Page 30 of The Embrace of Evergreen

Chapter 13

Ethan

“Well, what did you think? Did you like tonight’s silks routine better than last night’s? Of course you did, right? I don’t know why I agreed to do the routine that Charlize picked yesterday and mine today. Okay, that’s not true. I’m a nice guy, so of course I wanted it to be fair, even though clearly the crowd loved all of the drops I worked in tonight. I mean, there’s nothing like watching the hot guy fake falling to his death to psych people up, right?”

Gabriel’s adrenaline-fueled rambling doesn’t leave a lot of space for response other than the occasional “Yep” or “Mmhmm,” and the smile Blue keeps shooting me as the three of us wander through the pop-up market stalls says that he’s getting as big a kick out if it as I am, even though it’s been going on for no less than a half hour at this point. Gabriel’s performance partner, Charlize, has to work at seven a.m. tomorrow - which is such an ungodly hour I’d likely choose to have my powerdisconnected for nonpayment rather than stay in a job that requires that - so as soon as the show was over, she’d hugged us and said her goodbyes to head back downtown. While the three of us have work tomorrow as well, we all managed to arrange afternoon start times, so we decided to wander through the crowded arts tents and enjoy the second night of fireworks before packing up and heading out to catch the last ferry of the night.

“How about this one?” Blue interrupts Gabriel’s monologue about his awesomeness to point out a small handmade wooden ship in a bottle.

“Guyyyyss, you aren’t even listening to me.” I honestly didn’t know it was possible for a grown man to sulk the way Gabriel does.

Blue turns and takes both of Gabriel’s cheeks in his hands. “You absolutely know that I find your talent completely astonishing, that I am in awe of you daily, and that, of course, your routine was the more vibrant of the two. That’s just who you are. You’ve also known Ethan for as long as I have, and I think you know that if you and I don’t find an absolutely perfect souvenir for him to remember his first weekend at one of your festivals, then he isn’t going to buy anything, and that would be a tragedy, wouldn’t it?”

“The only thing I really want is the ca…”

Blue cuts me off with a glare. “We can share custody of the cape, but you need something of yourown, and we need Gabriel’s input to help us find the best thing here, right?”

“Oh, ya, definitely.” I play along with the attempt to get Gabriel to change the subject. I’ve known him long enough now to realize that his rambling isn’t a form of bragging, nor is he insecure about his truly amazing talent for performance. He’s simply happy and burning off extra energy like an apartment-dwelling Great Dane who’s been taken to the park to run around chasing sticks.

“I know what you guys are doing.” Gabriel readjusts his bright-pink scarf with a dramatic swoosh over his shoulder. “But I don’t care because I know you love me and think I’m the best, and we all know that of the three of us, I’m definitely the best shopper.”

Gabriel steps out of Blue’s hold and slips his arm around mine, linking our elbows, and I’m surprised to find that even though I don’t automatically welcome his touch like I’ve come to do with Blue, I don’t mind it.

“Ooo, what about this?” He instantly drags me over to a stall with small oceanic watercolor paintings.

“They’re very nice, but I’m not really a watercolor guy, I don’t think.”

“No?” Even though it’s just one word, Blue’s tone is obviously curious.

“I tend to like…umm…darker art. I’m not sure that makes sense. It’s not that the colors need to be darker or anything, it’s just that I guess I like harsher lines or something; they just feel more like me somehow. That sounds stupid, I guess.”

“Not at all, sweetness.” Gabriel draws me further down the street as Blue trails close behind us. “Art just sort of chooses us, I think, so what speaks to you is what speaks to you. You shouldn’t worry about what other people think so much. We’re never going to judge you, and anyone who does can just fudge right off.”

My snicker at his swearing is cut short by a woman’s voice coming from the stall we’ve just passed.

“Wait. Please.”

The voice is an unusual combination of gentle and commanding, and almost without thought, the three of us pause and backtrack a few steps to find ourselves standing in front of a single woman seated behind a table that holds nothing more than a golden tablecloth and several stacks of tarot cards. There is nothing remarkably striking or extraordinary about her. She’s probably in her late fifties or early sixties with long brown hair that’s peppered with bright-white strands, and yet, she seems out of place amidst the loud bustle of artists and food carts and tourists. Her clothing is loose and flowing, and I can’t tell whether she’s wearing a robe or a dress or a shawl or even some random compilation of brightly colored scarves, but she feels almost otherworldly, likeshe belongs out of time and space or in some other universe completely.

“Let me read your cards.”

“No, thanks. I’m sure you’re a lovely person just trying to make a living, but none of us have money to waste on nonsense like that.” Gabriel’s tone is sharper than it usually is. “No offense,” he adds hastily, though he doesn’t really sound like he cares whether or not he’s offended her.

She laughs. A lilting, musical sound that seems to lift into the breeze and carry for longer than expected. “No charge. Consider it a gift of appreciation for the most creative use of one of my tapestries I’ve ever seen. I may just have to get a mannequin for the shop so I can showcase their versatility.”

Blue chuckles, turning from side to side to model his creative fashion sense. “Right? I mean, it’s clearly the best use for them.”

I snort out a laugh, and before I can decide how to respond to her offer, Blue decides for us.

“Okay, why not? You can tell me my future in exchange for my awesome tapestry sales strategies.”

She gestures to the single chair on our side of the table, and Blue gracefully slides into place as she chooses a deck, shuffles the cards, and fans them out.

“Choose one card.”

Blue points to one near the end, and she flips it over and lays it in front of him almost reverently.

“The Star.” While her voice is calm and quiet, there is something about it that demands attention, and I find myself leaning further over Blue’s shoulder to listen.

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