Page 22 of Dark Moon Secrets

“What?” My pulse increased, and I spun around to look at Luna.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t mean to say that much.”

“But you did. What’s going on?”

Luna’s jovial vibe became more solemn. “Your parents are caring for you, and so is Maria, but all of that will need to wait because you’ve got bigger things to deal with.”

“Not good enough.” I folded my arms over my chest and glared at her.

I wanted answers.

And I wanted them now.

“Well, first of all, the dark moon is this Saturday night, and that’s all you need to focus on right now.” Luna was speaking in riddles.

“Luna, you need to speak plainly to me. What’s so important about a dark moon?”

“It’s a transitional time, and this one will be your first true one as such…” Luna frowned. “It’s a day of interruptions.”

“What now? Another spirit?” It wasn’t going to be easy to run the shop with Luna like this. I was used to logical people, the hustle of a big city, not the spiritual, free-choice types. For the record, I wasn’t going through any sort of transitional time.

“You better go down and meet your first customer.”

My jaw dropped. Luna couldn’t be serious. How would she know someone was coming to the shop?

I shook my head. “I can’t meet any customers, and there’s no way I can run a shop when I know nothing about…” I waved my hands around incredulously, “… all of this stuff. In fact, I don’t even believe in it.”

You will.

“Maria, get out of my head.”

“You can hear her?” Luna’s eyes widened. “That’s good because she’ll help you, and you’ll need a lot of help.”

“I’m going to end up in a madhouse at this rate.” I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. How could Luna think it was all right to hear Maria in my head?

“No, you’re not. You’ve got lots of spirits supporting you, and they’ll get you on the path you’re meant to be on.”

“I’m happy with my life. I don’t need to change.”

“You don’t know your full potential.” A seriousness reflected in her eyes at that moment.

The shop bell clanged.

“Oh, your first customer is here.” She stepped forward, hands on my shoulders, and almost pushed me down the stairs.

“All right, all right, I’m going.” I was stunned her prediction had been correct. “Do you know who it is?”

“No idea. I just knew someone was coming.” She followed me down the stairs. “Now, I’ll be back here making tea… we’ll need it to get through the day. You’ll be fine on your own.”

Luna made shooing motions at me with her hands.

I took a deep breath. Maybe this was a test. If things went well with the first customer, maybe I’d have a better idea if staying here for the next year was something I really could do.

Determined to send the customer on their way, I pushed through the velvet curtain. I needed time to work out what I was going to do, and for that to happen, I wanted to be alone.

A man stood with his back to me, perusing the incense rack. At first glance, he didn’t seem to be the sort of guy you’d expect to see in a shop like this, but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him.

He wore tan work pants paired with a tight black top. I admired his broad shoulders, large biceps, tight waist, and an ass I could stare at for hours. He had a tough vibe about him, unlike the city vibe of leather jackets, piercings, and tattoos I was accustomed to. His vibe was more earthy, rugged, and dirty from a hard day’s work, and a grounded air of confidence surrounded him.

---