Interrupted (The Progress Series) (18 page)

Staring through her, his voice low and hushed, he murmured, “Have you ever felt so high…that when you came down you broke inside? Not really knowing how to put the pieces back together?” He continued without blinking. “I ran away from you, Charlie. And I have no intention of doing that again.”

Jolene looked around the restaurant, wondering what she had gotten herself into. “Um, Jesse? Who’s Charlie?”

The server approached their table and set their dinners in front of them. “Anything else I can get you two?” An uncomfortable moment lapsed as Jesse ripped himself away from his reminiscence.

“No, no thank you,” Jesse said sternly.

God damn it! I screwed this up already. I’m not ready. I can’t face her.

What can I say now? How can I get this back on track?

He glanced at Jolene quickly and her face was still dumbstruck, wondering what he’d say next. With that, he laughed.

“Gotcha. No, I’m not crazy. I just thought I’d mess with you a little bit.” He winked.

Jolene exhaled deeply. “Jeez, you scared me! I thought you were gonna go all Charles Manson on my ass.” She picked up her fork and took a mouthful of her mashed potatoes. Laughing again, she pointed her fork at Jesse. “That was a mean trick.”

He reached for his glass and brought it to his mouth to mask his irritation.

“Don’t worry, Jolene. I won’t do it again.”

And just like that, with the way her name purred off his lips, he knew he’d have her in his bed that night.

As they approached their one year anniversary, Charlie and Sam’s life was shaping up better than she had ever dreamed. After her dad’s death, she buried herself in work. There were fewer hours to be had at The Crimson, so she eventually quit, leaving behind some of the best memories she had from the beginning of her new life—Jesse, Angie, Paulina, Karalee and Marco all began to fade from her mind as she focused on the path ahead of her.

“Ugh. Do you have to go?” Charlie pleaded.

“
It’s only a week, babe. I gotta meet with the band so that we can go over their ideas. Besides, I’ve never been to New York. I
want
to go,” Samuel said, cuddling up to her on their bed.

“Can’t they find someone else to design their cover?”

Sam’s head slowly shook back and forth and he rolled his eyes.

“When do you leave?” she asked, pouting.

“Next weekend.”

“Boo. And you’ll be gone for an entire week?”

“Oh come on, Charlie. Quit being so melodramatic. Cheer up! My mom will be here in an hour.” He pulled Charlie to a wavering stance. “Now go.” He slapped her butt playfully. “Get in the shower.”

“Fine. Oh, why is your mom coming over tonight? Should I have something ready for dinner?”

“Oh, no. She just said she’s stopping in for a bit. Something about a housewarming gift and some Tarot Cards.”

She laughed. “Wait. What was that last part?”

“You know my mom,” he said, laughing his way into the living room. “Oh, babe! I brought in the mail. We gotta start checking that thing more often. The box was overflowing! I put the stuff on the table.”

“Okay!”

After a quick shower, she pulled her hair back into a bandana and threw on some lip gloss. She heard a knock at the door as she poured the decanter of water into the coffee maker.

Looking through the peephole, all she could see was a forest of green leaves and a few strands of long brown hair. “Hey babe, your mom’s here,” she said as she opened the door.

“Hello!” Maxie tried to move her head around the very large Ficus tree she was sustaining with a tight grip. She shuffled her way into the entry and plopped the tree down next to the dining table.

“Hey, Maxie,” Charlie said.

“Hi, honey. I know I’m a few months past due with your housewarming gift, but better late than never!” Maxie gave Charlie a hug and went to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“Thank you. This thing is huge. Is it real? I mean, do I have to try and keep it alive?”

“I’m afraid so. I would never buy a fake plant!”

Oh, great.
Charlie found a home for her new pet in the corner of the living room, next to a shelf that held a photo of her dad.

“Charlie, I’m so glad you’re here. Listen, I just got my Tarot Cards in today and I was wondering if you’d be my guinea pig. I know you’re not really into this sort of thing, but Sam refuses,” she said, glaring in his direction. Sam crossed his two index fingers toward her.

“Tarot Cards? Really?” Charlie said skeptically.

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to try them, and since you’re here, I was really hoping you’d be a good sport and just…humor me? I took a class last week and I’m really excited to try them out on someone.”

“Yeah, that’s fine, I guess. What do I have to do?”

“Oh, great! All you have to do is pick something that you want me to do a reading on. Like, your work life. Or, your relationship with Sam. Whatever you want the answers to, the cards will tell you,” Maxie said.

She retrieved a box of oversized cards from her purse as Charlie watched her hands move quickly. Setting the stack on the table, Maxie hastily gestured for Charlie to sit across from her.

Oh, right now? Okay.

Taking her seat, Charlie watched as Maxie pulled the cards from the box and retrieved a small booklet on how they were to be read. The cards were about twice the size of a regular deck, each one gold with black and purple scrolling on the front. After panning the directions, Maxie set the deck in front of Charlie. “Okay, so it says here that the questioner, that’s you, shuffles the deck until they’re satisfied. Remember to keep in mind what the reading is about while you’re shuffling.”

“What? Wait, can I just make a cup of coffee first?” she asked, walking to the kitchen and preparing a cup.

“What do you want the answers to?” asked Maxie.

“I don’t know. We can do Sam and me. That works.”

“Great! So, I’ll keep it simple. We’ll do your Past, Present, and Future. You will draw three cards and I will read them for you.”

Sounds simple enough. I’ve got nothing to hide.

Charlie sat down and picked up the deck. She shuffled four times, thinking solely about Sam, and set them back in front of Maxie, who then fanned them into a half circle, defining the space between herself and Charlie.

“So, the first will be your Past. Feel each card, let it pick you. If you have any hesitation or don’t feel right holding the card, then let it go and allow your hand to go to the next. If you feel a tingling or any connection to the card at all, that’s the card you’re supposed to choose.”

Ha! Hocus pocus. Love it. Fun fun.

Charlie let her fingertips swipe against each card. To focus, she closed her eyes. Sam mumbled something from the living room and she smiled but kept her eyes closed, thinking nothing but Sam and her love for him.

No tingling sensation, no overwhelming need to pick a certain one, she plucked up a card from the table and flipped it over. Opening her eyes, she saw a card staring back at her labeled “The Lovers.” She smiled and waited for Maxie to flip through the booklet to find its definition.

Maxie let a soft giggle escape when she read the card. Finding its meaning, Maxie looked back down at the card and furrowed her brow. “Is that upside down? Wait, is it upside down to me, or is it rightside up? How did you flip the card?”

Charlie laughed. “I don’t know! Does it matter if it’s upside down? It’s fine, Maxie. This is just practice for you, anyway.”

“Okay, so I’ll just read how it lays. It’s upside down to you, so it’s the reversed meaning of ‘The Lovers.’”

Curiosity getting the best of him, Sam got up from the couch and stood behind Charlie.

“Failure to meet the test. Unreliability. Frustration in love and marriage. Interference by others. Fickleness. Unworthiness. Unwise plans,” Maxie said, frowning.

“What? What does that mean? That’s my past? With Sam? Maybe it’s supposed to be the other way around. You know, not upside down,” Charlie said casually.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. That doesn’t sound like the two of you at all. You must have accidentally turned it that way when you flipped it over. Well, nevertheless, it’s your past. I’d rather hear about the future,” Maxie said, winking.

Sam shook his head, grinning, and returned to the couch after giving Charlie a kiss on the cheek.

“Okay, so your Present. Close your eyes and let the card pick you again.”

Charlie closed her eyes and ran her hand across the table, choosing the first card she touched. She flipped it over and saw a drawing of a bright sun with vibrant oranges and yellows. The bottom half of the card held a large white horse and two nymph-like creatures on the steed’s back. She waited to hear the explanation.

“Here it is. Okay, so “The Sun” is your Present. Satisfaction. Contentment. Success. Favorable social relationships. Love. Joy. Devotion. Unselfish sentiment.  Engagement.” Maxie paused and looked over to Sam. “A happy marriage. Pleasure in daily existence. Earthly happiness. A good friend.” Maxie said, glowing.

Charlie smiled.
Okay, so maybe it’s not complete hocus pocus.

“So then, the Future,” said Maxie, smiling.

Charlie returned Maxie’s smile and reached down to feel a spark on her fingertip. Her smile instantly vanished, thinking she had received an electric shock. She looked down at the card, then to her hand, shaking away the sting. She chose the card out of spite, needing to know which one it was that made her flinch. As she flipped the card over, the word slapped her in the face. “Judgment” was all that was written. The rest of the card had a drawing of men and women reaching up to the heavens, pleading for their lives, while God smoked a hookah and played a fiddle.

“Oh! Another upside down card,” Maxie said, searching for the page in the pamphlet while Charlie studied the card’s artistic details.

“Judgment. Here it is! Oh…” Maxie looked at Charlie, worried. She looked back down to the card and again to the pamphlet, scratching her head. “Okay, well, this is your Future, then. Delay. Disappointment. Failure to face facts. Alienation of affection. Deep worry.”

What does that mean? That’s supposed to be my future with Sam?

Stupid magic.

“You know, I could have read them wrong. This was my first time.” Nothing in her tone or demeanor convinced Charlie that Maxie was happy with the results.

*

After a quick bite to eat, Maxie was on her way out the door. “Busy, busy! I have a few errands to run before it gets too dark. I have to walk the dogs, too. So, gotta go! I love you both so much. Oh, and Charlie, thanks for being a good sport tonight. Maybe next time we do it, it’ll make more sense.”

Charlie nodded and opened the door for Maxie.

“Thanks so much for coming. Always so good to see you,” Charlie said, giving Maxie a quick hug.

“Goodnight, kids.”

“’Night, Ma. Thanks for comin’,” Sam said.

Charlie happened to notice the concern on Maxie’s face, just as Sam closed the door.

Sam’s head cocked to the side. “Take that frown off your face. You don’t believe in any of that stuff, do you?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her back.

“Na, it was silly,” she said, shaking her head.

“Good. Then, let’s take a bath and watch a little
Star Trek
.”

She nodded slowly, pretending she heard his last words.

“Charlie? You’re not listening to me.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Just thinking about work on Monday, that’s all.”

He rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. “Right.” He nudged his head toward the bathroom. “C’mon, let’s go.”

The temperature on Monday morning was below zero, and Charlie had to get up early to make sure that all the sidewalks were salted. Afterward, she went to her office and began filing some old work orders.

“Hi! Are you Charlie?” a woman said, startling her.

Charlie looked up and saw a fifty-something-year-old woman standing at the door. Her hair was short and blonde, cut very boyishly. She was extremely small in stature and very skinny.

“Yes. What can I do for you?”

“I’m Roxanne! Robin sent me. I’m a caretaker over at Greenwood Estates. She said you might need some help over here today, so I thought I’d stop in.”

Charlie walked over to her and shook her hand gratefully. “Hi Roxanne, it’s very nice to meet you. This is great of you to do; I could really use your help today. Did Robin okay all of this? How many hours do I get you today?”

“For up to eight, I’m all yours… Put me to work!” Roxanne said cheerfully.

“Oh boy. Well, what do you prefer doing? Take your pick, it all needs to get done,” Charlie said.

“Do you have any apartments that need cleaning?”

Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “Yes, two of them.”