Part 4 (1/2)
Relieved they were back to teasing rather than on the verge of arguing, she smiled. ”Practice does make perfect.”
After he left the room, and she cleaned the kitchen, her mind was on John and what he'd said. If he'd thought she was stretched thin now, what would he say if he knew about her visions, and that she was learning how to better understand her psychic abilities? Thank G.o.d Jenny had called before she'd told John her suspicions regarding Kelly's mom. A new manager, and even an a.s.sistant manager, might help relieve the pressures of running her own business, but in reality she was trading one stress for another. Spending time with Maxine, practicing how to psychically ground herself while trying to discover if Kelly's mom had been murdered would take hours from her day.
Hopefully she'd uncover the truth behind Kelly's mom very soon. Even if she did, she'd still have to make sure she knew how to control her visions. When she'd been pregnant with Olivia, she'd experienced no psychic phenomena, but she suspected that was due to the trauma she'd suffered and not her pregnancy. Now that her mind no longer repressed her gift, she hadn't a clue as to how that gift would be affected during pregnancy. Worried her sensitivity to the dead might increase, she would need to make sure she listened to everything Maxine could teach her.
Another baby.
She'd always wanted a big family and couldn't wait to give Olivia a brother or sister. Her daughter's squeals reached into the kitchen. A bigger family would mean they couldn't stay in John's condo for much longer. If she hired an a.s.sistant manager, they might not be able to save quickly enough to move into a bigger place. Instead of putting the cart before the horse, she'd concentrate on right now. And right now, she was ready to put her daughter to bed, then make love to her husband.
When she reached Olivia's room, she stood in the doorway and watched as John finished zipping their daughter's footie pajamas. He then scooped up Olivia and, snuggling her close, quietly sang Hush Little Baby. When Olivia hugged him back and sighed, tears welled in Celeste's eyes. John was a good man and father. She loved being married to him and knew in her heart she had to be honest with him.
Together, they put Olivia to bed. After they shut off the light and went into their bedroom, he pulled her close. ”I've missed you this week,” he said, kissing her along the throat. ”There was a psychic advisor shop in the storefront across from my hotel. Every time I saw it, I thought of you.”
She had her opening. ”And what did you think?”
”About this,” he murmured, and slid his hand beneath her yoga pants. ”And this.” He ran his palm along her breast.
Her breath hitched as desire curled through her belly. ”The psychic made you think of my b.u.t.t and b.o.o.bs?”
When he chuckled, his warm breath fanned across her lips. ”Never saw her, but the store made me glad my psychic went into baking instead of fortune-telling.”
”That's too bad,” she said, pus.h.i.+ng his sweater up his torso and over his head. ”Now that my time at the Sugar Shack is going to be freed up, I was thinking about finding a mentor to help me regain my psychic powers.” She grinned and ran her hand along his hard chest. ”For the good of mankind, of course.”
”Of course.” He pulled her s.h.i.+rt off, then unhooked her bra. ”But I prefer living with a s.e.xy baker.”
”Why's that?” she asked, breathless when he dragged her pants down her legs, then pressed her against the mattress.
”I've gotten used to your creepy gnomes,” he said, kissing a path along her stomach. ”But the psychic stuff...not so much.”
Although turned on and anxious for him to kiss his way to between her thighs, she couldn't help resenting his comment. ”Are you saying that when I still had my gift, it used to creep you out?”
He stopped mid-kiss and looked up at her. ”Creepy is for the gnomes, not my wife.” He stood, removed the rest of his clothes, then settled her on the center of the bed. After covering her with his big body, he smoothed her curls away from her face. ”I love you, every part of you. But when you were having visions, it scared the h.e.l.l out of me. I don't want what happened in Wisconsin to ever repeat itself. I love you too much to lose you.”
The sharp blades of guilt pierced her chest. ”I love you, too. And I'm not going anywhere.” She reached between their bodies and stroked him. ”I do have a prediction, though.”
”What's that?” he asked, grazing his lips along hers.
”I predict we're going to stop with the chitchat and practice our baby-making skills. Twice.”
”Twice?” He smiled against her mouth, and his breath quickened. ”That's a prophecy I can live with,” he said, then kissed her.
As he deepened the kiss and began to make love to her, her thoughts remained on John and the pleasure he brought her. But once they were both sated and she was curled against his body, the guilt returned. She couldn't tell him about Maxine or Kelly's mom, or that her earlier conversation with Ian confirmed that Maxine was the real deal. While she didn't want to lie to her husband, she also didn't want him reliving what had happened to her in the past, or stressing over what could possibly happen in the future. Once she had a better understanding of what she was capable of and how she could control her gift, she would tell him the truth. For now, for his peace of mind and hers, she'd keep him in the dark and pray that what her mind had unlocked wouldn't ruin their marriage.
Or, this time, kill her.
Chapter 5.
CELESTE CARRIED OLIVIA to Kelly's front door. This morning's weather was a repeat of yesterday's and, according to the local meteorologist, the weekend should result in more of the same. If only she didn't have the responsibility of the bakery, she would stay home wearing her lounge pants and sweats.h.i.+rt, curl up under a blanket and watch mindless movies. But she had more than the bakery to worry about, or running Olivia to the daycare. She had another appointment with Maxine.
Her stomach fluttered with nervous energy as she knocked on Kelly's townhouse door. Maxine had suggested she bring an item back to her North Astor home that Celeste could use for another reading, but she had no idea how she would accomplish something like that without Kelly questioning her. She'd considered keeping the blanket, yet didn't think that was right. Especially if Kelly called the daycare looking for it.
The door swung open, and her friend greeted her with a weary smile. ”Morning. Thanks for helping out today.” Kelly's brown eyes were swollen, underscored with dark circles and held a sadness Celeste could relate to. It had been over five years since her mom had pa.s.sed, but the loss still hurt.
”I'm so sorry,” Celeste said, and, still holding Olivia, half-hugged Kelly. ”How are you holding up?”
Kelly ran a hand over her dark-brown hair, which had been pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. ”Okay.” She let out a sigh, and motioned for Celeste to come inside. ”I just don't get it,” she continued. ”My mom planned to meet her girlfriends for lunch today after her morning doctor's appointment. Tomorrow evening, she and Ann were supposed to go to the theater.”
Ann. Celeste had a quick memory of the woman's name, along with the threat to her life. ”Who's Ann?” she asked.
”My mom's best friend. She's a nurse and is-was-staying with my mom to help her.” Kelly tugged at the cuffs of her baggy sweats.h.i.+rt and hugged herself. ”Ann was the one who found her. She's beside herself.”
”We all are.” Kelly's sister, Lea, entered the room carrying a little girl. Dressed in a stylish cream-colored sweater dress, dark-brown leggings and tall brown boots, Lea looked as if she were going out for dinner and drinks rather than making funeral arrangements. ”h.e.l.lo, Celeste,” Lea said, tucking her straight brown hair, cut in a severe yet s.e.xy bob, behind her ear. ”Thank you for taking the girls to the daycare.”
”Oh, Celeste, I'm sorry.” Kelly hugged herself tighter. ”I forgot to ask if you would mind taking Lea's daughter, too. Her daycare had to shut down due to a flu outbreak.”
Daycare? She must have been mistaken about Lea's au pair. ”Not a problem,” Celeste said, then, facing Lea, offered her condolences.
Lea's chin trembled slightly and her eyes misted with tears. She blinked several times, then cleared her throat. ”Thank you. Whatever our mother's reasons for taking the coward's way will-”
”Lea,” Kelly gasped. ”How could you say such a thing?”
Lea's jaw tightened. ”I won't apologize for feeling bitter and angry.” She set her daughter down when the little girl began pulling on Lea's earrings. ”My last conversation with Mom was...never mind. I don't want to talk about it.”
Kelly's husband, Dale, entered the room carrying their daughter, Avery. ”We better get going. I'd like to make it back into the office by lunch.” He glanced to his wife, his gaze drifting over the clothes she wore. ”As it is, we're going to lose money this week.”
”My boss is giving me three days' paid bereavement leave.” Kelly glared at her husband. ”We'll be just fine.”
Lea rolled her eyes. ”For Christ's sake, Dale. Don't be such an insensitive d.i.c.k. If you need the money that bad, I'll loan it to you.”
Dale snorted. ”You mean you'll max out another credit card.”
”Screw you,” Lea snapped. ”I'll have you-”
Celeste cleared her throat. ”If the girls are ready to go, I'm ready to leave.”
Lea looked to where her daughter played with a doll on the carpet. ”I apologize, Celeste. My brother-in-law is a cheap son of a-”
”Enough,” Kelly shouted. ”I don't appreciate you people swearing around the girls or embarra.s.sing me in front of my friend.” She turned to her husband. ”We don't need you to come with us, so go to work.”
”Well, I want to be there when you meet with the attorney. Just because you're a paralegal doesn't mean you understand the law.”
G.o.d, Celeste couldn't stand Dale. Kelly was a bright woman and had worked for the same attorney for the past fifteen years. She'd guarantee Kelly knew more about the law than Dale, who worked in the IT department for the Chicago Transit Authority.
Kelly took Avery from her husband. ”Just put the car seats in Celeste's Jeep. I'm going to change Avery's diaper. I'll be right back.”
While Kelly left the room, Dale barely looked at Celeste as he took her keys. When she'd first met him she had considered Dale an attractive guy, until he'd opened his mouth. She hadn't needed to be psychic to sense the ugliness inside him, and couldn't stand the way he spoke to Kelly and acted as if his wife were stupid. Several times Kelly had suggested they meet for a couples' night out with her and John. Celeste had managed to talk John into having dinner and drinks with Kelly and Dale this past summer. John had lasted no more than an hour before he'd pulled her aside and told her he wasn't about to waste a kid-free evening on a pompous p.r.i.c.k like Dale.