Chapter 11
“I see a handsome man in your future…”
“Go on,” Anna said. Her eyes were wide, and she leaned forward as she clung to every word coming out of Norma’s mouth.
We were having breakfast in the café, and Norma had sat down with us immediately.
She’d wasted no time in giving me a crushing hug before turning to Cress and Anna.
She’d barely learned their names before she was telling their fortune.
Cress hadn’t stopped smiling since Norma told her that her heart was in the right place for love and, if she was open to it, there would be “many pleasures” ahead.
Anna had been sitting on the edge of her seat ever since, desperate to hear Norma’s predictions for her own future.
“He’s tall and muscular with hair the color of sand.”
Anna grinned and started rubbing her hands together. “Just my type.”
“Yes,” Norma agreed. “But I foresee a bumpy road for you as a couple.”
“Wait, what?” Anna’s shoulders slouched. “What does that mean?”
“It probably means you’re going to torment the poor boy, whoever he is,” Cress said with a laugh.
“That sounds about right,” Anna grumbled before turning to Norma once more. “Why couldn’t you tell me some sexy man is going to sweep me off my stilettos and carry me off into the sunset?”
Norma lifted an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t say that’s not what’s going to happen, did I?”
Anna’s lips twisted in a sly smirk. “Good. Do Isobel next.”
“Uh, I don’t think I need my fortune told today,” I said. “I’m quite happy in the present.”
Norma smiled and nodded. “I can see that. I will tell you one thing though…”
“Which is…” I asked.
“Always trust your heart.” She gave me a smile and sighed. “All this talk of love’s got me wishing I had a little of my own.”
“You don’t have someone special?” Cress asked.
Norma shook her head.
“But what about in your future?” Anna said. “Surely you can see that.”
“Oh, well,” Norma replied. “The future’s a different matter. I’ll have love. He’s just taking his sweet time realizing I’m the one.” She was clearly talking about Frank.
“Well, make him realize,” Anna replied. “You can’t wait around for a guy forever. For all you know, he’ll never figure it out. Maybe he’ll even move on with someone else.”
“Move on?” Norma’s voice was alarmed, and she started to frown. “He wouldn’t, would he?” She looked thoughtful as she murmured to herself. It might have been the first time she’d ever considered that her love for Frank might go unrequited forever.
Her attention was pulled away as she glanced up at some customers who’d just entered the café. “I better go take their orders. I’ll see you girls later.”
Anna watched with awe as Norma walked away from the table. “She. Is. Awesome!” she gasped. “I can’t believe there’s a real psychic working at your mom’s café.”
“Real psychic?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Norma doesn’t really have a history of accurate predictions.”
“They sounded totally legit to me,” Anna said. “What do you think, Cress?”
“Well, I definitely liked the sound of my future.” Cress smiled, but she wasn’t looking at Anna. Instead, her focus was on the cup of coffee she had her hands wrapped around. She was staring into it as though it might somehow confirm or disprove Norma’s predictions.
“Do you think she was talking about Kaden? She has to be talking about Kaden, right?” Cress asked when she looked at us again.
“Definitely,” Anna agreed. “I’m pretty jealous of the many pleasures that lie ahead of you.” She gave Cress a wink, and Cress’s cheeks went bright pink.
“Get your head out of the gutter, Anna.”
“What? I may not be a psychic, but Norma was definitely alluding to a future of hot, steamy—”
“Uh, what do you think she meant with your prediction, Isobel?” Cress quickly asked, raising her voice as she cut Anna off. She was suddenly desperate to get off the subject of her and Kaden.
“I’m not really sure you could call mine a prediction.”
Anna shook her head. “No, it totally means something.”
It sounded to me like the kind of advice you found in a fortune cookie, but I didn’t say that to the girls because they both seemed very excited by Norma’s “abilities.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I let out a sigh. Whether Norma had been giving me a so-called psychic prediction or just honest advice, I wasn’t quite sure I was capable of following it.
My heart had already led me astray multiple times before and proven itself thoroughly untrustworthy.
“Anyway, we should be talking less and eating more,” I said. “The waffles are going to get cold.”
I started to dig into the food before us, and the girls begrudgingly followed suit. I could tell they wanted to keep chatting about our predictions, but I was worried they were getting their hopes up. Norma wasn’t exactly a reliable psychic.
As we were eating, the little bell above the entrance to the café chimed, and the front door swung open.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Matthew.
I almost hadn’t recognized him. For once, my father wasn’t dressed in one of his fine suits, and instead, he was wearing a pair of casual chinos and a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
It was strange to see him looking so relaxed.
I hadn’t seen him since Halloween, but we’d talked briefly on the phone once since then.
That night at the carnival had brought out a side of Matthew I didn’t know existed.
He had been emotional. Angry and aggressive toward Noah and William but defensive and protective of me when he felt I was being threatened.
It was so different to the calm and composed man I’d first met in the office of his Weybridge mansion.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen a crack in his stoic personality though.
He’d let the mask fall and been honest and vulnerable at the White Ball when he revealed the truth about why he’d been missing from my life all these years.
And again in New York when he’d explained his history with the Hastings family and opened up about the death of his sister.
Today though, there was a hint of a smile on his face and a lightness to his steps that suggested those serious issues were far from his mind.
One of the only times I’d seen this side of Matthew was when he was strolling through the Halloween carnival with my mom next to him.
When he caught my gaze across the room, his smile broadened, and he walked over to our table. “Hello, Isobel,” he said.
I had thought I’d never get used to my father’s polished English accent, but it was actually starting to feel familiar to me.
“Hey, Matthew,” I said. “How are you? I’m glad to see your eye is looking better.”
The last time I saw my father, his eye was starting to swell and his cheek was bruised, thanks to Noah’s fist. There was no sign of the injury now, but I still felt like the damage Noah had done when he punched Matthew was a wound that would never heal.
“Yes, me too,” Matthew replied. “It was all rather unpleasant.”
Unpleasant felt like a bit of an understatement, but I didn’t feel the need to go into any more detail. It seemed like my father was just as relieved as I was to be in Rapid Bay, far away from memories of that night.
“You remember my friends, Cress and Anna?”
“Of course.” He turned his attention to my friends. “It’s lovely to see you both again.”
Cress and Anna both had their mouths full, so their responses were muffled, but it sounded like they said something along the lines of “You too.”
“Thanks for organizing the flight here for us,” I said. “The plane was really too much.”
“It was no problem at all,” he replied. “It’s just nice that we could all be here.”
I smiled and nodded in agreement. “Do you want to sit and have some breakfast with us?” I gestured toward the free seat at my side.
Matthew shook his head and straightened his back slightly as he glanced around the café.
“Thank you, but I ate on my trip here. I should go and say hello to your mother. Is she here?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke, his eyes instead still scanning the café as though he was eager to catch sight of her.
“Yep, she’s in the kitchen.”
“Excellent. Maybe I’ll see if I can do anything to help prepare for lunch.”
“You can ask, but Mom takes her hosting duties on Thanksgiving very seriously, and she’s a bit of a perfectionist. She doesn’t even ask me for help.”
Another smile formed on his face as he glanced down at me. “Well, I’ll try my best not to get in the way.”
I grinned back at him and gestured to the swing door that led to the kitchen. “It’s through there. Good luck.”
Matthew nodded before turning to head toward the kitchen.
“Was that your father?” Norma asked, returning to our table just as he disappeared out back.
“Yeah, he just arrived. He’s gone to see if Mom needs any help.”
“Did you warn him?” Norma chuckled. “You know how she likes to do everything herself on Thanksgiving.”
“Yep, I warned him. He went in anyway.”
“Well, maybe she’ll make an exception for him.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But I think it’s more likely that he’ll see how hectic it is back there and then think twice before offering to help next year.”
The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I’d said.
It was only after I heard them that I realized I actually thought Matthew would be here with us for Thanksgiving next year.
That he was actually going to be a real part of my life from now on.
The most surprising thing was I didn’t totally hate the idea.
“I guess we’ll have to see,” Norma said, a knowing smile on her lips. “Now, I’m going to sneak a peek in the back and see if he’s as handsome as your momma says.”
“Oh, he is,” Anna said.
I shot her a glare.
“What?” she protested. “I’ve told you before he’s hot for an older guy.”
Norma let out a full-bellied laugh and was still shaking her head as she started toward the kitchen.
“I think Norma likes you, Anna, even if I don’t right now,” I said.