Page 4 of Wolves’ Midlife Reunion (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #3)

“Don’t get me wrong,” Kristy said, shuffling a deck of tarot cards as she spoke. Her fingers moved nimbly, pulling out sections of the stack and slipping them back in at a different spot. “I’ve had readings that’ve gone poorly before, but this girl absolutely freaked out on me.”

“What happened?” Chelsea asked. She held a glass of wine in one hand and had been slowly paging through a vintage book on astrology that Lucille had brought her. Now she looked up, interested.

Kristy sighed, and for once, her hands stilled. “She got up and slapped the cards right off the table. She started yelling at me, asking me who set her up for this.”

“Whoa.” Jamie looked up from her phone, her eyes wide.

“Set her up?” Amanda echoed.

Kristy separated the deck into two halves and then shuffled them back together as she sucked air in through her teeth.

“I guess it was a little too accurate. She told me she didn’t believe in tarot right at the beginning of the session, and she was only doing this to make her friend happy.

The situations I described to her were a little too on point, and that made her decide her friend had filled me in ahead of time. ”

Iris laughed as she gently sank her fingertips into her cat’s pale orange fur. He closed his eyes and rumbled. “She was hoping to prove herself right, and that you wouldn’t know anything!”

“What I do know is that I didn’t give her a refund,” Kristy asserted. “She tried, but I’d put my time and effort in.”

“Good for you,” Tina said approvingly. “The customer is always right, until they’re wrong.”

She enjoyed nights like this at the Artemis Eclipse Sisterhood covenstead.

Although they had some planned nights with specific events or rituals, there were also evenings when the sisters gathered simply because they felt the need.

They could kick back and relax a little while spending time together.

It was in these moments that Tina felt closest to the other coven members, whether they were sisters by blood, shifterhood, or magic.

Kristy shrugged. “I don’t want anyone to leave unhappy, but I don’t think there would have been any way to please her. Her friend apologized, and they left. I’m glad I won’t be back over there for a few weeks.”

“You know you’re welcome at my place any time,” Tina reminded her.

Kristy had started her tarot business by setting up in established stores.

The Crystal Cauldron had been one of her first stops, but she’d soon expanded to other retailers, events, and even tattoo shops.

What had begun as a way to save up for a permanent spot had become lucrative enough that she was content to travel.

“You only like me for my marketing value,” Kristy teased, putting her chin in the air. “You know how your foot traffic increases when you can advertise that you’ve got a tarot reader in the house.”

Tina tented her hands over her collarbone in pretended dismay. “What do you mean? I genuinely love having you there. It’s not my fault that your gigs make money for both of us!”

As they laughed, Tina noticed her oldest sister, Chelsea.

She was sitting straight-backed in a chair, frowning so hard into a notebook that the two vertical lines between her eyebrows were beginning to deepen.

That either meant she was doing research or planning something, both of which she took very seriously.

Tina cleared her throat. “Chelsea, dare I ask what’s on your mind?”

Chelsea’s head snapped up. She blinked and looked around. “Yes, actually. I’m glad so many of us are here. We need to finalize our plans for Samhain. It’s coming up fast, and we haven’t even talked about it.”

Maeve, the coven’s High Priestess, shrugged a little, making her long beaded necklaces clack softly. “There shouldn’t be too much to plan. I figured we would keep all of our usual traditions.”

“Yes, but those still take planning,” Chelsea said. “First of all, we’re getting low on candles.”

“I can fix that,” Tina volunteered. She purchased them in bulk for her shop, which made them more affordable.

Chelsea ticked that off on her list. “Then we need to get a list together of what everyone is bringing to dinner. I don’t want to end up with any repeat dishes like we did last year.”

“I don’t think anyone minded a few extra servings of hazelnut cake,” Maeve’s sister, Lucille, murmured.

“Everyone text me what dish you want to make, and I’ll put a list together,” Chelsea instructed. “Next, we just need to hone our guest list.”

“Look no further than your own in-laws,” Maeve told her. “It’s been nice having the Alexanders join us for the last couple of years, and of course, it’ll make Kendrick feel that much more comfortable.”

Tina pretended to scratch her face so her mother wouldn’t see her smile.

It was kind of cute how Maeve had found new love with the dragon.

It was unexpected, given how much Maeve had grieved for her first mate.

Chelsea, Kristy, and Tina hadn’t thought their mother would move on to someone else, but they were thrilled that it was Kendrick.

He was a dear man and a welcome addition to the covenstead.

“I met a woman at the library last week,” Lucille said. “She had a very small coven to begin with, just a handful, but now she’s the only one left. I’ll see if she can come.”

Iris started playing with her long hair. “Would anyone mind if I brought Walt?”

“Are you still dating him?” Jamie asked. “I admit, I wasn’t sure if the two of you would last.”

“I know he doesn’t look it, but he’s sweet,” Iris said with a little shrug.

“Ah, the proverbial bad boy with a heart of gold,” Amanda teased.

“What about you?” Nia poked Tina in the ribs. “You should invite that guy you were talking to at the shop the other day.”

“What?” Tina felt every muscle in her body stiffen.

“Oh, a guy?” Kristy asked. She fanned out her cards, holding the deck all in one hand. “Do I need to do a reading?”

“No, that’s really not necessary,” Tina said hurriedly.

“She’s right,” Nia said. “With the mushy eyes they were making at each other, I’d say they’ve already got an idea of what lies in store for them.”

“Hold on.” Now, even Chelsea had put her notebook and pen down and was leaning forward. “Who was this guy?”

“No one.” Tina pressed her fingers to her forehead. So much for a relaxing evening at the covenstead. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell everyone else was staring at her.

“Must be someone,” Amanda pointed out. “When was the last time we saw Tina getting all flustered over a guy?”

Relenting, Tina brought her hand down and glared at her cousin. “Yeah? When was the last time?”

Amanda’s eyes went wide. “No!”

“Really?” Chelsea asked.

Kristy clapped her hand over her mouth and nearly dropped her cards. “Are you serious?”

“What is going on?” Iris asked. “Who is this guy?”

“Only Tina’s high school crush,” Jamie told her. “Dex Heywood.”

Nia arched a brow. “You said he was just an old friend you hadn’t seen in a long time.”

“Well, it’s not that far from the truth.” Tina gestured at Chelsea. “Do you have any more of that wine?”

“Coming right up,” her sister promised with a catlike smile. “Anything to loosen you up and get some details out of you.”

“There really aren’t any details!” Tina called as Chelsea disappeared into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, with a glass of pinot noir in her hand, Tina took a deep breath.

There really wasn’t all that much to tell, but they clearly all wanted to hear it.

“You can all stop looking at me like vultures, because it’s not that exciting,” she began.

“Dex came into the shop. He made a purchase, we chatted for a few moments, and then he left.”

Chelsea scrunched up one eye. “That’s it? Come on! Didn’t your wolf go bonkers when you saw him?”

“Well, yeah,” Tina said, feeling her face flushed. “It always has, but it’s not like that matters.”

“Why not?” Nia asked.

Tina sighed. “Because we knew back in high school that we were fated. We felt it, and we even talked about it a little. We were just very different people, and we didn’t see any way that it could work. Despite what all the teen movies tell you, a jock and a nerd don’t make a good couple.”

“But what about now?” Kristy asked. “Maybe you guys just met at the wrong point in your lives. It’s not like any teenager really knows what they want, anyway. Something could still be there for you guys.”

“Nah.” Tina looked into her wine glass. The damn pull between them was still there.

She couldn’t deny that if she wanted to, not after seeing him in the shop.

Every cell of her body felt as though it was being magnetized and drawn to him.

Her wolf had gone nuts, angry at her for having as much self-control as she did.

“Why not?” Jamie asked. “What could it hurt?”

“He has a daughter.” Tina watched as they all reacted to that.

“Hm,” Chelsea grunted, twisting up her mouth.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Jamie pointed out. “Things happen.”

“Sure, but there’s a kid involved,” Tina reasoned. “Whatever his relationship situation might be, a kid complicates things.”

“Can’t deny that,” Chelsea murmured.

“I still think you should find a way to see him again,” Nia asserted. “There was a spark between you. Maybe it would work out.”

“It wouldn’t, but considering that the Academy’s twenty-five-year class reunion is tomorrow night, I’ll probably be seeing him anyway.” Tina drained the last of her wine and held out her glass.

“Good timing,” Maeve noted. “Samhain is almost upon us. It’s the beginning of our spiritual new year, and that brings a lot of opportunities.”

“I already said it’s not going to work out,” Tina grumped.

Her mother rolled her hand gently in the air. “I didn’t say it had to be specifically about Dex. There would be all sorts of new opportunities awaiting you at that reunion. You never know what all your old classmates are up to these days.”

“What are you going to wear?” Iris asked. “Something sexy?”

“I’ve got that green dress you can borrow,” Kristy suggested.

“Or my black one,” Jamie offered.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. Chelsea, was there anything else we needed to figure out for Samhain? We should probably get our pumpkins carved soon.”

The rest of the coven got the hint, and the conversation turned back to Samhain. Tina got up, went into the kitchen, and found the bottle of wine on the counter. It only had about one serving left.

“Go ahead.” Amanda had come in quietly behind her. “I think you might need it.”

“Yeah, probably,” Tina agreed, pouring the wine into the glass even though she’d considered drinking it straight out of the bottle.

“I wish Nia hadn’t said anything. I know she meant well, so it’s not like I’m mad at her.

It’s just hard to have to talk to everyone about seeing Dex when I’m not even sure how I feel about it. ”

“Well, you were pretty young when you two met each other,” Amanda said, leaning on the counter.

She had wide brown eyes and a generous smile that made her instantly look friendly most of the time.

“You’ve spent years having to just accept that you wouldn’t get to be with your fated mate, and then he shows back up.

Any closure you might’ve had just went flying out the window. ”

Tina smiled. “That’s pretty accurate.”

Amanda’s eyes lifted to the space just above Tina’s head and then drifted around her in a gentle outline. “You’re aura’s out of balance right now. That makes sense, of course, but I’m here for you if you’d like me to work on it. Could be just what you need right before going to the reunion.”

“Yeah, maybe so,” Tina agreed. “The reunion is going to be stressful even without having to think about Dex. What would really be helpful is if I could lose ten pounds overnight.”

“Don’t be silly! You look gorgeous just the way you are, and I’m not just saying that,” she added. “You just need to relax and let yourself have a good time.”

“Thanks, Amanda.” Her cousin had a way of always being there for the rest of them. She was a calming and comforting presence even when the world was pure chaos. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Now, I’m going to head back into the other room and make sure Chelsea doesn’t start writing out place cards for the dinner table. Her planning skills are great, but we don’t have to control every last second of this.”

“Have fun with that!” Tina said, lifting her glass.

When Amanda had gone back into the living room, Tina stepped out onto the porch. She didn’t bother turning on a light, nor did she need one. She settled into a comfortable wicker chair and looked out into the night.

Amanda had some very good points. She and Dex had just been kids when they’d decided there could be nothing between them. There was attraction, sure, but a true relationship needed more than that.

And now? Well, she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t know Dex anymore.

The one thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t let herself get caught up in him.

She’d spent enough time and had cried enough tears in the past. They were now two mature adults who could nod and smile politely and move on with their evenings.

Or, at least, she hoped so.