Heart pounding, head spinning, Greer sat stunned. She'd never known a man who made more abrupt exits, but then again, she'd never met anyone like Jackson Bellefonte. What was wrong with him? Okay, so he wanted more. More what? Be exclusive? They already were. Had been from the beginning. Well, except for Andreas' visit, but she'd just met Jackson, so that didn't count. Since then, she'd not considered any other man. And by doing so, she'd caused this.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. No, the blame wasn't his. She owned it. She let that roll around in her head for a few minutes, considering all the possibilities, and the only sensible one was sticking to her plan. Okay, so the lawsuit changed her timeline, but the result was the same. Get back to the life she left behind.

Why did he think she'd take a chance he might be in love with her? Ridiculous. At least not for the long haul, and he didn't understand. It wouldn't last. It never did. And if he broke her heart, she wouldn't recover. Not this time.

And the thought of her family and Jackson's together made her laugh out loud. She could picture Mrs. Bellefonte, pale with disbelief, when Mom showed up with a younger husband, and wanted to frolic in the backyard buck naked, while Greer's dad offered Mr. Bellefonte a homegrown joint.

Replaying the scene, she lost her breath. I want it. You figure it out. Marriage? No, couldn't be what he meant. Sure, he needed more than a casual affair, but not marriage. A promise to sleep with only him. No problem. But why balk when she asked him to say he'd never love her?

It was the whole happily-ever-after thing. He was trying to change her way of thinking. It wasn't she didn't believe in happy endings. She did. For some people. Just not her. Or Mom. Or Dad. Or Ava. Nope, no fairy-tale-ride-off-into-the-sunset for the Starkey family. Couldn't he see that? She based her conclusion on facts, not theory.

Both kitties hooked claws in the comforter and crawled to join Greer in bed. She placed fingertips to temples as they settled in her lap. "I'm in deep shit. He has feelings for me and I don't know what to do." She stroked their fur, and they purred in contentment. "Yep, you're correct. He makes me hum the same way. And his kisses." She drew a long breath, held it, then released it as if meditating. "Not to mention the dirty talk." She lifted Medusa to eye level. "Any tomcats ever purr nasty things to you? Probably not. Maybe it's because Jackson's so moral and different from any man I've ever dated, but when those filthy words come out of his mouth, I feel like I might combust."

She must be crazy, she was even holding conversations with kittens on a regular basis.

She replaced the cat next to her brother. "Well, neither of you have been a bit of help." She scooted from the bed and headed to the bathroom. A hot shower would clear her head. Because if she liked it or not, there were choices to be made.

The pounding hot water didn't help. She still had a brain full of questions. At least the confusion with Jackson pushed the threat of losing Emma to the back of Greer's mind. Temporarily.

Climbing back into bed, she pulled the cover up to her chin. The memory of Jackson naked caused her to shiver. What kind of man stops as he's about to have his turn? Damn, he'd been patient while she experienced two orgasms, then quit because she wanted him to promise he wouldn't fall in love with her?

She bolted upright. Enough was enough. No more pondering about love and commitment and all that other malarkey. Traipsing into the kitchen, she removed the fresh bread from the pan. She put the surveillance photos in a safe place, then loaded the dishwasher.

She took out a leftover bottle of wine, then cut the bread she'd planned to give to Mr. Mooney as a thank-you, but a half-loaf would be enough. Besides, she wanted to try the graham cracker recipe to make sure it tasted okay. A good cook always tested the finished product when possible before giving it as a gift.

After a couple of drinks, she checked for new readings. Best to stay caught up. There were two. She opened the first one. Male. Bachelor. Recently met a woman he thought could be "the one", but from a different background. He was serious. She wasn't. Any hope for them?

Hmm, sounded familiar.

Surely Jackson wouldn't try to sneak in a reading to see what the cards said about their situation? Or would he? Never dreamed he'd have such a naughty mouth either, but he did. Especially for getting her hot.

Didn't take much to set up a new email address she wouldn't connect to him, but what if it was legit and a coincidence? God, she was getting paranoid. She got the same question all the time, so why be suspicious now?

Forcing the thought away, she shuffled and turned the first one. Seven of Wands. Second card, Two of Swords. Then Two of Cups. Followed by Eight of Coins. Finally, Lovers Card.

What if this was Jackson's request? Damn. The reading couldn't be right. She re-shuffled and began again. With each turn, her head pounded. What were the odds? Had to be a million to one. No, a billion to one. She'd never done a reshuffle before, but for the same cards to come up twice in a row was impossible.

She closed her eyes. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. Her eyes popped open and she drained her glass. Too much wine? Stupid. The bottle was damn near empty. It had to be a mistake. This time she wrote them down and to be safe, aimed her cell, snapped a picture, then reshuffled once more.

Placing the first card, her chest tightened. Coincidence. With trembling hands, she flipped the next one. Damn! She blinked, then blinked again. Nope. Same card. That made no sense. Her brain had to be playing tricks. Either that, or some evil spirit had possessed her deck. She gathered them into a messy heap. The front door opened. Emma was home. No need to press her luck. Closing the laptop, she shoved everything away and went to pay the sitter.

At nine o'clock the next morning the ringtone woke Greer. Still woozy from the night before, she scrambled for her phone and finally located it beneath the covers. "Hello."

Nova's cheery voice echoed. "Morning. How's everything going?"

Greer rubbed her head. "Not so good. I had the weirdest dream. Kept getting the same card reading over and over."

"That is weird."

"I'm a little fuzzy. I knocked off a half-bottle of vino last night. Probably explains the nightmare. Anyway, what's going on with you?"

"While working at your shop yesterday, a guy named David came in wanting to know if I'd be interested in selling the place. Once I explained I just worked there, he asked for your number. Expect a call."

"Why didn't you tell him it wasn't for sale?"

"Not my decision. For all I know, you might sell for the right offer."

"Oh my God. You think I should, don't you?"

"You should keep your options open. With everything that's happened, I'm not sure you know what you want. Perhaps getting rid of the shop would help you figure that out."

"Holy shit. You sound like Jackson. He basically said the same thing. Have you been talking to him?"

"No! I'd never go behind your back. I'm saying, the apartment connected to the store isn't big enough for you and Emma, so selling might be a good choice. You can still come back. Buy a suitable house and do all your business online. You don't really need the responsibility of a storefront. Take my word, working from home has advantages. I love it."

"You have a baby. Emma will be in school all day. My situation is different."

"Yeah. Kinda like now. How's that working for you?"

"Okay. Point taken. You're right. I don't miss having a shop, but selling? I've never thought about it."

"Well, you should. Now tell me what's been happening between you and McHottie."

By the time Greer hung up, Nova had the scoop about the lawsuit. Jackson walking out. And Greer having to stay in Fairhope for now. Reliving the scene made her sad. She didn't want to give up what she and Jackson had, even though she wasn't sure what that was.

After the call, she glanced at the laptop and cards lying on her bed and the memory of the readings flooded back. It'd not been a dream. Head clear, a new turn was in order. And this time, it would be the one she sent to the customer. Grabbing her supplies, she went to the kitchen table and shuffled. First card. Seven of Wands. Holy shit. It was Deja vu all over again.

*

It'd taken Jackson all of ten minutes to set up a bogus email and send Greer a request. On the way home from her house, he'd given it a lot of thought. If she believed in the tarot, and what it predicted, then he'd abide by the outcome.

If it showed any hope at all for them, he'd go after her with a vengeance, but if they proved her right, with no chance of compatibility, he'd never call her again. He'd sworn to it. Even though he loved her, could be she was right, and the universe didn't have a happy ending in their future.

Wouldn't be the first time.

And although it would take a while for his heart heal, he would. Experience assured that. He'd immerse himself in work and that would leave no room for thoughts of Greer and what could have been.

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We are nearing the end! What a ride. Just two more chapters left (twenty six pages in word).

Til next time,

x zuz