Page 38 of Heart

“Says right here, you got laid this weekend. So, if it wasn’t our boy, Trevor, then who was it, George? Fess up.”

“Shouldn’t you be selling dog food or something?”

“Cassie’s got it. I’m here to find out who you had sex with.”

“No one. Would you just stop?”

“Maybe she’s picking up on that guy you met at the farmer’s market,” Zac offered innocently.

“Fabio?” George said.

“Fabio?” exclaimed May, clutching the name like a life-preserver. “Fabulous. So, when were you going to tell me about Fabio, George?”

Zac winced a bit. George waved at him dismissively. “It’s nothing, really. We met yesterday. I invited him to the open house on Wednesday. It was very—” He struggled for a word,“organic.”

“How appropriate for a farmer’s market. So, you two hooked up.”

“NO. Zac was with me. We were produce-shopping, for God’s sake. But I will say, it was a much more pleasant encounter than having dinner with a total stranger who can’t put their phone down for five seconds.”

“Oh. One of those,” said May. “I hate that. I’m sorry, sweetie. We were rolling the dice.”

George recalled his conversation with Mikey. He’d used the same phrase.

“So... when you ditched Zac here, you met Fabio later and did the nasty.”

“Would you shut up? No. I did not have sex this weekend.”

His thoughts went to Mikey again.What would you call it then? Hot is what came to mind, and he felt a little warm just remembering... the flirting, the lust, Mikey’s sweet face, and both blowing like Vesuvius—all virtual but with physical gratification.Couldlong-distance mutual masturbation beconstrued as sex in the psychic world?

“OK, if you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t. But let’s continue looking at this. There’s other stuff. Good things are coming, George.”

He set the peeler down and came up beside her. “See this one—theAce of Pentacles? That’s money, honey. David’s is going to be a tremendous success.”

“Well, that’s more like it,” said George. “If I’m not having sex, I definitely want money.”

“Oh, the sex isn’t over. There’s plenty of that. See this?” She held up a card withThe Loverson it. “You’ve met someone that is going to be your lover.”

“Fabio?” George said. “I don’t think so. I mean, he’s nice enough, but... I just don’t think so.”

“WAIT,” May shouted. She had dealt another card on top ofThe Lovers—The Magician. She tapped it. “This guy could interfere. You need to watch for this, George, because it’s upside down. He brings confusion, miscommunication. I’m telling you... love is near. But this dude could fuck it up.”

“Yeah?The Magician?Maybe it’s you with all your hocus-pocus.”

Zac laughed.

May dealt another card on top, again upside down.The Fool.

“Damn,” she said. “This guy could be a problem too.”

“Why don’t you just deal the whole deck, and we’ll pick what we want?” George said sarcastically.

“That’s not how it works, sweetie. I usually do two subsequent cards, for clarity.”

“Clarity is not what comes to mind with this.”

May brought her hands together as if praying and sighed. She tilted them forward, pointing at George. “The thing to focus on is that you’re moving forward romantically. But people could get in the way—confusion, miscommunication, folly, and chaos.”

“Chaos? Great.”