Her arms jangled as she reached into her bag for more treasures. “For lunch? That’s my kind of meal.”
I laughed. “No, for PMS and I when we were talking work.”
She glanced at me. “Work and wine on your first day? Hmm.”
“Do not start that again.”
Shrugging, she gestured to all the pouches on the table. “I have many pretties for you.”
“You don’t have to buy me stuff, Lu.” I plopped into the chair and pulled my foot up against my butt to rest my chin on my knee.
“So says the Debbie Downer.” She pulled out another huge bubble-wrapped piece and tore into the tape. “I knew I’d gotten this for you for a reason. Just didn’t know it at the time.” She spun the wrapped piece out until a blue and white skull was revealed. “Meet George.”
I l
aughed and cupped the dome of the sodalite skull. I could feel the calming influence already. Most of the crystals I had were gifts from Lu, other than the few I picked out myself. She had a knack. “Nice to meet you, George. You will look very pretty on my altar.”
“Right? I knew it would be perfect to pair with Julia.”
I shook my head, my mood already brightening from her presence. How could it not? She was pure sunshine.
Her short blond hair was in spiky space buns wrapped in magenta old school bubblegum-sized ball hair ties. Her lips were a matching pink and sparkles winked on her eyelids. A pair of denim cutoffs brushed the tops of her thighs, short enough that the pockets peeked from the bottoms. Three layers of tank tops and five layers of chains and crystals made up the rest of her outfit. A lacy see-thru shirt tied around her waist added to the retro 90’s ensemble. Magenta Doc Martens and cute lacy-topped white socks peeking from the top of her tall boots completed the look.
I picked up George and put him beside Julia, the amethyst skull I’d bought when I wanted to boost my intuition enough to open a virtual practice. I’d been doing parties and fairs here and there, but when I finally became serious about reading cards for people, I’d had to do a lot of work to believe I was worthy to do it.
Reading cards for teenagers to fit in was one thing, but to actually heed the call to do it as a spiritual practice was very different. It wasn’t just about me anymore.
I murmured a few words and set some incense burning to welcome him to my home. By the time I got back to Luna, she had a crystal circle set up, wine poured, and the spread laid out.
“You weren’t kidding about this one.” I tapped the Ace of Wands, the center card of her wide diamond-shaped spread.
She slapped my hand away. “No reading my cards. You know the rules.”
I lifted the mason jar she’d filled for me with the new wine. No regular wine glasses for us. “Sorry.”
“Reading for tarot readers like you is the worst.”
“It is not.” I took a drink and licked my lips. “Mmm. I had something different from them today. Riesling. That was good, but this is delicious.”
“Right? New favorite wine.” She took a sip of her own and shifted my chair until I was cocked her way. “Normally, I’d do this on the podcast, but these cards are a little crazy.”
“Definitely not announcing any of this shit on our podcast.”
I didn’t mention PMS had listened to at least part of an episode, which was entirely my fault. I had invited him into our world, but I hadn’t expected he might want to hang out there.
“Announcing? Our listeners are our family.”
“Maybe so, but kooky Aunt Edna doesn’t need to hear about my…stuff.”
“You have an Aunt Edna? Why didn’t I know this? Is she a fan?” Luna was already whipping out her phone. “I’ll send her a Tramp pack. What’s her address?”
I rolled my eyes. “Metaphorically speaking. I don’t have an Aunt Edna.”
“Oh. Bummer.”
“Secondly, I am not interested in getting involved with PMS.”
Her musical laugh filled my kitchen. “That really is such a great nickname. And it fits his cards.” She ignored my declaration and tapped a short, sparkly nail on the uppermost card. “All this Queen of Swords energy for both of you? You might as well each be wearing a forcefield of emotions. It’s gonna be a rocky one, but lots of orgasms.”