3. Cal
CHAPTER 3
CAL
Steve and I took the rest of the day off, delegating our meetings and urgent tasks to Aurelia and Kurt. We had tacos for lunch, then we bought some beer and went back to my place to make plans. Steve’s husband Baz worked from home, and we didn’t want to disturb him.
We were documenting what we needed to do or put in place before we could leave Rogues Gallery when our friend Felix called me.
I’d met Felix through Steve—they used to work together at the tech call center. Steve wasn’t the only one who’d moved on from that job. Felix had become a certified pet massage therapist, helping animals who’d been injured or who had arthritis or whatever.
He’d been the one to introduce me and Steve to Cole Washburn, which directly led to us creating Rogues Gallery. Steve, Felix, and I tried to get together at least every couple of weeks.
“Hey, Felix!”
“Uh, hi? What’s with the cheerful voice? Did something good happen? ”
Okay, I’d own that. My default communication mode was sarcasm.
“Steve and I took the afternoon off to discuss a hush hush project.” I looked over at Steve with a raised eyebrow, and he nodded, pointing at my phone and then the floor. I said to Felix, “Are you free? You want to come over to my place and hear about it?”
“Heck, yeah! I just got done with my last client. I’ll be there in twenty minutes or so.”
“Cool. We have beer.”
After I hung up with Felix, I told Steve, “We really need to let Cole know what we’re planning.” As our original investor, and our friend, he’d be hurt if he found out after everyone else at Rogues Gallery.
Steve nodded. “Let’s call him now.”
Cole never failed to surprise me. After Steve and I got him on speakerphone and told him we were planning to leave Rogues Gallery and go off on our own, he said, “Finally! I’ve been wondering if you were working on something in secret. I never expected you to stay at RG this long.”
Steve slapped his forehead, and I said, “I wish you’d said something earlier. We’ve been bored and going through the motions for a while now, but neither of us wanted to leave the other one behind.”
Cole chuckled. “Idiots,” he said fondly. “And of course I want first dibs on investing in your new project.”
Steve and I grinned at each other. “When we know what it is, you’ll know what it is,” he promised.
We chatted with Cole for a few more minutes until Felix knocked on the door. He came in carrying a bag of tortilla chips and some jars of dip.
“I didn’t have time to do homemade, sorry,” he said as I relieved him of his burden.
“You didn’t have to bring anything, but thanks.”
Steve bounded up. “You brought snacks!” He gave Felix a side hug.
I enjoyed how my friends were so different from each other. Steve came across as the quintessential ex-frat boy, all athletic-looking with blond hair, blue eyes, and a never-met-a-stranger personality. Felix was more introverted like me, except with a much sunnier outlook on life. He’d been a total bear cub when I’d met him, with reddish hair, a baby face, and a squeezably sturdy body. Now he was edging more into bear territory, though definitely not as far as I already was.
We got Felix settled on the couch with a beer. Steve moved our laptops out of the way, and I dumped the salsa into bowls and set those with the open bag of chips and some napkins on the coffee table. Steve sat in my gaming chair, and I sat on the couch next to Felix.
“So what’s this secret project?”
Steve and I filled him in on our plan. Or our plan to make a plan. Whatever.
He asked the inevitable question. “What kind of game are you thinking of making?”
Steve and I both shrugged, grinning at each other.
“Figuring it out is the fun part,” Steve said.
“An app would be easier than a console game,” I pointed out. “But I do love online multiplayer games you can play from your computer. ”
Steve and I batted around game ideas for a few minutes, but Felix didn’t seem into it. He was staring at his beer, picking at the label with his thumb, but his foot was tapping restlessly on the floor. I decided to change the subject.
“Hey, how’s the wedding planning coming along? Did you pick a honeymoon destination yet?”
That brought a smile to his face. I still wasn’t sure why Felix and Malcolm had waited five years to tie the knot. I mean, if you’re not into the whole marriage thing, that’s up to you. But if you’re going to do it, most people—at least in America—decide within the first couple of years of being together.
“We’re talking about taking one of the tourist trains across Canada.”
Malcolm had a bum leg, and a train was probably an easier way for him to sightsee than some sort of walking tour or whatever. And, actually, the thought of hanging out on a train all day—getting out every so often to check out some tourist spot but mostly watching the scenery and maybe playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on my laptop—sounded pretty damn relaxing.
Felix finished answering Steve’s question—complete with wiggling eyebrows of course—about sleeping cars on the train, and then his eyes dropped to his beer bottle again.
“Um,” he said. He shot me a hesitant glance before looking back down.
I frowned. “What? What’s the matter?”
He kind of squirmed in his seat but finally raised his eyes. “I found out something last night that I need to tell you, but I’m not sure how you’ll react.” He pointed at Steve. “But I’m dead certain how he’s going to react, and I don’t want him to get overenthusiastic and pressure you.” He turned to Steve. “Sorry. ”
What the hell?
Steve sat up and his mouth dropped open to protest, but I held up a hand.
“Weren’t you at game night last night with Malcolm’s crew? Is that where you learned whatever it is?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“And was this a public discussion? All of those guys and Malcolm know this?”
“Most of them, yeah, but I never said your name. Only Malcolm knows it relates to you.”
Which meant it wasn’t something public, like my job. I frowned. “Is this about my visions? Whatever it is, Steve can hear it at the same time.”
He and I didn’t have any secrets. Well, okay, it’d taken me months to tell him I didn’t want to work at Rogues Gallery anymore. And I hadn’t told him I could see people’s alter egos yet. But I needed time to process those things myself.
Steve stuck his tongue out at Felix, who shook a finger at him. “Remember, don’t pressure Cal.”
Steve gasped and put his hand over his heart.
“You know you would.” Felix turned to me. “Yes, it’s about your visions. Here goes.” He sat up straight, a determined expression on his face. “You remember Craig and Greg, who run the Bark & Purr Pet Resort?”
I nodded. I’d never met them, but they’d effectively introduced Felix to Malcolm five years ago. Malcolm had needed a pet massage therapist for his elderly cat, and they’d given him Felix’s contact info .
“Right. So they were talking about Greg’s family or something, and it came up that Greg’s mother is psychic.”
Steve sat up in excitement, but Felix pointed a finger at him. He pressed his lips together and slumped in his seat.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve run across other so-called psychics before, Felix. They’re all fakes.” Most of them were bilking money out of grieving people online by claiming they could get in touch with loved ones who’d passed away.
He gave me a quelling look. “Can I please finish before you dismiss what I’m saying?”
I hunched down. “Shit, I’m sorry. I’m an ass.”
He whacked my arm with the back of his hand. “I know, but rein it in for a few more minutes, okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Go on.” Friends like Felix and Steve, who called me on my bullshit but accepted that it was part of me, were hard to come by.
Felix eyed me to make sure I could be trusted to behave before he continued. “So according to Greg and Craig, Greg’s mom has visions at night when she sleeps. She predicted that Greg would meet Craig and they’d become friends.”
“Okay? And?”
“ And ? What do you mean, and ? It sounds exactly like what you do. I got her phone number from Greg for you.”
Oh, hell, no.
“You want me to call some random woman and tell her what? That I have visions like she claims to?”
Felix threw up his hands. “I was trying to help you meet someone who might be like you. Wouldn’t it be nice to have somebody to talk about psychic things with? ”
I sighed and closed my eyes so I wouldn’t roll them at Felix again. “Yes. You’re right. I would really appreciate knowing someone else who has the same ability. Thank you for thinking of me. But it’s more likely this woman tells her family after the fact that she knew things would happen so she can make herself look important.”
“So prove it,” Steve suggested.
I opened my eyes. “What?”
He shrugged. “Prove she’s faking it. Call her and hear her out. What’ve you got to lose except a few minutes of your time?”
Felix smiled at Steve. “Exactly.” He whipped out his phone.
I tried to come up with a reasonable excuse not to call Felix’s boyfriend’s friend’s mother, but my phone chimed with Felix’s text before I could think of one.
Reluctantly I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Wait, does she even know who I am?”
My hopes were dashed when Felix said, “Not your name, no, but Greg confirmed this morning that his mom is expecting your call.”
Dammit.
I opened the message. Delphia Shaw. I wasn’t familiar with her area code.
Grimacing, I added her to my contacts. “I’ll text her to see if she’s available.” Maybe she’d be busy. Or she’d be one of those Boomers who didn’t text.
Me : Hi, my name’s Cal. A friend of mine knows your son Greg and told me we have something in common. Let me know when you have time to talk .
There. Done.
Felix said, “Uh, I should probably warn you, I’ve met her a couple of times, and she’s a lot.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Define a lot .”
My phone rang. It was her.
Fuck.
“I’ll get more beers. You talk to the psychic woman.” Steve jumped up before I could respond.
Glaring at Felix, I answered. “Hello?”
“Hi, Cal. This is Delphia Shaw. I’m so glad you contacted me.”
She seemed nice at least. So far.
“Yeah, um, so do you mind telling me about your visions?”
“Of course, sweetie. I’m sure you’re wondering if I’m some con artist who’s going to ask you for money or something.”
“Oh, uh....”
“It’s only natural. You probably only called me because your friends would keep after you if you didn’t. Anyway, let’s see. I’ll start at the beginning since my talent evolved over time. You may not have gained all the bells and whistles yet.”
“Evolved?” I nodded thanks at Steve when he set a beer down in front of me. Felix watched me avidly from the other end of the couch, his fists pressed against his mouth.
“Oh, yeah. Let’s see. I started having visions at night when I was around fourteen years old. To start with they weren’t anything big, just fender benders or other things that happened to people I knew. Luckily I wasn’t the only one with talents so my parents didn’t panic. ”
“That’s nice.” I had not had the same experience.
“When I got older I started having visions about people I’d never met before, which was weird at first. Not sure if it’s the same for you, but if I don’t know the person they kind of look unmolded, like I’m seeing a placeholder or a mannequin instead of their real faces.”
I clenched my fingers around the phone as sweat prickled under my arms.
“Let’s see. Um, when I was in my twenties I started being able to see people’s second selves. Like, if I run into someone and they have a profession they strongly identify with, like a dancer, then I see sort of a shadow of the dancer overlaid on top of their physical self.”
Holy fuck.
“I won’t scare you with what happened when I was pregnant. All those hormones, you would not believe. You won’t have to worry about that.” She laughed.
“Oh, um, wow.”
“But as I got older, my visions had a wider geographical radius, and I learned how to trigger one when I was awake. There’s lots more too, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. Um, did any of that ring a bell for you, sweetie? You don’t have to tell me either way, but if we have similar skills I might be able to help you fine-tune your abilities.”
“Um....” Should I tell her? After how my mother had reacted, I’d kept my visions to myself as much as possible. But it sure sounded like her abilities were the same as mine.
I glanced at Felix and Steve. They nodded encouragingly at me.
Fuck it .
“Yeah, what you’re describing is pretty much how my abilities work.”
Delphia squealed, and I yanked the phone away from my ear. “This is so exciting!” She asked me about how old I’d been when my visions started and how old I was now. Then she said, “And your family? Do you have any other family members with similar talents?”
I made a face. I should’ve expected this question. “No. It was just me and my mom, and she definitely doesn’t have any psychic talents.”
“No worries, sometimes it randomly appears in families. How did your mother react when you started having the visions?”
I couldn’t stop a bark of laughter. “She, uh, didn’t react well, so after a while I told her I’d stopped having visions.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Steve roll his eyes and exaggeratedly mouth, Didn’t react well?
“Oh, you poor dear. Well, you won’t get that sort of response from me or mine. If you need a support system, you’ve got one.”
That was pushing things way too fast for me. I didn’t know this woman. “I appreciate it, really, but I’ve got two good friends I can talk to.”
Delphia made a cooing noise. “How wonderful, dear. Sometimes the family we make is more necessary than the family we’re born with.”
“Oh, yeah, I agree.” I shifted in my seat. “Um, Delphia, it’s been great talking to you, but I think I need to take a few days to absorb all this.”
“Of course, dear. You have my number, and you can call or text me any time. ”
“Thanks. Um, I’m glad we spoke, and I’m sure I’ll talk to you soon.”
We hung up.
I grabbed my beer and flopped back on the couch cushions. “Is it midnight yet? That call felt like forever.”
Steve snorted. “It was, like, twelve minutes.”
Felix said, “You were talking like she was legit.”
I took a large swallow of beer and said, “Yeah, I think she is.”
“But you didn’t want to talk to her anymore?”
I looked over at him. “I do, I will. But I was getting a little freaked out, and I need to process everything.”
Steve nodded sympathetically. “It must be weird finally knowing there’s someone else out there who can do what you do.”
I shook my head. “It’s more... she said she can help me improve my abilities.” I took a deep breath. “But do I really want to improve them?”