"Oh, dear heavens." She patted my shoulder. "You just keep crying."
I did what she said and sobbed. Sobbed for the love that was so short lived. What happened to Ian? I had to know. I had to find out because I felt so connected to him. He was my eternal mate. I paused at that thought. The old woman had said that I'd meet him again in this lifetime. While the Ian and Lexy of the past had a tragic story, that didn't mean that the present Ian and I would.
The woman pulled a tissue from the sleeve of her sweater. I took it and wiped my nose. "Will… will I meet Ian again soon?"
"His name is Ian then." She sighed. "I don't know. I see you're so sad and I wish I could tell you more. I had no idea of what would happen, how their connection would end."
I sniffed. "I know. It's not your fault, but it's so vivid to me. So real."
"While it may seem like you had a night with your man, no time has passed while you were gone. Only a minute or two were you asleep—at least that's what it appeared to me—so I went to make some tea."
No time had passed? I glanced out the plate glass window. The sun was still bright, people walked past as if the most amazing thing hadn't just happened. My life was irrevocably changed. I couldn't just date any man. No one but Ian would do. I had to find out what happened to the Ian I knew, the Ian I'd spent one remarkable night with.
"It is still your birthday. Make a wish." The woman smiled at me, most likely hoping to soften the blow of what had happened. Nor could she tell me when I'd meet the man of my dreams again. "Birthday wishes are known to come true."
She'd been right about going back in time for one night with my eternal mate, although the outcome was not what either of us ever imagined. Maybe she'd be right about meeting Ian again. Unfortunately, it could be the next day or when I was seventy. Ugh. The thought of it brought tears to my eyes again. I took a deep breath and willed them away. A birthday wish. I closed my eyes and formed the words in my mind. I wish I meet Ian again. Today.
"There," the shopkeeper said when I'd opened my eyes. "Now just wait and see what happens." Her gnarled hand, soft and warm, squeezed mine in reassurance. Perhaps it was the patience of those who were older and wiser that made her seem so calm. She hadn't spent a night of wild monkey sex and craved it again like a druggie wanted a fix. She hadn't just been murdered.
I didn't have any other choice but to try to come to terms with what had just happened to me. And wait. Sighing, I got up from the comfortable chair. I was exhausted. My mind was all confused—gross understatement—by all that had happened. I was sad. I'd had something perfect in my grasp and I could feel it, with every passing moment, slipping further away. Glynnis had taken the Scottish Lexy from Ian and time had taken Ian from me.
I tucked a damp curl behind my ear. Was it really the same time as when I put on the ring? It seemed like yesterday, but so much had happened. I touched the ring, felt the heat of it still. Ah, the ring. It wasn't really mine. I started to remove it.
"It's yours. It always has been. Always will be," the shopkeeper said. "Now this Ian of yours will be drawn to you. To the ring. Just like you were."
I couldn't help but smile, thinking of Ian, wherever he was out there, being pulled to me by the power of a simple piece of jewelry. It was fantastical, but I believed. The woman had brought a dream to life, brought hope to my soul and hopefully soon, my eternal mate.
***
"Tell me what happened again?" Tracy asked. I had her on speakerphone, my cell on the coffee table beside my foot, the one on which I was painting the toes a bright fuchsia.
As soon as I'd gotten back to my apartment, I stripped off my clothes and looked at my body in the mirror. There weren't any whisker burns on my neck, across my breasts and even between my thighs. My pussy and ass weren't sore. I didn't feel like I'd had sex. Lots of it and it hadn't been gentle. There was no scar or mark where I'd been stabbed. Nothing. Even so, it hadn't been a dream. I wasn't insane. I wasn't insane. I'd wanted to call Tracy then and there to tell her what I'd just done, to confirm that I wasn't losing my mind, but she'd been on a plane.
I was alone and I felt fragile, vulnerable. The tears returned and I crawled into bed naked, tossed the blanket over my head and cried into my pillow. This wasn't even like the feeling of being dumped by a boyfriend. Then, the hurt and loneliness kicked in. Self doubt, perhaps even loathing. This was different. There hadn't been any question that Ian had wanted me. I'd wanted him. We were compatible and perfect for each other on a level far deeper than any relationship I'd ever had. That was the crux of it. He had been the one and Glynnis had so ruthlessly ripped us apart. And so I cried myself to sleep, mourning a couple that never had a chance.
By the time I woke, it was dark out and I was even more confused than ever. I showered, tossed on a pair of sweats, and moved to the couch. Finally, I gave Tracy a call and gave her the story.
She'd remained quiet until I mentioned the words "eternal mate," then she'd laughed. When I didn't laugh with her, she quieted down and let me continue. I brushed the second coat on my toes, blowing on them.
"I know it's insane, but you've got to believe me."
"She didn't drug you?"
I rolled my eyes. "No."
"Did you go have more to drink?"
"No. Tracy, c
ome on." I sighed, knowing it would be futile. "Look, when you come back, I'll show you the ring. Okay?"
I held my hand up and glanced at the shiny ruby, felt the warmth seeping from it into my finger.
"Okay. Are you sure you're okay? I know thirty is tough and all, but should I call your mom or something?"
"God no. She'll freak and then have me committed." My mom and I got along just fine, but if Tracy didn't believe, then my mother wouldn't. Besides, I wasn't going to tell the woman I spent almost the entire time I was with Ian fucking him. We were close, but not that close.
Tracy laughed. "She will not. She'll find a nice guy from church and fix you up."