Confucius Jane (17 page)

“What did you get?” Sutton asked as they emerged into the late afternoon shadows.

“‘Be ready to seize your opportunity.'” He nodded thoughtfully. “In that case, I'll seize this opportunity to invite you to my restaurant for Easter Sunday dinner. It will be the Italian equivalent of the New Year's festival.”

“Will there be cannolis?” asked Min.

“Handmade by my sister,” Giancarlo announced proudly.

“I'm in.”

“Sounds great,” Jane said. “When does Easter fall this year?”

“It's the last Sunday of this month.” Giancarlo looked hopefully at Sutton. “And you, Sutton?”

“I wish I could.” Sutton looked genuinely disappointed. “But Easter is an important day for my family. I'll be celebrating with them.”

“Perfectly understandable. But you will be missed.”

Jane wanted to ask Sutton whether her family was religious, but that seemed like too personal a question for this group. Instead, she kept her mouth shut as she guided them around a corner and then pointed to the colorful awning of Red Door Apothecary. “Here we are.”

She held the door while the others filed inside. The shop was almost entirely empty, and Sue was helping the only customers—an elderly couple who seemed to be in the market for some kind of herbal remedy. She glanced up and waved, but when she noticed Giancarlo she became visibly flustered, one hand going immediately to her hair.

“This place is amazing!” He was looking around the store in undisguised wonder.

“It smells like … like earth.” Sutton's eyes were closed as she sampled the air, and Jane was suddenly filled with desire at the sensuality of her expression. “Rich. Loamy.”

Tearing her gaze away, Jane gestured toward the rows of shelves. “All the herbs are organized alphabetically. And if you have any questions, I know a little about what some of them are good for. But I'm sure Sue will want to give you the full tour when she's done.”

Giancarlo meandered off while Min began snapping photos with her phone. Jane lingered near the front, watching Sutton inspect some of the wares. Would Sue's shop seem silly to her? As she looked over the jars, drawers, and bins filled with assorted herbs and roots, Jane felt an odd mix of protectiveness and shame. Being here with Sutton made her feel even more
hapa
than usual.

At that moment, Sutton looked over. “Do you know what this root is for?”

Jane walked to her side, standing close enough so that their shoulders brushed. When she glanced down at the label on the bin, she was relieved to see it was one of the plants she'd actually heard of. “Astragalus. It's supposed to help your immune system—or at least, that's what my mother always said.”

Sutton regarded her curiously. “How does she use it?”

“It's a pretty common ingredient in the teas she makes.” Jane felt her nose wrinkle at the memories of some of her mother's particularly noxious concoctions. “Some of them are preventative, but others are for specific ailments, like sore throats or indigestion.”

“Do they work?”

“My father doesn't think so. He refuses to drink them. Big fan of NyQuil.” For the most part, her parents' relationship was peaceful, but the merits of traditional Chinese medicine was an ongoing subject of debate.

“What about you?”

“I was always caught in the middle.” Jane grimaced. “Usually that involved being double-dosed. But I was also a pretty healthy kid, so maybe all those teas actually were beneficial.”

Sutton stared down along the line of shelves. “I'm almost completely ignorant about all of this.” She seemed discomfited by her lack of knowledge. “There was a holistic medicine class offered during my second year, but I didn't have time to take it.”

“If you ever want to learn more, I'm sure Sue would be happy to teach you.” Jane looked over to see Sue handing a small bag to her customers. “Starting now, in fact.”

“How nice of you all to stop by,” Sue called to them after bidding her customers farewell. She bustled out from behind the counter, hands outspread.

“I wanted to pay you a visit last week,” Giancarlo said, “but I wasn't able to find this charming place until I had the proper guides.”

“And we're here because Sutton would like her chart done,” Jane said.

“Though it's not urgent,” Sutton said quickly, “if you're too busy.”

“Nonsense.” Sue smiled and beckoned them over to the sitting area in the far corner of the room. Every few seconds, her gaze went to Giancarlo, who seemed lost in thought as he stood contemplating a bin of dried mushrooms. Jane had to confront the evidence: Min really did know what she was talking about. Though if she ever admitted as much, she'd never hear the end of it.

“Giancarlo,” she said, hoping she wouldn't have to eat her dire prediction about matchmaking, “were you interested in getting yours done as well?”

“Oh, yes, please.” He turned to join them. “If that's all right.”

“Of course, of course.” Sue withdrew two forms from a drawer. “The first thing I'll need from each of you is basic information about your birth—year, date, and specific time. Once you fill these out, we'll be able to get started.”

Sutton perched on the couch and began to write. Her body was stiff, and Jane wondered where the tension came from. Was it because she had so much on her mind? Or because she was nervous about her chart? On a hunch, she decided to make herself scarce.

“Sue, while we're here I'm just going to check your e-mail, okay? Maybe get a head start on Wednesday's work.”

“That's fine,” Sue said absently as she continued to gather supplies.

Jane glanced over at Sutton again in enough time to watch her slender fingers tuck a strand of hair behind one ear. The gesture was unexpectedly graceful, and Jane felt her mouth go dry as her traitorous brain imagined those fingers tracing patterns against her skin. Instinctively, she took a step backward. These flashes of desire were only becoming more frequent and intense. If Sutton picked up on how much Jane wanted her, she'd probably feel uncomfortable.

Turning decisively, Jane walked toward the back of the store. As much as she wanted to look over her shoulder, she kept her eyes facing forward. The last thing she wanted was to do anything that might extinguish the fragile spark that had been kindled between them.

*   *   *

AFTER WATCHING JANE LEAVE,
Sutton answered the questions quickly and passed the form across the small table to Sue, who had just opened a large, hardcover book written entirely in Chinese. Sue took the paper with thanks and immediately began using it to fill out another, much more complicated-looking form that was covered in overlapping tables. While she waited, Sutton's gaze drifted up to the nearest bookshelf, which didn't have a single tome in English on it. Despite all of her knowledge and training, she felt completely out of her depth in this room. Had it been a mistake to come here?

Sue glanced up at her and smiled kindly. “Have you ever done this before?”

“Never.”

“Using this information, I'll be able to tell you a few things about what you can expect in this new year, and what you should avoid.”

“Okay.” Sutton tried not to sound skeptical. This was part of Sue's trade, and she wanted to respect it even if she didn't believe in it.

“Next time you're here, you should bring the same birth information about anyone important to you. Family members, a significant other, a boss, a friend—it can be anyone. I'll then compare their chart to yours and shed some insight into that relationship.”

Sutton nodded, unsure of what to say. Although the entire concept sounded completely unbelievable, she almost wished she could give Sue all those details about her father right now. If there was any relationship in her life for which mystical guidance was needed, it was that one.

“So.” Sue began flipping through the book. “First, the basics. You were born in the Year of the Dragon—the mightiest of all the signs. Dragons are ambitious, independent, and highly self-motivated. They are generally healthy, but sometimes they suffer from tension-related maladies, like headaches or back pain. Have you experienced anything like that, recently?”

“Yes, both.” Sutton had to admit that Sue's description, while vague, was also accurate. And she had developed some nasty shoulder tension in the middle of working on her dissertation.

“The Dragon is a fire sign, but your specific year is governed by the element of earth,” Sue continued. “This means that you tend to be more rational and grounded than other Dragons. You're also less likely to let your temper get out of control.”

Sutton had to admit that, in this case, Sue's assessment was right on. It was all a coincidence, of course, but she did pride herself on being even-keeled, even when those around her were emotional.

Sue was now hunched over the book, glancing between the open page and Sutton's chart. “Your luckiest day of this month is actually today,” she said.

“Buy a lotto ticket!” Min called from across the room.

“And this will be a prosperous year for you,” Sue continued. “But the path to that prosperity is shrouded in mist.”

“Mist?”

“It is uncertain.” Sue glanced up. “You may have to make a difficult choice.”

Sutton blinked in surprise at hearing Sue hit so close to the mark. “What kind of choice?”

“It's unclear. There seem to be many complicating factors—career, love, family…” Sue trailed off, frowning.

Relief settled over Sutton at the indeterminacy of the prediction. There was no strange magic here, not even coincidence. Only astrology as she'd always known it—so vague as to be applicable to anyone, in any situation.

“That's really all I can do for now,” Sue said. “But please come back when you'd like to compare your chart with someone else's. That will be much more instructive.”

“Thank you. This was fascinating.” Sutton stood, hoping she had sounded genuine. “What do I owe you?”

“Not a thing.” Before Sutton could protest, Sue focused in on Giancarlo. “Are you ready?”

“I am.” He handed her his form and replaced Sutton on the couch.

“Wait, hang on,” Min said, hurrying over. “Can I take a video of this? For the website?”

Not wanting to be anywhere near Min's phone when she put it in video mode, Sutton moved away. As she was about to continue perusing the shelves, Jane emerged from the back. Her wide smile was clearly unpremeditated, and Sutton felt herself return it. Jane was always so genuine. She was a breath of fresh air that Sutton hadn't even realized she craved—a welcome break from the labyrinthine politics of both home and work.

“How'd it go?”

“It was…” Sutton searched for the right word. “Intriguing.”

“Oh?”

Sutton suppressed a smile. Jane was desperate with curiosity but valiantly trying to hide it. She glanced at her watch and made a snap decision. “There's a lecture this evening that I have to attend, and I want to stop by my apartment first. Walk with me?”

“Sure. Yes. Of course.” Jane's fumbling answer made her even more endearing. “Just give me one second?”

When Sutton nodded, Jane spun toward the far corner. “Minetta! Did you create a Facebook page for the shop?”

Min glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, and I blogged about it. Over two hundred likes in two days!”

“Impressive, but every single one of those generated an e-mail that got sent to the store's account. Change the notifications, will you?”

Min actually looked chagrined. “No problem. Are you leaving?”

“We are. Sue, see you later this week.”

Sutton waved. “Take care, and thanks again.”

As they emerged into the gathering dusk, Sutton zipped up her jacket. Wisps of pink and gold streaked across the western sky, while to the east, she could see one bright star above the shadowy finger of a skyscraper. When Jane fell into step beside her, Sutton reached out, then tucked their joined hands into the pocket of her coat.

“I know you're impervious to cold, but humor me.”

“Gladly. Anytime.” Jane flashed another broad, goofy smile that sent another rush of warmth through Sutton's chest. “So, what did you think? Did Sue tell you anything useful?”

“Well, she said that today was lucky for me, and that the coming year would be prosperous, but that that prosperity was ‘misty.' So I suppose I should resist a shopping spree, just in case.”

Jane laughed. “Are you sure? Because all we have to do is walk a few blocks north to find every boutique you could want.”

“Don't tempt me.” Sutton gently jostled Jane's shoulder with her own. “You know, what you do for Sue is very kind.”

Jane seemed uncomfortable with the praise. “It doesn't take long, and her business has definitely picked up since the online storefront. I just don't want her shop to disappear. It's good for the neighborhood.”

Sutton thought about that as they continued to walk north. Despite having lived in New York City all her life, she didn't feel one tenth as much a connection to her neighborhood as Jane obviously felt to Chinatown after having lived there only a few months. Was that simply because the Upper East Side didn't have as clear an identity? Or had she missed out on feeling a part of her community because she had always been too busy reaching for her own goals to live in the moment?

“This is me,” she said as they drew abreast of her building. But when Jane started to pull away, Sutton realized she wasn't yet ready to see her go. “Come inside the atrium where it's warmer, at least.”

Once they were inside the front door, Sutton didn't know what to say. She bent to check her mail, hoping to buy herself a few more seconds. Should she invite Jane up? A flash of heat arced down her spine at the thought of what might happen if they finally found themselves alone together. But would Jane take her invitation the wrong way? Should she initiate a “talk” about how at this point in her life, she was only interested in something casual? Or had Jane gotten that message already?