Bells On Her Toes (The Psychic Seasons Series Book 2) Read online

  Scrambling over every section and taking measurements, he could see that the patching they’d done was competent and that he’d probably made a mistake in his estimation of Gustavia’s abilities. Still he didn’t apologize. It was probably better if he let her keep thinking he was an insensitive jerk.

  Simpler that way. Safer.

  He told himself the smart choice was to walk away now, not submit an estimate and be done with the whole thing. With her.

  Instead, he finished taking measurements and started a materials list.

  ***

  Julie watched appraisingly as the two of them climbed back down the ladder. Knowing Finn for all of an hour, his body language told her exactly nothing; Gustavia’s, however, was extremely eloquent. The set of her shoulders and the stiffness of her posture were good indicators of her annoyance level.

  Stifling a smile, Julie also observed several sidelong glances from each of them and a little extra something in Gustavia’s walk. Conclusion? Gustavia might be annoyed but she was also attracted. So was he.

  The two women, by unspoken mutual agreement, watched Finn, arm muscles bunching, carry the ladder across the lawn and hoist it back onto the rack on his truck. When Gustavia heard Julie give a sigh of approval, she speared her with a narrow-eyed mock glare and teased. “Hey, what would Tyler say if he saw you gawking at another guy?”

  “Oh, I can look. The real question is: are you gonna touch? You know you want to, I can tell.”

  “After the other day? The way he talked to me?” Gustavia’s voice rose.

  “He seems to have gotten over that. Maybe he was just having an off day.”

  Gustavia grumbled, “More like an off life. Today he called my clothes inventive.” She didn’t mention the tussle over the bag.

  “Could have been a compliment,” Julie commented, looking to add a positive spin and getting a dirty look in response.

  “He has a daughter. She’s great but that makes it complicated.”

  “You love kids. I can’t see that being a problem for you, unless it’s a problem for him. Did he give you the vibe? Before things went south, I mean.”

  “I’m not sure. At first, he was really sweet and thanked me for helping his daughter.” She told Julie about Lila and Sam’s reaction to losing her. “Then he told me how my conversation with her had been a turning point, he called it a miracle. I’m already half in love with Sam, more than half. She has a bright aura, so light. She’s articulate and engaged with the world.”

  Julie nodded.

  “But then he went all weasel on me.”

  Finn walked around the truck as he secured the ladder and now it was Gustavia’s turn to sigh in appreciation. “He’s easy on the eyes, no question. He thinks I’m weird, though. I can tell, he thinks I’m ten shades of crazy pants. He’s moody and he laughed at my car. Then, today he says my clothes are inventive and acts like everything is just peachy. I can’t keep up with the changes.”

  “You do have an effect on people.” Julie smiled; she knew being uncompromisingly true to herself had cost Gustavia over the years. “But if he asks, you’re going to see him again? Does he get the benefit of the doubt?”

  “Well, I’m not totally stupid; did you get a look at him walking away?” The only answer she got was the waggle of Julie’s eyebrows. “Sure is a nice view.”

  She sighed. “Nice butt even if sometimes it’s on his shoulders—not much of a draw. Still, there are flashes of sweet and funny and warm. Might balance out. He’s not interested, anyway.”

  Julie disagreed but kept her thoughts to herself.

  The two women strolled toward the truck; it was time to see what Finn thought of the roof. “How long will it take you to get an estimate together?”

  “Give me a couple of days to sketch out a materials list and scope-of-work sheet.” He bit the bullet and said, “You did a good job nursing it along.”

  “Listen, we’re having a cookout on Saturday afternoon. Why don’t you join us. Bring your estimate.” Julie wasn’t above some subtle matchmaking, even when it netted her a sharp elbow jab to the ribs.

  “Okay if I bring my little girl with me? Is Lola good with kids?”

  “Of course you can. Lola’s good with everyone who isn’t my crazy ex, but that’s a story for another day.” The women exchanged a grin though, under the levity, Finn sensed they’d been through something serious together; but he refrained from asking questions about things that weren’t really any of his business.

  Chapter Seven

  “It’s Saturday, I get to see Miss Gustavia again. I’ve been counting down the days on my calendar.”

  “You’ll be seeing Miss Gustavia, and her friend Julie who owns the house. Be on your best behavior. Don’t ask a million questions. And did I tell you Julie has a dog? Her name is Lola and she’s very friendly, but she’s also big so you need to be careful around her, okay?”

  He glanced at his daughter as she wiggled excitedly beside him in the truck’s seat, trying to get a good look out the window to see if they were getting close.

  “I will, daddy, I promise; and I won’t pester Miss Gustavia or her friends. What do you think they’re like? Do you think they’re all writers, too? Do you think there’ll be burgers? Or maybe hot dogs? I love hot dogs. With relish. Do you think they’ll have relish? Oh, and honey mustard, that’s my all-time favorite.” Finn couldn’t help the smile that stole across his face; it never failed to lift his heart when he saw her excited about anything after those scary months of near silence.

  He’d even tolerated a gaggle of girls for a birthday sleepover—and if they’d made him an honorary princess complete with painted nails and a pink crown, no one ever had to know. There weren’t pictures to prove it, at least not any that would ever see the light of day.

  Finally, they rounded the corner and the big house came into view. It was impressive enough to pull a soft exclamation out of Sam.

  “It’s really something, isn’t it? See those columns? They were part of the original Greek revival style. Look at the cornices. The frieze and architrave need a bit of a spruce, but everything is solid. It looks like he altered both wings so he could add those Gothic buttresses on either side. Then the stained glass windows—they’re just amazing. There are two more on the back side of the house.”

  Now, it was his daughter’s turn to be amused as he pointed out more parts of the architecture and how the styles had been melded. She didn’t care about all the fancy words he was throwing around; this house looked a lot like a castle and that was good enough for her.

  Catching sight of Gustavia retrieving a cooler from the back seat of her vintage Maverick, Sam pushed the truck door open and jumped out almost before her father could bring it to a full stop. Shrugging off his sharp reprimand, she made a beeline for Gustavia and bounced in place while asking, “Can I help you carry something?”

  “Sure.” Finn caught Gustavia’s eye over his daughter’s head, “But I think your father was telling you how dangerous it can be to open the door on a moving car,” she cautioned.

  “I’m sorry, Dad, I’ll be more careful next time.” Sam shuffled her feet in chagrin; she didn’t want him to be angry with her any more than she wanted Miss Gustavia to think she was a rule-breaker.

  Satisfied with that, Finn greeted Gustavia. She wasn’t dressed quite as flamboyantly today as she had been before, but he figured it was a safe bet her wardrobe was always going to lean toward the esoteric. Well, that was fine by him. He liked the way she looked; it fit her warm, earth mother personality. He liked that she didn’t blend in.

  Oh, who was he kidding? She’d draw the eye of everyone in any room she entered and her clothing choices were only part of the reason why.

  She was a striking woman who carried herself well. Lush curves, a lively, intelligent face; intricately braided hair the color of warm honey; a gracefully curved neck that almost begged a man to nuzzle just there. And her lips. Her lips looked like they would be soft as rose petals.
He didn’t know how long he’d been staring at her, but when he finally pulled himself back out of his reverie, there was an amused, knowing look on her face that told him she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. Too bad he couldn’t risk Sam getting too attached.

  It was more honesty than he could afford to admit that it was himself he was protecting.

  Finn took the heavy cooler from her and motioned his head for Gustavia to lead the way. This time she gave in gracefully, letting him do the heavy lifting while she turned her attention to Sam.

  Answering a new spate of rapid-fire questions, she couldn’t help thinking there was nothing to be seen of the shy girl from a year ago, Gustavia glanced back and caught Finn’s eye with a twinkle in her own as she walked through the house and toward the patio.

  Finn could only grin and shrug. It was going to be hard work keeping her at arm’s length, but today he knew he was auditioning for a job and needed to be on his best behavior. Once in the backyard, he set the cooler down then greeted Julie and introduced his daughter.

  “Everyone else will be along soon. Tyler needed to drop by and check on his grandfather, and Amethyst stopped to pick up Kat,” Julie informed Gustavia.

  “Daddy, look at the gazebo. Is it okay if I go sit in it?” She shifted from one foot to the other, eager to explore.

  “Sure, Lola’s down there now. Let me call her and she can go with you; it’s one of her favorite places and I know she’s going to love meeting you.”

  Julie called out and, within seconds, Lola came galumphing across the lawn. Finn couldn’t help but chuckle; Lola running was a rare sight. She was not the most graceful of dogs, but she was enthusiastic as head lowered and legs slightly akimbo she ran full out, her back end trying to outrun her front.

  Once she laid eyes on Sam Lola altered course slightly, and for a moment, it looked like she might run right over the girl. Instead, she slid to a stop then looked up at Sam with brown eyes just begging for attention. Dropping to her knees, Sam drew the dog in for a hug and was rewarded with a gentle but sloppy kiss. Instant rapport.

  “C’mon, Lola, let’s go for a walk.” She called back to her father, “I’ll be back.”

  Julie mistook the surprised look on his face for concern. “She’ll be fine with Lola, I promise.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just—she doesn’t usually get so comfortable so quickly when we go someplace new.”

  Gustavia exchanged a secretive smile with Julie, “This place is special.”

  He let that pass.

  “How do you think he’s going to handle meeting Kat and Ammie?”

  “I guess we will have to see. He laughed at my car, so maybe his mind isn’t quite open enough. Oh, he tried to cover it up; he’s a gentleman and all.”

  “Standing right here. Y’all treat everyone this way?” A little bit of Texas crept into his speech though he’d long since lost most of his drawl.

  He faced two unrepentant grins. “Sometimes. it depends on the person and whether we think they have potential. Do you?”

  “Have potential? Potential for what? I’m not exactly sure what’s going on here.” He felt out of his depth dealing with the banter. A non-existent social life meant it had been awhile since the last time he was lighthearted enough to participate in verbal gymnastics.

  Until this very moment he didn’t realize how much he had missed it; missed feeling like the bottom wouldn’t drop out from under him again if he so much as relaxed his guard for a minute. Holding himself back was frustrating, especially since he knew that these people could become friends if he could just let go of the fear produced by sudden loss.

  A fear so powerful it dropped a shutter over him every time he felt the least urge to open up, let someone in besides Sam. That turned him short-tempered and rude.

  Close the door on that, he thought.

  He pulled his attention back to the present just in time to see Gustavia gesturing toward the house where her friend Amethyst, arm companionably draped over Kat’s shoulders, led the blind psychic onto the patio. Finn’s eyes widened, then he let loose a low whistle.

  Amethyst had that effect on people. She was dressed in purple from head to toe. Her hair and eyebrows were dyed a delicate shade of lavender giving her an ethereal, fairy-like appearance that was only enhanced by her diminutive height. With a grin, Gustavia said, “and you thought I dressed funny.”

  He tried to backtrack and say that he’d thought no such thing, but she wasn’t having any of it. “Oh, yes, you do, but it’s okay; I’ll forgive you. Once.” If that’s what she thought, maybe it would be better to let her believe it. Telling her his bad behavior was brought on by panic because he was attracted to her and so was his daughter—well, better to let that slide by.

  She could tell that he was trying to adjust and struggling with it a bit. He would either sink or swim. And if he couldn’t hang with the group, he couldn’t hang with her. Just the way it was.

  When Gustavia introduced him to the new arrivals and then to Tyler who’d been right behind them, he got another surprise. She might look like a tiny fairy, but Amethyst’s speaking voice—a deep, throaty purr—was anything but wraith-like.

  Finn was glad to see another man. While Tyler manned the grill the two of them made guy talk and watched the women.

  “They do dazzle the eye, don’t they?” Tyler chuckled at Finn’s expression each time a burst of feminine laughter was heard. The man was obviously unused to being surrounded by a group of women with strong personalities.

  “Bit much to take, seeing them all together like that,” Finn commented with a shake of his head.

  “Assume you mean that in a good way?” Tyler’s mild mannered exterior housed a warrior soul. Derogatory comments would not be tolerated.

  “Hmm? Oh, yes, absolutely.” Tyler noted Finn’s gaze might wander to the other three, but it was Gustavia who had him riveted. He kept the grin off his face, but just barely. The signs were there; the guy was well on his way to being hooked.

  “I got off on the wrong foot with her,” Finn gestured toward Gustavia. “Now she thinks I’m a jerk.”

  “She’s a free spirit. It puts some people off. But, under it all—the crazy clothes, the hair—there’s solid. I won’t tell you her story because it’s not my place, but there is one, and even with the solid, she has some fragile places.”

  It was a warning: gentle, but clear and simple. To make his point, Tyler steeled his gaze. “She’s Julie’s and that makes her mine. Makes all of them mine, come to that.”

  Finn held up both hands. “I hear you. You protect what’s yours. I admire that. It’s not my intention to hurt her.”

  A former journalist, Tyler’s people reading skills were tightly honed. Looking at Finn, he saw the misery, the fear and the wall the other man was trying to maintain. What he didn’t see was any malice. He nodded and that was the end of it. They were square on the subject. For now.

  Nodding his head toward the women, Finn ventured to ask, “Without telling me her story, what can you tell me about them? They seem tight.”

  “They are, and Gustavia’s the glue. Kat’s blind, you could probably tell. She’s a psychic—and I know what you’re going to say—but I’ll ask you to reserve judgment. She’s the real thing. Trust me. Amethyst is an aura reader.”

  When Finn went bug-eyed, Tyler laughed. “Better you get that out of your system now; they won’t appreciate disbelief if they see it on you. The auras are real, too, by the way. She’s taught me to see them a little.”

  Another goggle-eyed look and Tyler shrugged. “Believe me or not, your choice. I only know what I’ve seen.” The matter-of-fact statement left no room for debate.

  “Gustavia writes, as you already know. And she paints. She’s a shrewd judge of character, generous to a fault, and inventive. You should also be aware that she knows Krav Maga and, while I have yet to see her bust out on anyone, Julie says she’s good.

  Now that the lines between them were drawn an
d understood, the two men moved to a lighter topic. Sports.

  One ear on the conversation, Finn watched Sam in the gazebo as she played with Lola. He could see her talking to the dog and pretending to be a princess. She was an imaginative girl who enjoyed making up detailed stories and acting them out either alone or with her friends. He didn’t see the spark of light hovering above the bench that lined the perimeter of the gazebo.

  ***

  “My last contractor didn’t look like that,” Amethyst whispered loudly. “He had a beer gut, a plumber’s crack, and wore suspenders attached to both his pants and his underwear. I guess I missed out.”

  “Shhh. He’ll hear you. The male ego is a delicate creature, easily damaged; but feed it too much and you create a monster.” Julie nearly snorted out her drink at Gustavia’s dry comment.

  “Tell us how you really feel,” Kat teased.

  “Are you going to hire him?” Gustavia turned to Julie.

  “I’m leaning toward It, if that’s not a problem for you. He seems passionate about working on the house and it’s not every day I run into someone who visited the museum.”

  Gustavia shrugged. “It’s fine with me. Do what you want. He’s nice enough when he wants to be.” Just not always to me.

  ***

  Samantha and Lola rejoined the group. If his daughter was a little quieter than she’d been earlier, Finn put it down to her remembering she promised not to ask so many questions. She sat near Gustavia who treated her warmly, making sure she felt included and thought about what she'd seen in the gazebo.

  At first she had noticed Lola was acting funny, turning her head sideways as though she could hear something Sam couldn’t. Sam knew dogs could hear better than humans, but this seemed different because she was also wagging her little stump of a tail so hard her entire body was shaking—but no one was there. Then, without warning, an older woman appeared right next to the happy dog.