Page 116 of Every Broken Promise
Hmm. Guess they might be in a hurry.
“What is a Divine Corner?” he asked, bemused.
“The tarot card shop here,” I told him as I pointed to the shop window.
EZ looked at the windowpane, then up toward the shop’s name, and finally at me.
“Never noticed this place,” he noted.
“You serious?” I asked.
He shrugged.
If anyone needed a damn crystal more than me, it was him. That damn pink crystal got me laid. There was bound to be something that could help Ezekiel heal his broken little heart.
Ezekiel trailed behind me as I walked into the store. I almost opened my mouth to tell him not to touch anything, but maybe if he touched it then it called to him?
“Does anything call to your attention?”
Ezekiel looked at me like I was crazy. He looked around dismissively and then shook his head.
As if being summoned, the shop owner walked out.
“He needs a crystal. It doesn’t matter what kind, but he needs something,” I told her as soon as we made eye contact.
Her lips twitched. Her eyes then went to Ezekiel, who seemed to freeze for a few seconds but then recovered.
“Simone,” EZ mumbled.
“Ohmigod, I’m so rude, I’ve never asked your name,” I told her. I then extended my hand toward her. “Astrid Hart.”
She smiled at me, her bright teeth a striking combination against her dark lips.
“In your defense, you kept running out of here every time you did wander by,” she teased me. She then mimicked my action and extended her hand. “Simone Rivers.”
I felt my smile slowly start to fall off my face.
Was she Collin’s older sister? I knew he had a sibling who had graduated before we had, but never had put a name to the face. Her face softened a bit.
“I’m really thankful for what you did on prom night. My brother was a real dick for the way he acted. He was just happy he finally fit in.”
“And I ruined it,” I sighed, surprised by my lack of venom.
“You saved him,” she told me. “And I’m genuinely sorry how everyone reacted. Collin is especially sorry for the part he played.”
I tried to smile, but I knew it must have looked like a grimace. What did one say to that?
“Now that I have dampened the mood, how about we clean up Ezekiel’s aura? It’s honestly suffocating me,” she joked to lighten the mood.
“I’m okay. I don’t believe in this nonsense,” he said, storming out.
Both Simone and I watched him go.
When our faces met, she gave me a sad smile. “I think I remind him too much of Sabby.”
That explained more about Ezekiel, and I felt sorry for him if he was that unnerved by the memory of someone who was long gone.
FORTY-ONE
