Page 15 of The One That Ran Away
“Cool,” Shannon said. “I don’t know anything about it. I don’t even know my own sign.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“February 10th.”
My eyes widened. “Aquarius,” I said, failing to mention that Libras and Aquariuses were perfect matches. I would know. The people I had the biggest crushes on were always Aquarians. I should’ve guessed! “Did you know that the best match for Aquarius is…”
“Hey, babe.”
There has been nothing more soul-crushing than sitting next to the woman you’re in love with… and having some dull, mediocre asshole come up and kiss her on the cheek.
But I’ve lived through it a few times since then, and somehow my soul always survives.
***
“Don’t suppose you could do one of your readings for me, huh?”
Jess sat back in her seat, hands clasped upon the table. “What kind of reading,” she asked, suspicious as always. For all she knew, Shannon wanted a compatibility reading with her boyfriend.I can’t think of anything more painful, thank you.It was bad enough she constantly did readings that begged her female clients to leave their bad boyfriends, but women heard what they wanted, right? A reading could have a million red flags, but the one sliver of hope would be enough to sate a client for hours.
“I dunno…” Shannon tugged at her ear, always hidden beneath her hair. “What kind are there? I thought you only did profiles of people.”
“I recall doing one for you back in college.”
Shannon blushed a lovely shade of pink. “I may have forgotten most of it. I seem to recall telling you that I don’t know much about it.”
“Do you at least recall what sign you are?”
“Aquarius.”
Wow. So she does remember that much, huh?“I could whip up a quick personality profile for you. Shouldn’t take too long.”
“Okay. How much does it cost?”
“Cost?” Jess laughed. “I do this for free. Well, sometimes people buy me drinks, but I’m good for the night.”
Shannon glanced at the tiny tip jar. “I’ll buy you a cookie for your trouble.”
“Why not get me some fries and a salad while you’re at it?”
At first, Shannon cocked her head as if she had no idea what the hell Jess meant. Then, as if a lightbulb turned on in the back of her brain, she laughed.
“Be right back. Save my seat.”
Jess glanced at that firm derriere sashaying toward the counter, but didn’t dwell on it. Not only was that a form of self-torture, but that guy studying biology was keeping an eye on her. Probably waiting for the moment when he couldgotcha!the biggest lesbian in the room.“See! Knew you dykes leered as much as we did!”Well, yeah…
Jess wasn’t primarily occupied with that. She was more freaked out that Shannon Parker was officially back in her life andbeing nice to her.What the shit!
Perhaps this was a dream. One Jess would wake up from anytime now. She had merely seen a woman who sorta looked like Shannon, and it triggered a series of strange dreams she was never meant to have. That was it. One of those little things about turning thirty.
Jess pinched herself. Nope. This was real. Guess that meant she had to scribble together a personality profile for the woman she knew more about – in the astrological sense – than anyone else. Well, perhaps aside from herself.
Because as soon as Jess realized how much she liked Shannon, she stayed up half a night in college, determined to figure out how much fate was involved. She never anticipated digging up a plethora of evidence that the reason they met, and the reason Jess was so attracted to her as if a light shone upon Shannon’s existence, was because their destiny was written in the stars.
Still, she had to look as if she didn’t know that off the top of her head. By the time Shannon returned with three macarons, Jess had cobbled together a makeshift chart using what she knew off the top of her head.
“What time were you born, and in what city?”
“Huh?” Shannon chuckled. “Why do you need to know that? Thought you just needed my birthday.”
