Page 49 of Unraveling Rain
Ruin: Good luck at the match, wizard! *wizard emoji* *soccer ball emoji*
Merlin: *thumbs up emoji*
Damn.
I thought River was going to calm down after our conversation, but I guess I’ll have to keep him in the loop until he chills out.
I open the thread with my sister.
Rain: Hey, sis. How are my babies? I had a great weekend *wink emoji* Do you have time to chat today? Can’t wait to squeeze my favorite niece and nephew.
Ruin replies almost instantly.
Ruin: What did you do? *eyes emoji* I just saw Xander and he’s grinning from ear to ear. I was trying to give you space, but now I need all the details.
Rain: Yeah, well. A lady never tells. *manicure emoji*
I give her the same line she used on me when she first started dating her now-husband, and I was the one asking for all the juicy details. How the tables have turned.
Ruin: Ha! And here I thought I was the good twin? I guess I’ll have to ask Xander during our session.
She’s bluffing. She’s too professional to do something like that.
Rain: Good! That way, you can share with me what he says. *wink emoji*
Ruin: Bahaha, you’re incorrigible. I’ll meet you for lunch at the diner.
Rain: See you then.
Instead of calling Mama and Granny, I decide to stop by. I want them to see I’m okay with their own eyes. I’ll have to skip the gym and wait until tonight.
“Mama? Granny?” I call out as I step into my childhood home. The warm scent of cinnamon and clove hits me the moment I walk into the kitchen. Mama is at the stove, stirring a huge pot, while Granny hovers beside her like a general on a mission.
“Oh, sweetheart. You came,” Granny says, her arms open wide.
I lean down and hug her. “Hey, Granny. Are you okay?” I tuck a couple of stray hairs into her chignon.
“Okay? I’m fantastic. St. John’s Day is coming, and your mama and I are almost ready with the preparations.”
I give Mama a puzzled look. She just shrugs and keeps stirring.
Granny waves me off. “Oh, please. Don’t give me that look. We’ve celebrated St. John’s Day in the past.”
She pats my cheeks and returns to her post beside Mama.
“I simply wanted to stop by and make sure you both knew I’m alive and well,” I say, swiping a biscuit from the tray on the counter.
“Of course you’re okay,” Granny says with a scoff, her eyes still trained on the pot. “I told you—you were going to meet him.” Then she turns to me, a devilish grin on her beautiful, wrinkled face.
“What?” Mama asks, clearly intrigued. “Did I miss something?”
I’m about to brush it off, but Granny cuts in.
“Josephine, dear,” she says, patting Mama’s hand. “The other day at the diner, I noticed Rain was a little more down than usual, so I called her over to join me and asked her to draw a card.”
She waves her hand in circles on top of the pot and takes a deep inhale. “Let’s add the oranges and limes, dear.”
Mama grabs them without missing a beat.
