“Just a general reading,” Cami says, glancing toward me like she’s lost her nerve.
Ms. Beaux nods, then closes her eyes, opening her palms upward on top of the table as though she’s ready to accept messages from the heavens.
“Cami, you are in a lot of turmoil,” she says. “You’re worried about the future.”
“Yes,” Cami says, thirsty for an answer. “Do you see anything?”
“I see a young girl. A young girl with raven black hair.”
“Yes.” Cami is nearly panting. “What about her?”
“There’s a man with her. He’s tall, with tattoos on his arms.” Ms. Beaux squints her eyes tighter as though she’s trying to see the details of a picture that’s forming. “He has a boat on his arm with a broken mast. The man is protecting the girl from something.”
“Is it Henry?” Cami’s breath hitches as she speaks. Then she looks toward me. “Henry doesn’t have a tattoo like that.”
Ms. Beaux pauses. “No. It’s not Henry. It’s another man. I get the feeling it’s a man she’s never met, but he’s there to help her. He’s obsessed with her.”
“Obsessed?” Cami swallows hard. “Isn’t obsessed bad? It’s Tag, isn’t it? Tag is after her. Maybe he got tattoos since I saw him last. It’s—”
Ms. Beaux smiles. “No. He’s obsessed with her in a caring way. I’m feeling love and admiration, but his name isn’t coming to me.” She opens her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Wait, that’s it?” Cami says. “Do you see anything about a custody hearing? I’m trying to figure out if Tag is going to leave us alone.”
The woman closes her eyes again and purses her lips slightly. “I’m sorry. My spirit guide is showing me a baby. Wait, multiple babies… for Josie. I’m seeing an arrow.”
I laugh nervously, feeling a little guilty that the powers have jumped to me. I didn’t need a reading, and I know how much Cami did. “A baby? Trust me, I’m nowhere near having babies.”
“It’s soon,” she says. “Within months. Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
My eyes widen. “Yeah,virgin sure,I’m not pregnant.”
Mrs. Beaux opens her eyes. “That’s strange. I’m seeing bottles. Whenever I see bottles, it always signifies birth and babies. What about you, Cami? Any chance you’re carrying?”
Cami shrugs. “I suppose, but it’s highly unlikely. I’ve been on birth control for a while now. Besides, that wouldn’t explain an arrow. I have no idea what that means.”
Cami and I glance toward each other, our lips sealed, but our eyes are telling the same story.
This is bogus.Fun, but bogus.
The reciprocity seems to put a smile on Cami’s face, which is relieving considering the weight I worried she might be putting on this experience.
The back door creeks open and slams shut, startling us from the quiet reading.
Ms. Beaux turns back toward the noise. Her face has changed from pleasant and peaceful to a scowl. “How many times have I told you not to come through the back door when I have clients here?”
“Hello to you too, Grandma. I came in from the woods. I didn’t see you had cars out front. Sorry.”
Wyatt's face drops when he sees Cami and I sitting at the table. “You’re here. What are you doing here?”
“If you’d stop coming in through the back like a crazy person, you’d have seen they were here,” Ms. Beaux says. “Time for you to leave, grandson.”
Grandson? Wyatt comes from a family of psychics?
Wyatt stands taller. “I got an alert on my phone that your water tank was leaking again. You’ll be out of water by morning if I don’t get it fixed.”
She nods and shakes her head as I scan Wyatt for any tattooed arrows. I don’t see anything off the bat, but he has so many pieces it’s hard to see detail from this distance.
“I’m so sorry about the intrusion, ladies,” Ms. Beaux says. “You’d think the boy grew up in the woods or something,” she laughs. “Wyatt’s a good man. He’s just a little rough around the edges. He would take a bullet for a stranger, but I couldn’t get him to come in through the front of the house to save his life. Still, though, he’s got a good heart. Nothing like his father. That man wouldn’t hold an umbrella for a rainbow.” The old woman sighs. “Anyway, where were we?”