Chapter 9 #2
"Of course," Cam said with a gracious nod. "I'm in your capable hands, Diana."
"Oh, these are just options in case you need them. Zayne and Frank have plenty of clothes here that might fit you if you didn't bring the right shade of blue." She turned to me. "Lana, honey, I pressed your dress. It's hanging in your closet."
"Thanks, Mom," I said, cheerfully resigning myself to the outfit she'd chosen. "I saw it this morning. Super cute." She beamed. Although she was an immovable force when it came to wardrobe coordination, she had impeccable taste, at least.
Zayne appeared in the doorway, already dressed in the exact shade of light blue shirt that was hanging in my closet. "Reinforcements have arrived," he announced. "Aunt Margaret's already asking when we're starting the mimosas."
"Eleven," my mother said firmly. "Not a minute before. We need lovely photos first."
"She says she brought her special champagne glasses," Zayne continued. "The ones that say 'But First, Champagne' in the fancy script."
My mother closed her eyes briefly, as if praying for patience. "Wonderful. Just what we need."
“Zayne, you know what to do.”
Exactly how far would your mother go for perfect pictures?” whispered Cam. “Am I going to be helping Zayne move a body after lunch or something?”
I suppressed a smile. My Aunt Margaret's dedication to day drinking was legendary in the Decker family, matched only by her tendency to speak her mind with increasing bluntness as the day progressed.
By dinner, she could be counted on to ask at least three wildly inappropriate personal questions and make at least one politically incorrect observation that would have my mother frantically changing the subject.
“No,” I whispered back. “Zayne will just hide the glasses during the photo shoot, and then they’ll magically reappear later in the afternoon.”
"Oh, and Nana's here too," Zayne added with a pointed look at me. "She's already set up her astrology charts on the back deck and wants to know Cam's birthday. For cosmic alignment purposes. Obviously."
I groaned quietly. "I forgot she was coming this early."
Before I could process this unexpected revelation, a voice called from the deck, "Is that my Lana I hear? Bring that fiancé of yours out here so I can read his chart!"
"Here we go," I muttered. "Remember, whatever she says, just smile and nod."
"I've faced NHL defenders, Lana. I think I can handle your grandmother." Cam's hand settled at the small of my back as we made our way to the deck, a brief touch that made my knees wobble every single time. So unfair.
Nana Decker sat at the picnic table, a collection of charts, crystals, and books spread out before her.
At seventy-eight, she was still a formidable presence, with the same steel-gray eyes as my father and a crown of silver hair piled into an elegant updo.
Today she wore a flowing caftan in shades of purple and teal, with multiple strands of beads around her neck and no fewer than six rings adorning her fingers.
"There's my girl!" she exclaimed, rising to embrace me. She smelled of jasmine and patchouli, a scent that instantly transported me back to childhood summers. She held me at arm's length, studying my face with sharp eyes. "You're glowing, darling. Love looks good on you."
"Thanks, Nana," I said, accepting her assessment with a smile. "This is Cam."
Nana turned her full attention to Cam, who stood beside me with an easy smile that didn't quite hide his curiosity. She circled him slowly, like a jeweler appraising a particularly interesting gem.
"Strong aura," she declared. "Vibrant blue with purple flecks.
Very unusual." She stopped in front of him, taking his hands in hers and turning them palm up.
"Interesting life line. Split here, then rejoins. Oh, look,” she cooed, “a major life change that brought you back to your true path.
" Her eyes flicked to me. "Or your true person. "
Cam's smile had shifted from polite to genuinely intrigued. "What does that mean?"
"It means destiny has its hooks in you, young man," Nana said sagely. "Now, when exactly were you born? I need day, month, year, and time."
"August 12th, 1994, at 2:17 AM," Cam replied promptly.
Nana's eyebrows shot up. "You know your birth time? Most men have to call their mothers."
"Good memory," Cam said with a shrug. "Although I did call my mother yesterday… but just to check in."
"Hmm." Nana eyed him suspiciously before turning to her charts. "Let's see what the stars have to say about you two."
For the next fifteen minutes, I watched in a mixture of amusement and mortification as my grandmother calculated compatibility charts, consulted ephemeris tables, and made pronouncements about our "cosmic connection.
" Cam played along gamely, asking questions and listening intently as my grandmother spoke.
"Leo sun, Sagittarius rising, with that Gemini moon," Nana mused, tapping a pencil against her charts.
"Fire and air. Passionate, adventurous, quick-witted…
hmmm… potentially restless." She glanced at me.
"Good match for your Capricorn stability, darling.
You ground him, and he brings spontaneity to your life. "
"So we're compatible?" Cam asked, catching my eye with a smile that made my stomach flutter unmanageably.
"Oh, very," Nana assured him. "Your Venus aligns beautifully with Lana's Mars – powerful physical attraction. And your Mercury conjunct her Jupiter indicates deep intellectual connection and growth."
I felt heat rising in my cheeks. Trust Nana to jump straight to "physical attraction" within minutes of meeting my supposed fiancé.
“Nana, you’re killing me here.”
"But most interesting," she continued, oblivious to my embarrassment, "is this Pluto aspect.
Transformative connection. Not just any romance…
a life-changing bond." She looked up, her eyes unexpectedly serious.
"Most people search lifetimes for the kind of alignment you two have. The stars don't lie, my dears."
Something shifted in the air between us: a weight, a possibility, a question none of us had voiced.
Cam cleared his throat. "Well, that explains a lot," he said lightly, though I noticed his hand had sought mine, fingers intertwining as if seeking an anchor. "I've always felt drawn to Lana."
Nana nodded approvingly. "As it should be. Now, when are you planning the wedding? We'll need to choose an auspicious date."
"We haven't set a date yet," I said quickly. "Still enjoying the present moment."
"Well, don't wait too long," Nana advised. "Next summer has some excellent celestial alignments for marriage. June especially. Venus will be in Cancer, perfect for home and family foundations."
I felt rather than saw Cam's eyes on me, a tangible weight that made my skin prickle with awareness. "We'll keep that in mind," he said, his voice carrying a warmth that seemed to wrap around me like a soft blanket.
"Come find me later," Nana told Cam. "I'll do a more detailed reading for you both. The universe has so much to say about your journey together!"
As we made our escape back to the kitchen, Cam leaned close. "I like her," he murmured. "She's very sure about us."
"She's sure about everyone's cosmic destiny," I whispered back. "Last year she told Drake he should move to Tibet and study with the monks."
"Still," Cam's eyes held mine, something playful but also searching in their depths. "Venus aligned with Mars. That explains a lot, doesn't it?"
I rolled my eyes, ignoring the flutter in my chest. "Don't tell me you actually believe in that stuff."
He shrugged, an enigmatic smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I believe there are forces in the universe we don't fully understand. Like why I can't seem to stop thinking about you, even when I should."
My heart flip-flopped wildly at what he'd said, but before I could formulate a response to that bombshell, my mother called from inside, "Lana! Cam! Time to get ready for photos!"
"Saved by the bell," I muttered, grateful for the interruption. "Go find your cosmic blue shirt. I need to get changed."
His low laugh followed me up the stairs.
The family photoshoot was every bit as chaotic as usual. My entire extended family descended on the beach house like a hurricane, filling every corner with noise and motion and opinions – lots and lots of opinions.
Aunt Margaret immediately cornered Cam, champagne flute already in hand despite my mother's eleven o'clock rule, and began a rapid-fire interrogation about his "intentions.
" Uncle Pete argued with my father about the best spot on the beach for the photos, even though neither one of them would ultimately have a say.
My cousin Nora's three kids, all under the age of eight, rampaged through the house like the tornadoes that aways accompany hurricanes, while her husband Ben trailed behind them with an exhausted and apologetic expression.
Meanwhile, Drake and Serena arrived in a cloud of noticeable sexual tension that made me both happy for them and yearn for a genuine connection of my own.
They couldn't seem to stop touching: his hand on her back, her fingers brushing his arm, casual contact that spoke volumes about their reconnection.
I caught Drake looking at her with such naked adoration while she chatted with my mom that I almost didn't recognize my usually reserved brother.
Through it all, Cam remained remarkably composed.
He fielded Aunt Margaret's increasingly personal questions with grace ("Yes, I see children in the future.
No, not before the wedding. Yes, I've met her parents; we're standing in their house right now.
"), won over Uncle Pete by asking about his fishing boat, and, most impressively, managed to corral Nora's children into a game that somehow left them clean, largely stationary, and completely entranced.