Page 7 of A Little Twist

“Yick.” Britt shudders. “I’m sure Mom would welcome you back at the Star Parlor. She always said you were a gifted empath.”

“I made even less money as a psychic than I did as a baby dance teacher, and I don’t know. It made me feel guilty. Was I really helping those people?”

“I’m sure you made them feel better. At least for that day.”

My nose crinkles, and I shake my head. “I’ve done a lot of crazy shit through the years, haven’t I?”

“And of all of them, the only one that makes you light up is working with little kids. Have you considered going back to college and getting certified to teach? You’d make a great kindergarten teacher.”

Lifting the hood of the truck, I give her a worried glance. “I never went to college to start with.” Turning the fresh carton of oil upright in the reservoir, I sigh. “I’d have to start from the beginning, and if I don’t have enough money for rent, I definitely can’t afford four years of college.”

Britt crosses her arms, her brow furrowed. “There must be something you could do with little kids right now that doesn’t require all that time and money.”

I wrap an arm over her shoulders. “You are such a good friend worrying about this with me.”

“Argh! Don’t ruin my sweater!” She shoves me with her elbow. “You’re covered in oil.”

“I’m not covered in it!” Looking down, I notice the oil splatters on my overalls and white undershirt. “What can I say? It’s a dirty job.”

“Head up to my place and shower. The spare key is over the door of the Star Parlor, and I’m pretty sure I left some clothes behind. Heck, you can borrow some of Aiden’s old things if you need to.”

We’re in the parking lot behind her mother’s tarot reading studio, and I glance up at the loft apartment where Britt lived until she moved in with Aiden and Owen.

“Smart place to hide a key. I’d never look for it over the wrong door.”

“It was Mom’s idea.”

Exhaling a shiver, I shake my head. “It’s not just the money keeping me away from tarot. Every time I see your mom, I can’t stop remembering the infamous afternoon of you and Aiden having sex upstairs. It kept getting louder, and there was nowhere to hide… I’ve never fled a building so fast in my life.”

Her eyes roll. “Let it go. Ma knows Aiden and I have sex.” We walk slowly to the back entrance. “Hell, with our wedding on the horizon, all anybody wants to know is how soon we’re going to start having babies.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them encouraging you to have sex. For so long they saiddon’tdo it. Now it’s all go go go!”

“I think it’s less about the physical act of love than it is about procreation. Old people love babies.”

“I think you should enjoy being married first. I mean, as much as you can with Owen in the house.” I slide my oil-stained hand down the front of my overalls before grabbing the door handle.

“Patricia has already offered to keep him every weekend with a wink and a nudge—and that’s after keeping Pinky all week.”

I laugh as I imagine Aiden’s mom eagerly keeping her grandkids in the hopes of getting more. “Maybe that’s my problem. I’m secretly an old lady obsessed with babies.”

“You’re an old soul. Now get cleaned up and meet me at the distillery. We need to curate the guest list. Oh! Wedding planner. We forgot to add that to your résumé!”

“Wedding plannerdoes not go on my résumé. I’m only doing this for you because I love you, and I have no money to give you a real gift.”

“Speaking of money, how much do I owe you for the oil change?”

“Are you kidding? You bought the oil. I’m not charging to put it in your truck.” I reach for the door just as she catches my arm.

“I love you, and I’m paying you for your service.”

“We’ll discuss it at the distillery. I can’t stand here like this.”

“That’s why you don’t have any money.”

“One oil change isn’t going to pay my bills, Britt.”

She mutters something about being stubborn as I walk through the glass door behind the stores, and I shake my head, continuing up the short foyer to the tarot studio where I worked for six months last year.

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