sitting
position, straddling my legs along the sides of the chaise lounge I thought was
so comfortable just moments ago.

“Well, Ella?
 
Don’t make him wait,” she
whisper-scolded.
 
I swear mothers
must go to school just to learn how to sound terse even when whispering.

With shaking hands, I grabbed the
phone and brought it to my ear.
 
Thankfully, my mom went inside, giving me privacy and letting me bask in
the warm sun while I talked with my Jonah.

“Hello?” A weak little chime was
all I could muster.
 
My body shook
with nerves and I scolded myself for acting so childish over a phone call.
 
If just a call from him made me this
weak, how was I to manage seeing him at the studio—hopefully on a daily
basis if I had anything to say about it.

“Ella?” he asked.

I nodded stupidly, and then
realized he couldn’t hear a nod!
 
“Yes, this is Ella.”
 
Damn,
girl.
 
You sound like such a wimp.
 
Pull it together.
 
Be strong.

“Hi there.
 
This is Jonah, from Lavendine?”
 
His statement sounded like more of a
question before he continued by saying, “I’m sorry to call so unexpectedly, but
I really enjoyed your company earlier today.”

“Really? …I mean, yeah.
 
I really appreciated your help,” I
said, like the shy moron that I am.

“Just my help?” I could clearly
tell he was grinning through the phone.
 
His smiling words made my bashfulness melt away slightly.
 
He really did make me feel more comfortable
as he spoke—almost as if I had known him for a long time.

“No, not just the help.
 
I enjoyed every minute,” I finally
admitted with the most honesty I could muster.
 
I wanted to tell him so much more, but I held my tongue.

“Good.
 
I’m glad.
 
I
didn’t want to be the only one who thoroughly enjoyed our encounter today.
 
Say… when can I see you again?”

Oh my!
 
He wanted to see me again!
 
I was speechless as I tried to come up for air.
 
Where’d all the damn air go?
 
I couldn’t breathe.
 
Breathe, Ella.
 
He’s just a boy.
 
A devastatingly handsome boy who just
so happens to be perfect for you in every way.

“Ella?
 
You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.
 
I just… would it be too forward of me
if I said I’d like to see you again today?”

My forwardness was rewarded with
his stunning laugh trickling through the phone, even causing my ears to have
goose bumps at the sound of his joy.
 
“God, no.
 
I was hoping you
would say that.
 
Can I come pick
you up around four?”

“Oh, I have PT until four.
 
How about six?” I asked, hoping he
would still be available.

“PT?
 
You mean, physical therapy?” he asked, concern etched in his
voice.

Shit.
 
I didn’t want to let him know about any of that.
 
Me and my big mouth!
 
That’s what I get for not thinking
before I speak.
 
How was I supposed
to explain something so embarrassing to him?

“Ella?”

“Yes.
 
I have physical therapy until four.
 
If five is too late, I can cancel…”

“No.
 
Please don’t do that.
 
That’s way too important to cancel.
 
Five is perfect.
 
How does dinner sound?”

“Sounds wonderful,” I admitted all
too quickly.

“Perfect.
 
Anything you have in mind?
 
Any particular tastes?” he politely
asked.

“Nope.
 
I’m pretty flexible.
 
Whatever you choose will be fine with me.”

“Sounds good then.
 
Dinner date it is,” he said with a
smile in his tone.

“And?”

“And what?” he asked, obviously
confused about my question.

“And, what else can we do besides
dinner?
 
Dinner might last an hour
and a half at most?
 
I’d like to
spend a little more time than that with you,” I cheekily requested.

“Damn, I would love to spend more
time with you.
 
But, I have to work
on a rather large project at the studio tonight,” he said, disappointment
clearly in his words.

Now I felt bad for putting him on
the spot.
 
“Oh, Jonah, I was just
teasing.
 
Dinner is really enough,
I promise.”

“No.
 
No, it’s not.
 
There’s never going enough time to spend with you, Ella,” he said with a
pause.
 
“Actually, I would like to
show you what I’m working on if you want to come back to the studio with me
after dinner.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked he
would want to spend more time with me.

“Yes, really.
 
I’d love it if you would accompany me
back to the studio, as long as you don’t mind keeping me company while I work.”

“Oh, Jonah!
 
I’d love to watch you work.
 
I’m not going to be in your way, am I?”
I asked, worried he was just inviting me to be polite.

“Of course not.
 
You might be just the distraction I
need,” he said, a flirtatious tone taking over his words.

“I can’t wait to distract you
then,” I said in a pitiful attempt to flirt back.

I heard him breathe a sigh through
the phone, as if he was upset about something, or trying to gain control of his
emotions.

“Ella?”

“Yes, Jonah?”

“Would you mind terribly if I ask
what the physical therapy is for?”

“I don’t mind that you ask, but
maybe I can tell you over dinner instead?
 
It’s a rather long story.”
 
Hopefully he’ll forget by then and I can skirt this whole conversation.

“That sounds like a great
idea.
 
I’m looking forward to
knowing everything there is to know about you, lovely Ella.”

Wow.
 
His words made my insides melt, radiating that feeling of
excitement all the way down to my center.
 
I suddenly felt embarrassed my mom was probably listening to my thoughts
and here I was, getting all hot and bothered by a boy.

“I’ll see you at six,” he said.

Just before he hung up, I caught
his attention.
 
“Oh, Jonah.
 
One more thing.”