Chapter 7
CALLIOPE
“You’re really going on a date tonight?”
After spending the rest of the morning plus the afternoon with Quinten in my shop getting things ready, I had still been loath to see him leave.
True to his word, he hadn’t kissed me. Yet.
But that didn’t mean he hadn’t spent the entirety of our day flirting, touching, and driving my hormones bananas.
Even with all that distraction, though, we still accomplished a lot.
I no longer felt like I was behind and felt confident that I could get my storefront ready in time for my Grand Opening Friday afternoon.
No doubt the garbageman would hate me come Thursday, though. We had a lot of boxes that still needed to be broken down and placed in the recycling dumpster out back. Thankfully, the trash pickup was twice a week.
Quinten’s confidence in us helped me to push past my confusion. I had no idea what had gone wrong, or right, with my original vision. I was so sure of the date, his words, and the atmosphere that I’d planned my entire future around that moment in time. But now?
Those three cards, Ace of Cups, Four of Wands, and The Lovers, especially in that order, were a clear sign that love was in the air.
If even one was different or reversed, I wouldn’t be so sure.
But they hadn’t been. While some read for past, present, and future, I had asked my question with the intention of mind, body, and spirit.
Upright as it had been, Ace of Cups was one of the happiest cards in a reading.
It symbolized new feelings, an awakening.
Especially if you’re single, as I was, it pointed towards the start of a new romantic relationship.
Four of Wands in answer to a romantic question oftentimes could lead to marriage.
It also was a strong community card, which made sense given the lifestyle of Quinten’s motorcycle club.
Especially when followed up by The Lovers.
I wasn’t sure yet what sacrifice I had to make for my commitment.
There was a chance I had already made it by giving up time and watching him be with others, but I didn’t think so.
Not when the card was the last one drawn.
Individually, each of the cards from my reading had pointed towards following love’s path, but together? It was one of the strongest reads towards love I could have gotten.
Mom had offered to do another reading for me when I got home earlier, concerned that I’d either consciously or subconsciously ‘stacked the deck’.
Often when doing a reading for yourself or a family member, one can easily misinterpret the cards towards the outcome they desire most, even without manipulating which cards are drawn.
Amateurs did it too, not understanding the broader meanings behind the suits.
I understood Mom’s concern, but Quinten’s near demand for me to confess how I felt without the influence of my tarot or visions made me realize that I didn’t need divine intervention to know what to do.
I was going on a date with the love of my life, the man I would one day marry and who would father my two children. I didn’t need to know anything else.
My bedroom door was open. I’d already showered and was dressed.
My room had changed a lot over the years, from my nursery to my adult bedroom.
I wasn’t positive this was the bed I would lose my virginity in.
For some reason, I could never see that clearly.
Like we were surrounded by a mist too dense for me to see through.
I was wearing jeans, ankle boots, and a long green tunic. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but I knew he would be taking me on his bike. I wanted something classy while also comfortable and able to be worn on his motorcycle.
In my mirror, I met my mom’s eyes. “I’m going,” I assured her again.
I was starting to feel defensive, which I hated.
My mom and I had a great relationship, always had.
Even in my teenage years, I always felt like I could come to her with anything.
I didn’t want my decision to be with Quinten now to affect that.
My mom fought with her words for a moment before saying, “I just want you to be careful. If you are changing your future, you don’t know what other changes you could be influencing.”
I nodded. I’d already thought of this, but I also was very positive that, no matter those changes, Quinten would be by my side as I faced them. “I’ll be careful,” I promised.
“Your father and I still want to officially meet him.”
I’d assumed as much. Years ago, I’d pointed Quinten out to my parents, but they hadn’t actually met him yet.
I took a calming breath and concentrated. Since running into Quinten at the bakery when he’d first moved to town, I’d developed a seventh sense, as if my regular five and my witchy sixth weren’t enough. No, now I had a Quinten Beacon.
It wasn’t like I could concentrate and see where he was, along with his surroundings.
It was more of knowing which direction he was in or how far away he was from me.
It wasn’t an exact locator. Getting longitude and latitude coordinates, though, would be useless to me.
Still, I’d found myself searching for him over the years, just to check in.
“He’s on his way,” I said with a smile. I could practically feel the wind as he rode his bike towards my house.
Opening my eyes, I saw my mom nod once. “Good, and don’t forget to use protection.”
“Mom!” I groaned, my cheeks flaming. As comfortable as I was talking to my mom about anything, I did not want her to know when and where I was planning on having sex.
“I meant a helmet,” she said innocently, even though I knew she hadn’t.
I glared at her as she left, cackling. Shaking my head that I fell for her joke, I finished braiding my hair and applying my makeup.
I usually wore my hair loose, but I didn’t want it to look like a rat’s nest by the time we got to where we were going.
The braid was quick, simple, and I could take it out easily.
I was heading down the stairs when I heard the rumble of his bike. My heart picked up its pace. I’d ridden on his bike countless times in my dreams, but knew this was going to be different. Better.
I couldn’t wait.
I was a little surprised he took me to Demon on the Rocks, the bar the club owned. I didn’t think it was a bad thing, just not what I anticipated. And for me, that was saying something.
Two other bikes were parked in the lot. The entire row against the brick building was reserved for motorcycle parking. Being a small town, there was plenty of street parking if the rest of the lot was taken. People also tended to walk, even when the weather was bad.
“Looks like Ghost and Ranger are in tonight,” Quinten told me as he held his arm out to help me dismount. Other than the slight chill, I loved riding on his motorcycle. I didn’t need my powers to know that we would definitely be doing this a lot in our future.
“Who are they?”
Despite being a town staple, I’d never been in Demons before.
I wasn’t a drinker nor a partier, and I never wanted to take the chance of running into Quinten.
As a rule of thumb, I’d always avoided most club businesses.
The only one I frequented was Scotty’s Creations, the art studio on Main that supported the National Down Syndrome Society.
Before Paige had become an ol’ lady, I’d also been a regular customer of her acupuncture studio.
It hadn’t been a club business. I likely wouldn’t have stopped going either, but Paige had closed her doors permanently after a stalker had broken in and assaulted her earlier this year.
As a result of avoiding club businesses, I didn’t know the members like many locals did.
Everyone knew Steel, the President. Despite being a transplant after retiring from the military, Steel was as much a staple of our small-town community as Main Street was.
He just had that sort of commanding personality.
In pushing Pumpkin and Dosia back together, I’d been trying to figure out a way to avoid the club for the next two years. As her family, and practically her sister, it would have been expected of me to get involved, or at least to be introduced to them.
Guess that wasn’t a concern now.
Despite that I was wearing a warmer jacket, I still had a chill on me from the ride. Seeing this, Quinten put his arm around me and curled me into his side as he guided me to a backdoor. I doubted just anyone could use this door, but it was the fastest way to get me inside.
I welcomed the heat as soon as he put the code in that gained us entry. Quinten ushered me in.
“I’ll give you my coat on the ride back,” he told me as he closed the door behind us. “That jacket isn’t suited for riding during the colder weather. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the dealership and we’ll get you outfitted for everything you need. Also get you your own helmet.”
“Whose helmet was I using?”
We were standing in a long hallway. I could hear the echo of the music from the front of the bar. Everything was polished wood, giving the place a rustic, country feel. To our right was a closed door labeled Office. I saw Men’s and Women’s restroom doors on the left further up the hall.
“It’s Sissy’s old helmet. She’s Lucky’s daughter, but then she became Scissors’ ol’ lady.
Anyway, she got a new one a couple years ago from her girlfriend, now-wife.
It was still good and it felt like a waste to toss, so we kind of just kept it in the garage as a spare.
Which brings me back to your first question.
” He guided me down the hall towards the noise and the main part of the bar.
“Ranger’s a member, like me. He co-manages this bar with Ghost, who is our Enforcer. ”
I paused. Quinten kept walking for a second, felt I stopped, and then stopped too. I frowned at him, my eyebrows drawing down.
“What?” he asked.
“You just lied to me.”