girl. Janette’s period was already a week late at the time, but she’d been late before. And as far as her man even looking at another girl, she absolutely refused to believe that. She called Carla a damn fool and advised her to go read her Bible. The incident was forgotten until two months later when Janette suffered a miscarriage when she heard that the boy who had relieved her of her virginity was going to marry one of her rivals.
By the time graduation rolled around, Carla had been called a witch doctor so many times she lost count. She’d laughed it off for the most part, but it had hurt her feelings to be made fun of. She didn’t even tell Reuben about her special ability until they’d been securely married for three years. She had never done a reading for him, and he’d made it clear early in their relationship that he didn’t want her to. And it was not because he was a skeptic. He had been raised in New Orleans by a mother whose so-called healing hands had cured more afflictions than he could count. Anything that had to do with the paranormal, even slightly, frightened him so he left it alone. But he knew that Carla was not a dingbat. She took her gift very seriously. He didn’t even know which of her friends and patients she read for, and he didn’t want to know.
He knew that she wouldn’t risk her credibility and reputation by broadcasting her business. She had too much to lose. And as a corporate attorney, he did, too.
“There are twice as many people here as we’d originally planned to invite. The list kept getting longer and longer,” Carla said, addressing one of the caterers who looked worried. “And if that wasn’t bad enough, my husband invited some that he forgot to tell me about.”
“Not to worry. We’ll manage,” the caterer assured her.
Carla noticed Teri standing a few feet away sipping champagne. She rushed up to her, gave her a mighty embrace, and rubbed the side of Teri’s cheek with hers. “Reuben must have invited everybody in Southern California,” she mentioned. She turned to Nicole. “You must be Nicole. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She gave Nicole a quick hug.
“Believe only the good stuff,” Nicole quipped. She snatched a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and took a long swallow.
As much as Nicole respected Teri, she wasn’t sure how to take the fact that Teri was seeing Carla on a professional basis and, well, she didn’t know how to categorize that psychic thing. Seeing a shrink was one thing—a lot of people on Teri’s level were in some kind of therapy. But this psychic thing in the year 2008? Nicole wondered what some of the uptight people she and Teri worked with would think if they knew she was being “advised” by a psychic shrink. She almost laughed out loud when she recalled how the media had exposed the phony television psychic Miss Cleo a few years ago. And before that, there was that story about Nancy Reagan getting caught up in some psychic astrology mess. The late-night talk show hosts had a field day with that.
Well, if anybody found out about Teri and Carla, it wouldn’t befrom Nicole. As a matter of fact, if Teri said the woman was good at what she did, that had to count for something. Nicole considered all the facts. Teri Stewart was not a gullible woman or a fool. If she endorsed something, it had to be worthwhile. Now that Teri had let her in on one of her “secrets” she would milk it for all it was worth. Why the hell not? She had nothing to lose but maybe something to gain.
“It was all good,” Carla assured Nicole, giving her hand an affectionate pat. “But I already knew that.” Carla added a wink to her declaration. She noticed Nicole and Teri exchanging glances. There was a dark cloud of confusion on Nicole’s face. “It’s all right. I know that you know what I do,” Carla said in a low voice.
“Uh, yes, I do. And Teri tells me that you’re pretty accurate,” Nicole replied, almost in a
By the time graduation rolled around, Carla had been called a witch doctor so many times she lost count. She’d laughed it off for the most part, but it had hurt her feelings to be made fun of. She didn’t even tell Reuben about her special ability until they’d been securely married for three years. She had never done a reading for him, and he’d made it clear early in their relationship that he didn’t want her to. And it was not because he was a skeptic. He had been raised in New Orleans by a mother whose so-called healing hands had cured more afflictions than he could count. Anything that had to do with the paranormal, even slightly, frightened him so he left it alone. But he knew that Carla was not a dingbat. She took her gift very seriously. He didn’t even know which of her friends and patients she read for, and he didn’t want to know.
He knew that she wouldn’t risk her credibility and reputation by broadcasting her business. She had too much to lose. And as a corporate attorney, he did, too.
“There are twice as many people here as we’d originally planned to invite. The list kept getting longer and longer,” Carla said, addressing one of the caterers who looked worried. “And if that wasn’t bad enough, my husband invited some that he forgot to tell me about.”
“Not to worry. We’ll manage,” the caterer assured her.
Carla noticed Teri standing a few feet away sipping champagne. She rushed up to her, gave her a mighty embrace, and rubbed the side of Teri’s cheek with hers. “Reuben must have invited everybody in Southern California,” she mentioned. She turned to Nicole. “You must be Nicole. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She gave Nicole a quick hug.
“Believe only the good stuff,” Nicole quipped. She snatched a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and took a long swallow.
As much as Nicole respected Teri, she wasn’t sure how to take the fact that Teri was seeing Carla on a professional basis and, well, she didn’t know how to categorize that psychic thing. Seeing a shrink was one thing—a lot of people on Teri’s level were in some kind of therapy. But this psychic thing in the year 2008? Nicole wondered what some of the uptight people she and Teri worked with would think if they knew she was being “advised” by a psychic shrink. She almost laughed out loud when she recalled how the media had exposed the phony television psychic Miss Cleo a few years ago. And before that, there was that story about Nancy Reagan getting caught up in some psychic astrology mess. The late-night talk show hosts had a field day with that.
Well, if anybody found out about Teri and Carla, it wouldn’t befrom Nicole. As a matter of fact, if Teri said the woman was good at what she did, that had to count for something. Nicole considered all the facts. Teri Stewart was not a gullible woman or a fool. If she endorsed something, it had to be worthwhile. Now that Teri had let her in on one of her “secrets” she would milk it for all it was worth. Why the hell not? She had nothing to lose but maybe something to gain.
“It was all good,” Carla assured Nicole, giving her hand an affectionate pat. “But I already knew that.” Carla added a wink to her declaration. She noticed Nicole and Teri exchanging glances. There was a dark cloud of confusion on Nicole’s face. “It’s all right. I know that you know what I do,” Carla said in a low voice.
“Uh, yes, I do. And Teri tells me that you’re pretty accurate,” Nicole replied, almost in a
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