Page 13 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“Norway,” he replied.
“Oh.” Her shoulders dropped, and she tipped her head a little. “Really?”
“I’m quite sure of it. Thank you for the drinks.” They gathered their coats and left the pub.
It wasn’t a far walk back to the clanhouse, but Lars watched the dragons carefully. He was worried about them, and the odd levels in Salem’s ley line were throwing him off.
Granted, his mind was constantly preoccupied with Amanda. Beck was right. There would have to be some discussions and sacrifices. They each had a lot going on in their lives, and maybe they wouldn’t get it to work out at all, but he at least had to try.
5
The gentle meditationmusic flowed through the room, and Amanda let her mind ride the swirling sounds of the Himalayan singing bowls. She moved her hands slowly just above her client, Rhonda, gently pushing and pulling her energy until it was brought back into alignment.
Amanda felt her brow scrunch as she studied the flow near Rhonda’s throat chakra. It wasn’t quite right, and no matter how she moved her hands, Amanda wasn’t getting quite the results she wanted. A small voice at the back of her mind nagged Amanda that she was running over time, and she tried to push it away. She didn’t want to just set a timer and ask for payment. She wanted to help.
After a few more minutes, though, she knew there was nothing else she could do. Amanda stepped back from the table and gently swung her bamboo chime, signaling that the appointment was over. “Take all the time you need to get up,” she said softly.
Rhonda opened her eyes and smiled. “I don’t need any time. I feel much better, and as a matter of fact, I need to get home and talk to my sister right away.”
“Big holiday plans to work on?” Amanda guessed.
“There might not be any plans at all by the time I’m done.” Rhonda took her purse and jacket from the hooks on the wall. “I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time how to talk to her. She’s always so condescending, telling me what to do even when I don’t ask for her advice. I don’t like confrontation, so I don’t usually say anything, but I’m done with that. I’m going to tell her how I feel.”
“Good luck. I’ll see you next week!” Apparently, Amanda had been more successful in clearing Rhonda’s blocked throat chakra than she’d realized.
As soon as Rhonda was out the door, Amanda checked her appointment book. Zoe was out for the afternoon, so she didn’t have a receptionist at the moment. Fortunately, Rhonda was the last person on the books for the day.
Exhausted, Amanda sat down behind the front desk. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, thinking back over the appointments she’d had through the day. Many of them were her regulars, clients who came to see her once a week or once a month. She knew their energies and their problems well, and that made it easier to put them back into balance. In fact, given how many repeat customers she’d helped that day, it should’ve been a breeze.
Something was off, though. She could feel it within herself, but it wasn’t as easy to identify as it was in someone else.
The tiny bell over the door tinkled, a delicate sound compared to the loud clang usually found in retail stores.
Amanda straightened and opened her eyes. “We’re closed for the day, but I—oh.”
“But you can put me on your waitlist?” Lars asked with a smile.
She couldn’t help but smile back, even though a moment ago, she was thinking she’d go home and go straight to bed. Herbear had some opinions, too, and she felt a new wave of energy flowing through her.
Maybe there wasn’t really anything wrong with her at all, and she was just a little tired. “I could do that.”
“Is there a waitlist to take you out to dinner?” Lars asked, stepping up to the desk. He was wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and a jacket. It was a casual outfit, but something about his broad shoulders made everything look a little more dressed up.
Another wave of energy moved through her, or maybe it was excitement. “It’s a very short waitlist, so I could put you…let’s see…right at the top?”
“I’m available tonight if you are.”
She opened her mouth to reply and then hesitated. Amanda had been determined not to get into another long-distance relationship again. It was just too hard, and she knew she was already falling for Lars in a way that would make it even more difficult to say goodbye. But then there was Kristy in the back of her mind, asking if she wouldn’t at least explore that chemistry and spend some time with him.
Her stomach rumbled, having the final say. “I am. There’s a little tavern around the corner. If you want the best American food that’s also the absolute worst for you, then we could go there.”
It wasn’t worth driving the short distance and trying to find a new place to park their cars, so they walked. He put himself on the outside of the sidewalk, between her and the traffic. It was a very old-fashioned thing to do, but Amanda liked it.
“It was nice of you to come and ask me to dinner,” she told him, buttoning her coat against the chilly wind. “If you hadn’t, I might’ve just gone home, had a bowl of ice cream, and gone to bed.”
He laughed. “That doesn’t sound like something a health professional would do.”
“You’d be surprised. I know a doctor who has a Diet Coke for lunch. That’s it. No food or anything. I’m sure he’d never tell his patients to do that, but just like anyone else, I’m sure he gets busy and tired. Still, I prefer real food.” Her mouth was already watering as she thought about the delicious meal awaiting them ahead.
