47. Amanda
Amanda scanned the dining room for Jasmine and Edgar. ”I don”t see them.” She turned to Dalhu. ”Do you?”
She was wearing flats, so he had a good half a head or more over her.
”I don”t. Maybe they went to the Lido deck.”
Frankie had said that Ed had taken Jasmine on a tour of the ship, but the only public spaces were the dining room, the gym, and the bars on the promenade deck and the Lido deck.
Amanda cast a sidelong glance at her mate. ”Do you want to grab something to eat before we go up there?”
They had eaten brunch at her mother”s, but that had been an hour ago. She wasn”t hungry, but Dalhu might be.
”I”m full.” Dalhu adjusted Evie in his arms. ”Let”s go.”
They only got as far as the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, Jasmine and Edgar stepped out along with several other passengers.
”Amanda!” Jasmine spread her arms and hugged her as if they were the best of friends. ”Thank you. You freed me.”
”You”re welcome.” Amanda patted her back. ”Are you heading to the dining room?”
”Yes.” Jasmine beamed happily. ”I”m curious whether the food up here is better than the food down in the staff dining room.”
”Why would it be? It”s cooked in the same kitchen.”
Jasmine looked surprised. ”Really? I thought there was another kitchen down there adjacent to the dining room.”
”There is, but most of the cooking is done in the main one.” Amanda turned to her mate. ”Dalhu, this is my new friend Jasmine. Jasmine, this is my husband Dalhu and our daughter Evie.”
”A pleasure to meet you both.” Jasmine gave Dalhu one of her flirty smiles, but by now Amanda knew that didn”t mean she was actually flirting with him. It was just the way she was, and she probably couldn”t help it.
Evie regarded the woman with shy curiosity and after a moment gifted her with a small smile before ducking her head and hiding her face in the crook of Dalhu”s neck.
”She is adorable,” Jasmine said. ”And she looks like a mix of the two of you. More like you, Amanda.”
Dalhu kissed the top of Evie”s head. ”Thank the merciful Fates for that.”
”Have you eaten already?” Edgar asked.
”We did, but we will come to keep you company.” Amanda threaded her arm through Jasmine”s. ”I want to ask you a few questions about your Wiccan practice if that”s okay.”
”Of course.” Jasmine leaned into her. ”What would you like to know?”
Amanda slanted her a smile. ”I”m fascinated by the occult, and I”m an amateur practitioner, but I never had the time to study the rituals and spells. I”m also interested in the deities you honor and your guiding beliefs.”
More than that, Amanda wanted to understand the woman herself and get a sense of the person behind the tarot cards and the talk of princes. She had a feeling that there was more to Jasmine than met the eye.
The woman”s face lit up, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ”After acting, that”s my second favorite topic, but I only talk about it with people who have at least some knowledge about it and don”t think it”s devil worship.” She grimaced. ”Like my father.”
Amanda had a feeling that there was a story there, but it was better reserved for another time.
They found a table, and once Dalhu had set Evie down in a highchair, he and Edgar went to the buffet to collect a sampling of the dishes.
”I”ve already eaten,” Amanda said. ”So I”m not hungry, but if you want to go get something, I”ll wait.”
”It”s fine.” Jasmine waved a dismissive hand. ”I trust Edgar to get me things I like.”
Amanda arched a brow. ”When did he have the time to learn your culinary preferences?”
Jasmine chuckled. ”He didn”t, but I”m not very choosy with food. I can eat anything.”
That was unusual for someone who was pursuing a career in acting, but Jasmine seemed to be unconcerned with Hollywood”s unrealistic beauty ideals and was comfortable in her own skin.
Amanda put a hand on the woman”s upper arm. ”The more I get to know you, the more I like you.”
Jasmine grinned. ”Ditto.”
”So, Jasmine,” Amanda said, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. ”Tell me more about your Wiccan practices.”
”I”m a beginner witch myself, and I learned what I know from the internet, other practitioners on social media, and books. So far, I like that Wicca is all about honoring the cycles of nature and the interconnectedness of all things. I believe that by attuning myself to the rhythms of the universe, I can tap into a deeper wisdom and power that can guide me.” She looked at Amanda from under lowered lashes. ”Does that sound like a load of crap to you?”
”Not at all. That”s how I feel as well.”
Jasmine looked relieved and then glanced around to check who was listening to their conversation before leaning closer to Amanda. ”One of my favorite rituals is the Drawing Down the Moon,” she said. ”It”s a powerful invocation of the Goddess”s energy, a way of connecting with the divine feminine and bringing her wisdom and guidance into our lives.” She continued to describe a few more rituals, but her main tool of divination seemed to be tarot cards.
Amanda nodded along. ”I”ve never paid much attention to tarot reading, but you mentioned that the cards have been pointing to a prince in your future. Can you tell me more about that?”
”It started with a simple three-card spread,” Jasmine said in a near whisper. ”The first card was The Six of Cups, which represents innocence, nostalgia, and the promise of a new beginning. The second was The Lovers, which speaks of a deep, soulful connection blessed by the divine. And the third was The Knight of Cups, the embodiment of romance, chivalry, and the arrival of a suitor.”
She paused, letting the significance of the cards sink in before continuing, but since Amanda wasn”t all that familiar with tarot, it was all pretty meaningless to her. The few times she had gone for a reading, she paid more attention to the lady interpreting the cards than to the cards themselves.
”Together, they painted a picture of a profound, fated love and a connection that would transform my life. If it was a one-time occurrence, I would have dismissed it, but the same cards continued to come up.”
Jasmine”s excitement was contagious, and Amanda felt a flicker of it in her own heart. ”Was that it, or did you get any more clues from the cards?”
”Not yet,” she admitted. ”The cards are frustratingly vague on that point. But I trust that when the time is right, he will reveal himself to me. Until then, I just have to keep my heart open and my eyes peeled.”
Amanda shifted her gaze to the men who were heading back with loaded plates.
”Could the prince be Edgar?” she asked quickly.
”Maybe.” Jasmine shrugged. ”Maybe the card meant it metaphorically.” She chuckled. ”Instead of the knight in shining armor arriving on a noble steed, my knight arrived in a shining helicopter and brought along two noble saviors.”
As the guys put the plates down, Amanda smiled at Edgar. ”Are you planning on inviting Jasmine as your date to the wedding tonight?”
Edgar”s face split into a wide, boyish grin as he trained his eyes on Jasmine. ”Of course. That was the main reason Jasmine wanted to be allowed on the upper decks.”
The smile slid off Amanda”s face as she remembered that Jasmine was not allowed full disclosure. ”Just as a reminder, Jasmine will have to wait to come in until after the ceremony.” She looked apologetically at the woman. ”I know it”s disappointing, but that”s the way it has to be.”
”Why is that?” Jasmine leaned forward with a quizzical frown. ”If you”re practicing some kind of witchy ritual, you know that I”m totally on board. I love learning about new traditions and practices.”
Amanda shook her head. ”We have other reasons for the secrecy that I”m not at liberty to disclose. It”s nothing personal, and you are not the only one who has to wait until after the ceremony to be allowed inside. Marina and Larissa will also be waiting in the bar for their boyfriends to escort them into the dining hall, so the three of you can keep each other company.”