Page 48 of Cold Feet
"Oh, these are just options in case you need them. Zayne and Frank have plenty of clothes here that might fit you if you didn't bring the right shade of blue." She turned to me. "Lana, honey, I pressed your dress. It's hanging in your closet."
"Thanks, Mom," I said, cheerfully resigning myself to the outfit she'd chosen. "I saw it this morning. Super cute." She beamed. Although she was an immovable force when it came to wardrobe coordination, she had impeccable taste, at least.
Zayne appeared in the doorway, already dressed in the exact shade of light blue shirt that was hanging in my closet. "Reinforcements have arrived," he announced. "Aunt Margaret's already asking when we're starting the mimosas."
"Eleven," my mother said firmly. "Not a minute before. We need lovely photos first."
"She says she brought her special champagne glasses," Zayne continued. "The ones that say 'But First, Champagne' in the fancy script."
Mymother closed her eyes briefly, as if praying for patience. "Wonderful. Just what we need."
“Zayne, you know what to do.”
Exactly how far would your mother go for perfect pictures?” whispered Cam. “Am I going to be helping Zayne move a body after lunch or something?”
I suppressed a smile. My Aunt Margaret's dedication to day drinking was legendary in the Decker family, matched only by her tendency to speak her mind with increasing bluntness as the day progressed. By dinner, she could be counted on to ask at least three wildly inappropriate personal questions and make at least one politically incorrect observation that would have my mother frantically changing the subject.
“No,” I whispered back. “Zayne will just hide the glasses during the photo shoot, and then they’ll magically reappear later in the afternoon.”
"Oh, and Nana's here too," Zayne added with a pointed look at me. "She's already set up her astrology charts on the back deck and wants to know Cam's birthday. For cosmic alignment purposes. Obviously."
I groaned quietly. "I forgot she was coming this early."
Before I could process this unexpected revelation, a voice called from the deck, "Is that my Lana I hear? Bring that fiancé of yours out here so I can read his chart!"
"Here we go," I muttered. "Remember, whatever she says, just smile and nod."
"I've faced NHL defenders, Lana. I think I can handle your grandmother." Cam's hand settled at the small of my back as we made our way to the deck, a brief touch that made my knees wobble every single time. So unfair.
Nana Decker sat at the picnic table, a collection of charts, crystals, and books spread out before her. At seventy-eight, she was still a formidable presence, with the same steel-gray eyes as my father and a crown of silver hair piled into an elegant updo. Today she wore a flowing caftan in shades of purple and teal, with multiple strands of beads around her neck and no fewer than six rings adorning her fingers.
"There's my girl!" she exclaimed, rising to embrace me. She smelled of jasmine and patchouli, a scent that instantly transported me back to childhood summers. She held me at arm's length, studying my face with sharp eyes. "You're glowing, darling. Love looks good on you."
"Thanks, Nana," I said, accepting her assessment with a smile. "This is Cam."
Nana turned her full attention to Cam, who stood beside me with an easy smile that didn't quite hide his curiosity. She circled him slowly, like a jeweler appraising a particularly interesting gem.
"Strong aura," she declared. "Vibrant blue with purple flecks. Very unusual." She stopped in front of him, taking his hands in hers and turning them palm up. "Interesting life line. Split here, then rejoins.Oh, look,” she cooed, “a major life change that brought you back to your true path." Her eyes flicked to me. "Or your true person."
Cam's smile had shifted from polite to genuinely intrigued. "What does that mean?"
"It means destiny has its hooks in you, young man," Nana said sagely. "Now, when exactly were you born? I need day, month, year, and time."
"August 12th, 1994, at 2:17 AM," Cam replied promptly.
Nana's eyebrows shot up. "You know your birth time? Most men have to call their mothers."
"Good memory," Cam said with a shrug. "Although Ididcall my mother yesterday… but just to check in."
"Hmm." Nana eyed him suspiciously before turning to her charts. "Let's see what the stars have to say about you two."
For the next fifteen minutes, I watched in a mixture of amusement and mortification as my grandmother calculated compatibility charts, consulted ephemeris tables, and made pronouncements about our "cosmic connection." Cam played along gamely, asking questions and listening intently as my grandmother spoke.
"Leo sun, Sagittarius rising, with that Gemini moon," Nana mused, tapping a pencil against her charts. "Fire and air. Passionate, adventurous, quick-witted… hmmm… potentially restless." She glanced at me. "Good match for your Capricorn stability, darling. You ground him, and he brings spontaneity to your life."
"So we're compatible?" Cam asked, catching my eye with a smile that made my stomach flutter unmanageably.
"Oh, very," Nana assured him. "Your Venus aligns beautifully with Lana's Mars – powerful physical attraction. And your Mercury conjunct her Jupiter indicates deep intellectual connection and growth."
