Page 7 of The Clumsy Clairvoyant
I skimmed over the offering, saw that it indeed looked delicious, so I nodded. "Thank you."
Frank's smile sent a shiver down my back. "You're welcome. I again apologize for my blockheaded Neanderthal brother. He's usually not such a tool." And with that, he gathered up our menus and left us in silence.
I broke it first. "I like your brother."
"I don't," Lucas muttered.
A new waiter interrupted our silence with a basket of bread, herbs and oil. This time the bread didn’t look like it had been through a nuclear blast.
Come to mama. I loved me some bread.
I tucked into it with gusto, not bothering to offer it to Lucas first. Even though he wasn't as rude as he'd been before, he was still kind of a butt head. I would have offered some to Frank, though. He saved me from spaghetti.
I poured the oil over the herbs, gave it a quick stir with the small spoon provided and dunked my bread into it, covering it with a glorious amount of deliciousness.
Lucas' expression was torn between admiring and horrified. I waved my piece of bread at him and took a huge bite of it.
He shook his head and tore of a much smaller piece. I also noted he showed way more restraint with the oil.
When I'd finished chewing, I studied him. I wished I could see him without the Grizzly Adams beard he had going on. I thought he was handsome, but if he shaved that thing and he had a weak chin, I'd have to take that back.
"So what's the deal with you, Grace?" Lucas said suddenly.
I chewed thoughtfully and shrugged. Eloquent as always. "What about you?" I said after I swallowed.
"Asked you first."
"I have some siblings. My parents get on my nerves a little bit. I have a shop in the back of my yard."
His expression sharpened when I mentioned my work. It also got a little wary. "Oh yeah," he said softly, trying to seem like he was uninterested. "What do you do there?"
"You know it's rude to ask someone what they do right away, right?"
Lucas laughed. "No, it's actually pretty common, but I suspect you don't want to tell me. Which makes it so much more interesting." He leaned back in his chair, a picture of casual grace, and waited.
I shrugged. A lot of people in the town knew anyway, because most of them had been the recipient of a prediction, either paid for or blurted out unwittingly, usually at a wildly inappropriate time. "I'm a clairvoyant," I said. "Born with it, not a charlatan," I added because you would be surprised at the amount of people here who didn't believe in people like me. Kind of funny for a town that prides itself on its claws, fangs, and witches.
His expression abruptly shuttered. "A clairvoyant?"
I nodded, a little wary. "Yep. Why? Got a problem with people who can tell the future?"
Lucas shook his head. "I don't. Though I can imagine other people might be a little bit uncomfortable with it."
He was lying.
"You'd be surprised how many people want to know every event of their life. Personally I find it disturbing, but a girl has to pay the bills."
Lucas abruptly stood from the table. "Excuse me for a moment, Grace." He pulled his cell out of his pocket. "I have to take this. It's work." With an apologetic shrug, he left the table.
I sat there, confused, but nodded like a dummy. After five minutes, I knew for a fact that he wasn't coming back.
When Frank came over ten minutes later armed to the teeth with food and extras and saw my expression, he knew it too.
"Oh my darling," he said and slid into the seat his brother had occupied. "I shall kill him for you. I'll behead him, burn his body and salt his bones. Would that make it okay for you?"
I snorted with amusement, though tears sprang to my eyes. I reached out for my wallet but he gently pushed my hand away. "No. I'm not charging you a dime. I shall, however, charge my brother in triplicate." He winked at me as he stood. "He leaves his card on file with us so he doesn't have to deal with the checks. Would you like me to box this up for you?" he asked as he reached for my plate.
I nodded.
