Two Wrongs Make a Right (5 page)

“There will be sixteen months between Jackson and this baby. I won’t get another good night’s sleep for years. And then there’s the problem with sex. Emily’s too damn tired now to do it. With three kids and two of them so close together, I’ll be lucky to
get lucky
once a month. You know what she said the other night? Go ahead and have your way with me. Just clean me up when you’re done.”

Justin winched. “Shit, man. That’s brutal.”

Ben chuckled. “Apparently she wasn’t too tired to get pregnant again.”

“Yeah, but now that she is, it’s a different story. I told her this is it. I’m getting snipped.”

Ben cocked his head. “But you are happy about the kid, right?”

“Sure, but the timing is all wrong. Our company is about to be sold. When that happens, I’ll be working long hours for the next year. That’ll leave Em in charge twenty-four-seven and she will not be happy.”

“About the takeover,” Justin said to Luke. “If they make the deal, I’ve heard our office may be moved to another state.”

“Right now, it’s just talk,” Dak said.

Justin twisted the lid on his bottle. “My source is solid. I’d hate to leave Austin. That will affect visitation with my son.”

Ben grabbed a handful of nuts. “I guess there’s a lot to be said for self-employment.”

“No lie. At least you don’t answer to anyone, not to mention the hot babes you photograph.”

“Yeah, well that has its drawbacks. Those women are all so superficial and full of themselves, they can be a real pain in my ass.”

“Game’s about to start,” Dak said. “I brought pizza home last night. I’ll get it in the oven. Be right back.”

If moving to another state was the only concern, Dak would be happy. Office gossip was flying, and he’d heard the new owners might bring in their own people, which would end his job, right along with Luke’s and Justin’s.

Quinn and Raynie sat at Megan’s kitchen table reading responses from Marriage Minded. They’d already had a good laugh about the fun gun. If that guy knew Quinn had never had casual sex, he wouldn’t be interested. She’d always been a firm believer in commitment. The memory made her laugh out loud.

Her two best friends turned, eyes wide.

“I was thinking of my sex rule,” Quinn said.

“Sex on Six.”

“I’ve never understood that.” Raynie shot her a sideways glance. “Why wait until date number six, when you know within fifteen minutes if you want the guy or not? Makes no sense, but I’m more of a freaky girl on the first.”

“No lie,” Megan said.

“Oh shut up.” Freaky Girl flapped her hand, bangles jingling. “You’ve been married forever, and I’ll bet you’re wilder than I am. Care to share?”

Megan frowned, pulled out a chair, and flopped into it. “Yeah, but it’s with the same partner.”

“You should let me deal the cards before you meet these guys,” Raynie said to Quinn. “The reading could give you an idea of how the dates will go.”

Quinn had given it a lot of thought over the past few days. Maybe she really was that desperate. She put little faith in predicting the future, but her friend did, and wanted to help. “Why not?”

Both women snapped their heads toward her. “Are you serious?” Megan sucked in a quick breath. “You haven’t gotten a reading since college.”

The amateur psychic searched in her purse and pulled out the deck. “This is so exciting. I need to do it fast, before you change your mind.”

“You should understand my reluctance. In those readings, the devil and death card came up, and that scared the crap out of me.”

Raynie motioned for her to sit, then riffle shuffled followed by hand-over-hand shuffles and more riffles. “I explained you can’t judge the outcome on one turn. It depends on what else is drawn. I was new to Tarot then, so you shouldn’t hold that against me.”

“I’m just saying, if they turn this time, I’m done.”

“What question do you want answered, and how many cards? Three, five, nine?”

“Less is more. Lay down a triple.”

“You got it.” Raynie cut the deck into three stacks and sat back in her chair. “Wave your hand over them and make your choice when one speaks to you.”

Humming a tune that sounded like a game show theme, Quinn extended her finger and dangled it over the selections.

“Oh, come on.” Raynie crossed her arms. “This will be fun. Get serious.”

“I’m trying to add more suspense to the process.” Quinn gave more hand movements to the beat, and then she landed her finger on the left deck. She might be trying to convince herself this was more for Raynie than herself, but truth was, any insight into the future, no matter how ridiculous, might prove to be a good thing. “Do a general reading about Walt.”

The Tarot Tart dealt the first one. “Two of Swords. Hmm, love triangles surround this man.”

Quinn grimaced. “That doesn’t mean he’s into threesomes, does it? I knew he sounded too good to be true.”

“Hush, and let me finish. He most likely has an ex he’s holding onto. He is emotionally and sexually frustrated.”

Megan eyed Quinn and chuckled. “Well, you two should be a perfect match.”

“I am not…” she stopped, laid her head on the table, distracted by thoughts of how Walt could relieve some of that pent up tension, then spoke into the wood. “Lord Jesus, I am frustrated in both categories.” She rolled her eyes up. “What else?”

“Six of Swords.”

Quinn sat up. “We’re getting a lot of weapons here. Two of Swords. Six of Swords. Aren’t there any Barbell Billy’s or Tackling Tommy’s?”

“That’s Old Maid, not Tarot. Now do you want me to do this or not?”

Raynie’s shoulders slumped, so Quinn dialed back the sarcasm. “Sorry. I’m being silly. Please continue.”

“He’s used to being more of a taker, but he’s learning to be more giving in a relationship. He’s seeking something at a distance, possibly exotic in nature.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting,” Megan said. “Maybe he’ll want to take you to Hawaii or some other tropical island.”

“I should be so lucky.” Quinn stretched her lips tight against her teeth, and for a brief moment pictured Walt lying next to her on a beach, the sound of waves crashing to shore. She closed her eyes and sighed, then snapped back to reality. “Or, a trip across town to the botanical gardens.” She chuckled. “Give me the last one.”

“Nine of Wands.”

“Now we’re talking.” Quinn straightened with renewed interest. “A wand, so there’s bound to be magic.”

“Oh, you will like this. He’s been focusing on career to guard against emotions in his personal life, convinced another relationship will fail.” Raynie raised an eyebrow. “This is good. He’s seeking balance between work and play because he believes his next connection will be different, and he wants to realize his dreams for a happily-ever-after.”

Preposterous as Quinn thought fortune telling was, the reading gave her hope. Maybe, just maybe, there’d be magic between them.

After Quinn arrived home, with the night’s experience fresh in her mind, she pulled out her laptop and typed.

According to a recent survey, on average there are eighty-six single men to every one-hundred women in the U.S., giving males a slight edge in finding Miss Right. In the past, singles let Mother Nature run her course, but in today’s world, with life moving faster, we explore new directions. We answer ads, join dating sites, use match-makers, and if you’re really desperate—hire a fortune teller.

It was a good start. She’d include the Tarot reading and some humor. The last thing she wanted was to come across whiney and on the verge of getting a houseful of cats.

Ethel twined around Quinn’s ankles.
Okay, so I already have two kitties.
That wasn’t enough to classify her as a Crazy Cat Lady. She was sure the rule was you had to have at least three. She laughed, closed the document and headed to bed, with Lucy and Ethel on her heels.

~~*~~

A week later, after several emails with her first date, excitement swelled in Quinn’s chest. Only hours away from meeting him, for the umpteenth time, she opened her laptop, and pulled up Walt’s photo. He was an attractive man. Profile pictures weren’t always current. It could have been taken before he went bald and gained fifty pounds. That’d be a real shame because she liked his dark hair and lean physique. Although, she’d rather have him beefy than skinny. She’d never been able to get turned on by a man whose butt was smaller than one of her thighs.

She spent a few hours cleaning house and deciding what recipes to prepare for Dad and Gramps’s weekly menu. A nice advantage to cooking for them was to also measure out portions for her own meals. That way, she didn’t have to always cook. Just pull a dish from the freezer and nuke it. However, tonight she’d enjoy dinner prepared by someone else. No cleanup or dishwashing.

By six-thirty, nervous and on edge, she got to the restaurant early, and found a good parking spot. She stayed in the car for a few minutes, not to appear anxious. All day the chance this man could be
The One
, clouded her brain. A long shot at best. He sounded so perfect, but he must have a flaw. Maybe he picked his teeth at the table—or worse, his nose.

She shook that notion away, before the queasiness in her stomach caused her to lose her appetite. At six-forty-five, her date parked a few spaces down, and got out of his car. So far, so good. He matched his profile photo.

She waited for him to disappear inside, and then went to join him. Standing in the reception area, his eyes lit up when he recognized her.

“Quinn?” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She accepted the gesture. “Likewise.”

He nodded to the greeter, and she picked up two menus and asked them to follow her. Once they sat, and the hostess left, Walt made a slight gesture and pulled a fake bouquet from his sleeve. “These are for you, my lady.”

Her mouth fell open. What was this? Something to lighten the mood and remove any first date anxiety? She scoured the surroundings to see if anyone watched the presentation. If there was one thing she hated, it was being the center of attention. Speechless, she accepted the flowers, laid them by her plate, and squeaked out a thank you.

“I’ve been on edge all day,” he said. “But now I’m comfortable. Like we’ve known each other for a while.”

She didn’t know what to say. Was he wanting her to respond in kind? The jury was still out for her. Saved by the waiter. He brought glasses of water and placed them on the table.

“You have a little something...” Walt reached to the server’s ear and produced a quarter. The waiter laughed and called a fellow employee over for a repeat performance.

Quinn’s chest tightened. If he pulled out a saw from beneath the table, she was getting the hell out of there. The waiters retreated, and Quinn looked back at Magic Man. “Your bio said engineer. You’re a magician?”

He puffed out his chest. “I’m both. A professional engineer, an amateur illusionist. It’s why I volunteer at the children’s hospital. I entertain patients.”

Okay, this was his way of highlighting one of his good qualities. He liked theatrics. Nothing wrong with that—other than they were in a public place, having just met for the first time, everyone in the room watching them, and she was embarrassed. She took a deep breath. This would be a long night.

~~*~~

The following day, Quinn invited her two friends over and gave them a play-by-play of her date. At five-thirty, Raynie sat at the kitchen table riffling her cards, and drinking wine. Megan sat beside her. Quinn came from the kitchen with a platter of assorted cheeses and fruits. She placed the snacks on the table and slid into a chair, then gave her gypsy friend the evil eye. “You can put away the Tarot. Remember the results from the first reading? They were useless.”

“Not true.” Raynie tapped the deck first one way and then the other to straighten the edges. “They weren’t wrong. Your interpretation was.”

“Yeah, well I never imagined he’d try to make water disappear from a glass and soak his pants.”

“I sure wish I could have seen that,” Megan said. “Now that’s what I call entertainment.”

“Everyone in the place thought it was a comedy routine. Everyone but me. I felt like I’d fallen into a
Saturday Night Live
skit.”

“If I do a more in-depth spread this time, it will give you a better idea of what to expect from Stargazer. Your lack of enthusiasm may have affected Walt’s outcome.”

Megan waved her hand in the air. “For heaven sakes, let her do it. If you don’t, she’ll pout.”

Quinn popped a cheese cube into her mouth and chewed while the other two stared at her. “Fine. Do the thing,” she said, surprised that she’d agreed again, but quickly added a disclaimer. “But I’m not putting any faith into the prediction.”

Raynie did her routine with the deck. Quinn pointed to the center stack and stared at the first one drawn.

“Nine of Cups.” Her friend looked up and grinned. “It’s considered the
Wish Card
and indicates a positive influence. Stargazer may be all you’ve been waiting for.”

Quinn pointed at the card. “Are those wine goblets?”

“Yes.”

“That’s funny. Nine goblets and we’re drinking wine.” Megan toasted the air.

“Has nothing to do our beverage. It means she needs to keep her emotions in check,” Raynie said, then turned her eyes to Quinn. “Don’t say too much, or drink too much, because that might make you
do
too much on a first date.”

“Page of Cups.” Raynie lifted the selection and slowly placed it on the table.

“Is that a fish coming out of that goblet? What does that mean? Is he cold as a fish, or does he drink like a fish?” Quinn pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my God! This is bad. He’s an alcoholic!”

“Calm down. That isn’t what it means. This position answers whether marriage or commitment are possible. You’re looking for a soul mate, and since this is a cup card, it can indicate rebirth of emotions. You’ve been guarding your heart, and this shows Stargazer may be the key to unlock it.”

“That’s a relief.” Quinn drained her wine glass. She rarely had over one drink, but searching for the perfect mate was affecting her sanity. “Let’s move on. I want to see how many cups I can get. I may have a place setting for four by the time this is over.”