Page 184 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

I drag him by the hand under the ragged purple awning and inside where a lady dressed in a long, purple silk robe is standing in the middle of the store. The red and white flowers on her chest are definitely attention-getters and the fabric on the sexy side. I’m now debating if we should have come here.

When she raises her hands in front of her, rings adorn every finger. She taps the tips of her long, red nails together and aims her eyes at Drew. “Welcome to New Age Innovations. What is your spirit seeking?”

His hand tightens around mine, and when I look up at him beside me, I’m thinking he’s close to running out the door to escape. I’m not sure which verb fits this situation better because I’m a little freaked out as well. I say, “We’re looking for a smudge stick.”

Her hands fall to her sides, and her shoulders sag. Nodding to her left, she replies, “They’re in the back corner.” The creepy voice she was using has been replaced with a Bronx accent. That’s disappointing. Not that she’s from the Bronx, but that it was an act.Anything to sell your goods, I guess.

Standing in front of the curio cabinet, we read what each one does. Drew stops and looks over his shoulder before whispering to me, “Why are we here?”

“Number two.”

“You need the bathroom?”

I balk in laughter. “No . . . oh great, now I do. Ugh. Thanks for bringing it up.” He shrugs innocently enough so I can forgive him. I say, “Number two from your mom’s list for you to get a life.”

Annoyance stiffens his back, and he stands to his full, glorious height. “I have a life.See?I’m here with you in this weird shop on a Saturday. You know what I’d be doing on a normal Saturday?” He doesn’t even bother keeping his voice down.

So I don’t either. “Going for a run in the morning and then getting a coffee on the way into work?”

“Okay, you don’t need to make me sound so predictable.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I raise an eyebrow.

He mimics my body language, but it only takes a few seconds in a standoff for him to lower his arms again, lean in, and whisper, “Fine, you win. That’s what I’d be doing, but you know, I’m really fucking good at it.”

“You say that all the time as if that’s all you are, though. That’s why this list is important. If it weren’t for that list, you wouldn’t be standing in this strange store in the middle of the Bronx at two on a Saturday afternoon.”

“Hey,” the lady calls from behind the counter where she’s burning skull candles. “It’s not strange.”

I nod. It’s freaking strange, but if she digs it, that’s cool. I open the jar of the stick we need for our mission and take one out.

Drew says, “Yeah, me not standing in this strange place.”

“Really?” silky robe lady says loudly. “I can still hear you.”

Hitting me with a glare, he tells her, “Sorry.” Lowering until his eyes are level with mine, my tall Redwood giant of a man whispers, “I wouldn’t be here. That’s my point.” If emphatic can be managed in a whisper, he masters it. He really is skilled at so many things. His parents must be very proud.

“Oh wait,” I reply, realizing I didn’t think this through. “I think we’re arguing the same point, or I’m lost at this point, voiding all other points altogether.”

Taking the stick from me, he says, “That doesn’t void my point,” and then heads toward the register while tapping on his phone.

I follow him. Resting against his back as he pays, I say, “Point taken.”

The small shake of his shoulders and soft chuckle make me smile.

When we walk outside, he asks, “Why did we get this again?”

“Number two on the list.”

“Right.” Holding hands, we walk toward the curb. “The negative vibes thing.”

“On the sixth Thursday.” His mom sounds like such a character. I’m sure we’ll get along like a house on fire. I’m sure she’d approve of me bringing him here for the smudge stick—known for eradicating negative energy from places. Just getting creative.

What I find more fascinating is that she knew her eldest would have negative vibes to eradicate to list it as a task.

“Are you going to burn this with me?”

I stop and lift on my toes. Kissing him once, I drop back down, and reply, “Thought you’d never ask.”

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