175
1535 Words
Tarot
“WHAT’S UP, PHOENIX?”
“Sorry to call you. Devon just texted me. She’s thinks she has a Peeping Tom. Twice, this evening, she thought someone was looking into her windows.”
“Oh, s**t. Really?”
It wasn’t exactly a surprise. Devon, Phoenix’s cousin, was a beautiful, sexy young woman. She owned the tattoo parlor that connected to our clubhouse, and guys were always asking her out. Currently, she was dating Brass, our Sergeant At Arms. From what I understood, things were getting serious and he was about to ask her to marry him.
“Brass and I are out of town, otherwise, we’d go and check things out. We brought the prospects with us, otherwise I’d send them over.”
“That’s right. Fishing Opener,” I replied.
They’d driven up to Brass’s cabin in Alexandria, and had invited me, too. Needing to find a new place to live, I hadn’t been able to make it.
“I’m sure it’s just some neighborhood punks trying to catch her naked. It’s happened before.”
It was no secret that Devon had once appeared in a nudie magazine. I’d never seen it, but the woman was stacked, and if I were a teenage boy, I’d be panting after her, too.
“I’m surprised she isn’t trying to handle it herself,” I replied. She was a no-nonsense spitfire and not one to scare easily.
“I think she may have tried, but thinks that the only way they’ll leave her alone is if a big guy like you scares the fuckers away.”
“No problem. I’m just finishing up dinner. Tell her I’ll be over in about a half hour.”
“Will do. Thanks, man. Sorry to bother you about this,” said Phoenix.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get over there and see what’s up.”
“Sounds good. How are you doing, by the way?”
I’d told him the news about possibly being a father.
“No s**t? You think it’s legit?”
“I don’t know. I had a fling with the woman. It’s possible, she’s mine. Anyway, it’s one of the reasons why I’m looking for a new place to live.”
“You sure you want to jump the gun so soon? What if the kid isn’t yours?”
“I was going to start looking for a house this summer, anyway. The apartment is too small and I need a garage.” Right now, I had to park in an underground parking lot, which made me nervous. My Hog was only two years old and I’d paid a pretty penny for it. I also had a truck, but kept it outside, in the parking lot. It would be nice not to have to worry about either vehicle.
“I hear you. Okay, I’ll let you get back to dinner. Let us know what you find out. Brass is already talking about driving back to confront the Peeping Tom himself.”
Something told me that the Peeping Tom was long gone, but I knew Devon wouldn’t rest easy until I stopped by and checked things out.
“Tell him to relax and enjoy the weekend. I’ll take care of things.”
“Will do.”
We hung up and I walked back to the table.
“Club business?” asked Peyton with an amused expression.
“A friend thinks she has a Peeping Tom, and Phoenix wants me to check it out. I told him I’d do it as soon as we were done eating.”
“Phoenix?”
“My club president,” I replied, sitting back down.
“Oh. Maybe she should call the police?” Peyton said.
“Nah. We think it’s just teenagers. I’ll go and scare them away. No need to involve the cops,” I replied, smiling.
“What about the house? Did you still want to look at it?”
“I do, but, it’s getting late. How about tomorrow?” I replied. “I’d like to see it in the daylight.”
“I’ll talk to John and have him set something up with you.”
“You sure you can’t show it to me?” I replied, smiling. “You’ve already sold me on it anyway. Why let him get all the commission?”
She laughed. “I wish it worked that way. As I said before, I’m just the administrative assistant.”
“Never sell yourself short. In fact, if you finish that book, your life is going to change in ways that you never dreamed possible.”
Peyton stared at me in surprise. “How did you know I was writing one?”
I smiled. “I should probably tell you… I’m a little clairvoyant.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re psychic?”
I nodded. “It’s not something I talk much about. But, since I know we’re going to be seeing more of each other, I wanted to get that out there.”
She stared at me, dumbfounded.
“You’re having a hard time believing me. I understand. A lot of people think I’m nuts.”
“I don’t. In fact, I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural. Thus, the book I’m writing,” Peyton replied and then grinned. “And, what do you mean that you know we’ll be seeing more of each other?”
I grinned. “Like I said, I know things and I can already tell you and I are going to be good together.”
Peyton
TO SAY THAT I was stunned was an understatement.
And not just by his psychic confession.
“I don’t know what to say,” I replied, flattered, but also a little spooked. Either he really was psychic or bat-s**t crazy himself. But, he had known about the book. That wasn’t something one normally threw into a conversation.
His lip twitched. “Just say ‘yes’ to dinner again tomorrow night. After you give me a tour of the house.”
“I’m sure John will want to show it to you himself,” I replied.
“Fine. He can tag along.”
I laughed.
“Back to dinner. Is seven o’clock good for you?”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He smiled and I knew there was no way to resist him. The man was handsomer than all hell and said all the right things.
I finished my wine. “I should say ‘no’ just to ruffle your feathers.”
“You could, but it won’t change the fact that you want to go out with me.”
I couldn’t argue that.
WE WENT OUR separate ways, and as I drove home, I couldn’t help but grin like a silly schoolgirl. The guy made me giddy and I hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
My phone began to ring. It was John.
“So, he wants to look at the house in East Bethel, huh?”
“Yes,” I replied, pulling into my garage. “He hated the other house.”
“That’s too bad. Sorry, but I can’t make it out there tonight.”
“Don’t worry. Something else came up, so you’re off the hook. He wants to look at it tomorrow, though.”
“Did he tell you if he was pre-approved?”
“I didn’t ask.”
He let out an irritated sigh.
“Sorry. I’m not a realtor,” I said dryly. “I didn’t know.”
“What was he driving? Did he look like a loser or someone with good credit?”
I rolled my eyes.
John was always preaching about not judging people by first impressions. He once claimed that he’d sold a five-million-dollar home to a guy who had driven around in an old beater and preferred wearing bib overalls. He later found out that the man had received a big inheritance, and owned a small island. “Dom certainly didn’t look like a loser and he was driving a Harley.”
“New or old?”
“I don’t know. Newer?”
“s**t. Tomorrow is Saturday and I have an open-house in the afternoon. I really don’t want to waste the rest of my day with someone who isn’t even pre-qualified to buy yet,” he said flatly.
“Well, I can show it to him if you’d like.”
He was quiet for a few seconds and then sighed. “No, I’d better do it. It’s your day off anyway.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“Honestly, I just don’t want you to blow this thing, especially if he’s really interested. You’re not a trained realtor.”
I gritted my teeth. It hadn’t bothered him earlier. John was such an asshole. If I didn’t need the money, I’d have quit a long time ago.
“I’ll call him,” he said and then hung up.
“Prick.” I dropped my phone down on the seat, went into the house, and started working on my book again. I didn’t know if Dom really had any insight to my future, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to take his advice.
- Writer
