What the Heart Knows

“I will.”

She stood from the couch and beamed down at him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to a standing position.

“Come on, at the least it’ll be fun. You didn’t want to go star gazing either, and that turned out to be fun.”

“Because we made love under the moonlight.”

“Minor detail.”

She laughed as she waited for him to pull himself back together before she pulled him to the door. Out of the one hundred things she’d written down she’d managed to accomplish a good seventy-five. The ten most recent had been accomplished with Oliver. It was more than a bonding time between them; it was healing. She loved to watch the somber man blossom and know she was a part of the catalyst for the change.

****

Oliver tried hard not to roll his eyes as they pulled up in front of a tiny white house with green shutters. He couldn’t believe the things this woman had actually gotten him to do. Over the past two years he’d felt every one of his thirty-six years, but now it was like he was in the middle of being reborn. Colors were brighter, and ideals were fresh once more when he saw them through Juniper’s eyes. At the time his world had tilted on its axis and collapsed, hers had opened with limitless possibilities for the very first time. It was why they made such a good match.

Juni turned to him and met his gaze with a serious expression on her face.

“You have to promise me something before we go inside,” she said.

“Shoot.”

“You have to be respectful, even though you don’t believe in what she does.”

“Of course.”

“I’m serious, Oli. I don’t want to offend her and adversely affect our reading.”

“I promise.” The familiar nickname still sounded strange on her lips. Though he’d never tell her this out loud, it creeped him out. There was an infliction in her voice when she said it that reminded him of Hannah. He’d be willing to pay Madeline a hefty sum of money if she could tell him how to exorcise the memories that haunted him.

“Good.” She leaned across the car’s console to hug him. “Smile, this is supposed to be fun.”

“Until she pulls out the death card.”

“You should know from those horror movies you love so much that can mean the end of something.”

“Can, but never does.”

“Come on, you big baby, we’re not even having our cards read.”

She rolled her eyes before she stepped from the car, and he exited on the driver side. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way up the tiny concrete path and up the stairs. A sign posted on the door told them to ring the bell for service.

“I’ll let you do the honors,” he said.

His hand gesture made her roll her eyes and he fought back a snort at how solemn she’d become. The doorbell seemed to echo through the house and he had to give Madeline an A for effort when it came to ambience. They hadn’t even made it inside the house yet, and his creep factor was at three and rising. The warm night seemed to turn chilly and the shadows deepened a tad bit more than usual as the sun set. Orange and red hues shifted to deep purples, and he tensed as the doorknob turned. The sight that greeted him made him want to laugh. The older woman who stood in front of them looked to be in her mid-fifties with olive skin, dark eyes, and salt and pepper hair that trailed down her back. She was dressed in a simple black skirt and black blouse that screamed normal. The only jewelry she wore was a gold wedding band, and her round face was kind and etched with laugh lines.

“You’re here to see me, yes?” she asked.

The minute she spoke, his concept of grandmother went out the window. There was power in that voice. An authoritative tone that made you sit up straight and pay attention to what she was saying. He tensed as a knowing smile appeared on her face, and the dark eyes that had seemed harmless became piercing.

“You’re Ms. Madeline?” Juni asked.

“Yes, but please just call me Madeline. Come on in. You’ve picked the perfect time for a visit. I’m clear for the rest of the evening.”

She stepped back to allow them to enter the house, and Oliver was surprised to find it looked like any other business run out of a home. There were chairs lined up in the foyer, which served as a waiting room, and off to the right there was a water dispenser and a table with a coffee pot, creamer, sugar, swizzle sticks, and paper cups. It was rather anti-climatic.

“This is not what you expected?” Madeline asked.

“No, ma’am.”