was
ludicrous. Daisy had thought it strange. His job as a Special
Enforcer put him in regular contact with magic, after all. She
would have expected him to be more open to this kind of thing. She
was glad for the support, though, even if it hadn’t helped in the
end.
Hands in the pockets of his faded jeans, Jack
shrugged. He threw Lydia a sly look. “I still think it’s all a
waste of time,” he admitted. “But if it amuses my girl, what can I
say?”
Lydia huffed, crossing her arms as she
mock-glared at him. Her dangling earrings swung at the small
movement, catching the light. “If it amuses me? You said you’d do
it, too! And I didn’t even ask you to!”
“Jack is going to gaze into his future?” Mike
said behind him, and Jack stepped aside to let him, Brad, and
Cathleen in. “So you finally believe in seers?”
“I’ve always believed in seers,” Jack said,
on the edge of being defensive. “And hello to you, too.”
They shook hands, and as everyone said hello,
Daisy herded the growing group toward the dining room and the
refreshments she had prepared. As she gathered their jackets and
purses, she couldn’t help noticing that, aside from Jack who never
wore anything other than jeans, her friends had disregarded her
request to keep the party informal. Both Mike and Brett wore suits
and ties, while Alicia, Lydia, and Cathleen put Daisy to shame in a
rainbow of cocktail dresses. She was sure they had dressed up to
impress the guest of honor, and now Daisy found herself wishing she
had done the same. She left them for a second to place their
belongings in the guest bedroom, listening to the continuing
discussion.
“I believe in seers,” Jack said again “I’m
just not sure anyone can do what this guy says he does. I’m not
sure anyone needs to know their future, either.”
When she returned, Daisy was pleased to note
that eager hands had reached for hors d’oeuvres and wine glasses.
She smiled and nodded graciously when wine and amuse-bouche were
praised, happy that her efforts at playing hostess were
appreciated. She still felt underdressed, however. As the
conversation returned to topics that had been discussed ad nauseam
the last few times they had met, her eyes flitted toward the master
bedroom. She might find an appropriate dress in the closet there.
Should she change?
“What about the seers who help the police
find missing persons?” Alicia said. “They’re telling the future,
and it’s a good thing!”
“And how about the one that predicted all
those earthquakes?” Mike pointed out, raising his glass as though
toasting the woman they had all seen on television.
With a slight shake of her head, Daisy
focused on the discussion. She had no reason to dress up for
someone she claimed was a fraud, after all. “How about all the
earthquakes she didn’t predict?” she said. “Or all the other
catastrophes that happen every day without anyone being
warned?”
“Keep it up, and I’m going to start feeling
guilty.”
She started at the words and turned to find
that Sam Woods had arrived, along with her last three guests.
“Well, maybe you should,” she said. Heat was
rising in her cheeks, but she ignored it, pretending to herself
that it was just the wine. “It’d be far more useful if you could
tell us if one of us will have a car accident or where to invest
for our retirements. What you do—”
“I didn’t choose this gift,” Woods said.
Cathleen handed him a glass, and he accepted it with a nod of his
head without taking his dark eyes off Daisy for more than a second.
“I don’t choose what to see. It’s just there.”
Forgetting the people around them, forgetting
that she had asked him to come precisely to tell them about their
futures, she gave him a hard look. “And you could let it stay
there. We’re not talking life or death.”
He took a sip of wine, then smiled. “Ah,
but my dear Daisy, we’ve had this argument before. Sometimes
love is a matter of
life
ludicrous. Daisy had thought it strange. His job as a Special
Enforcer put him in regular contact with magic, after all. She
would have expected him to be more open to this kind of thing. She
was glad for the support, though, even if it hadn’t helped in the
end.
Hands in the pockets of his faded jeans, Jack
shrugged. He threw Lydia a sly look. “I still think it’s all a
waste of time,” he admitted. “But if it amuses my girl, what can I
say?”
Lydia huffed, crossing her arms as she
mock-glared at him. Her dangling earrings swung at the small
movement, catching the light. “If it amuses me? You said you’d do
it, too! And I didn’t even ask you to!”
“Jack is going to gaze into his future?” Mike
said behind him, and Jack stepped aside to let him, Brad, and
Cathleen in. “So you finally believe in seers?”
“I’ve always believed in seers,” Jack said,
on the edge of being defensive. “And hello to you, too.”
They shook hands, and as everyone said hello,
Daisy herded the growing group toward the dining room and the
refreshments she had prepared. As she gathered their jackets and
purses, she couldn’t help noticing that, aside from Jack who never
wore anything other than jeans, her friends had disregarded her
request to keep the party informal. Both Mike and Brett wore suits
and ties, while Alicia, Lydia, and Cathleen put Daisy to shame in a
rainbow of cocktail dresses. She was sure they had dressed up to
impress the guest of honor, and now Daisy found herself wishing she
had done the same. She left them for a second to place their
belongings in the guest bedroom, listening to the continuing
discussion.
“I believe in seers,” Jack said again “I’m
just not sure anyone can do what this guy says he does. I’m not
sure anyone needs to know their future, either.”
When she returned, Daisy was pleased to note
that eager hands had reached for hors d’oeuvres and wine glasses.
She smiled and nodded graciously when wine and amuse-bouche were
praised, happy that her efforts at playing hostess were
appreciated. She still felt underdressed, however. As the
conversation returned to topics that had been discussed ad nauseam
the last few times they had met, her eyes flitted toward the master
bedroom. She might find an appropriate dress in the closet there.
Should she change?
“What about the seers who help the police
find missing persons?” Alicia said. “They’re telling the future,
and it’s a good thing!”
“And how about the one that predicted all
those earthquakes?” Mike pointed out, raising his glass as though
toasting the woman they had all seen on television.
With a slight shake of her head, Daisy
focused on the discussion. She had no reason to dress up for
someone she claimed was a fraud, after all. “How about all the
earthquakes she didn’t predict?” she said. “Or all the other
catastrophes that happen every day without anyone being
warned?”
“Keep it up, and I’m going to start feeling
guilty.”
She started at the words and turned to find
that Sam Woods had arrived, along with her last three guests.
“Well, maybe you should,” she said. Heat was
rising in her cheeks, but she ignored it, pretending to herself
that it was just the wine. “It’d be far more useful if you could
tell us if one of us will have a car accident or where to invest
for our retirements. What you do—”
“I didn’t choose this gift,” Woods said.
Cathleen handed him a glass, and he accepted it with a nod of his
head without taking his dark eyes off Daisy for more than a second.
“I don’t choose what to see. It’s just there.”
Forgetting the people around them, forgetting
that she had asked him to come precisely to tell them about their
futures, she gave him a hard look. “And you could let it stay
there. We’re not talking life or death.”
He took a sip of wine, then smiled. “Ah,
but my dear Daisy, we’ve had this argument before. Sometimes
love is a matter of
life
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