Skate the Line: A Single Dad Hockey Romance (Blue Devils Hockey Book 2)

The mood is set.

The ambience is giving vibes, and although I feel every bit of crazy, I’m here for it.

Shuffling cards fill the empty space between me and a woman who looks like she could double as a Harry Potter character. The smell of lavender is overpowering enough to mix in with the salty air of the ocean just outside the purple curtains.

“I’m feeling sunshine from you,” Celeste muses.

She has a little twinkle in her eye that I’m pretty sure I’m just imagining.

“Well, my name is Allison, but I go by Sunny.” I smile, and she mirrors me.

“That makes sense.”

She shuffles some more cards and takes a deep breath while closing her eyes. Purple eyeshadow shimmers underneath the filtered sunlight from above, and when she opens her eyes again, she starts pulling cards left and right.

My phone vibrates, but I ignore it. Instead, I stare at Celeste’s long maroon fingernails filtering through the tarot cards falling from her hands.

“Ah,” she singsongs.

I scan the cards she’s straightening in between us.

I have no idea what they mean. Up until about twenty minutes ago, I didn’t even believe in this sort of thing.

But if the universe could give me a sign, one single sign, to direct me on the right path, I’ll believe anything at this point.

“You’ve pulled quite a lot of cards, Allison.”

I wish she wouldn’t call me that.

“Is that bad?” I ask.

“You’re the only one who can decide that.”

That’s not an answer. That’s a riddle. And to be honest, I don’t appreciate it.

Celeste taps her fingers on the table before landing on the card with a sun in the center surrounded by light blues and grassy lands.

“This is very fitting. You are a light, meaning you attract goodness. You have beauty inside of you, and you’re willing to spread that around to others. I sense that you’ll attract success going forward. Your energy attracts good people.”

“Not always,” I mutter.

Celeste doesn’t pry. She circles the next card and stares at me from across the table. My phone vibrates again, and we both look at it.

I see three texts from Ruby, all of which are facts about Chicago.

She’s been sending me facts for two days now.

Chicago has the second-largest public transportation system. It has more than 450 million bus and train rides, meaning you won’t even need a car!

Chicago has more than 60 art museums! Right up your alley.

Chicago is home to one of the best art schools in the country—you could go back to school!

“This one”—the tapping of Celeste’s fingernail pulls me back to her reading—“is called The Fool.”

That doesn’t sound good.

Her smile catches me off guard. “It means new beginnings. Maybe you’ll be taking a risk soon? Making a change?”

She slides another tarot card beside it, and I do a double-take. “The Lovers.”

I choke on air. I did not come here for relationship advice. That is the last thing I want to think about as I contemplate becoming a nanny again for another pro hockey player.

Wait. Contemplate?

Am I really contemplating it?

According to my dwindling bank account, I am.

“Relax, Allison. It doesn’t always refer to romantic relationships.”

Can she read minds?

“The Lovers card means that you’re being led to love, but it can be a friendship, family, even a pet. It just means that you have love coming to you in the future.”

I’m skeptical. I bet she tells everyone that they’re being led to love.

Still, I point to the two cards that resemble one another. “What are those?”

“Oh. This is interesting. You’ve pulled both The Emperor and The Empress. The Emperor means a new job opportunity may be presenting itself, but it also comes with stability. You’ll have the power to make your own rules and set boundaries within your new role.”

A quiet, sarcastic noise slips out.

I should have set boundaries at my last job.

“The Empress is very similar as it also means new beginnings. Would you consider yourself to be creative?”

A small smile touches my lips. “Yes.”

It’s been so long since I’ve been able to sit and lose myself in front of a canvas.

Celeste raises an eyebrow. “The Empress is typically pulled for those with creative abilities. She also demonstrates a nurturing soul.”

The more the tarot reader explains the cards, the more I start to second-guess the reading. It’s sounding very much like Ruby called this woman and told her what to tell me to get me to go to Chicago.

New beginnings, new job opportunities, setting boundaries, and creative abilities…

“And that one?” I nod to the last card.

The shimmer on Celeste’s eyelids catches the sun again with her narrowed gaze. “That is The Hanged Man.” Her blue eyes pierce me, and I’m not sure if she’s meaning to be intense, but she looks serious. “It means sacrifice. Whether that be in your future or your past. Maybe you’ve had to make a sacrifice recently, or you’ll have to make one eventually.”

I clear my throat as a distraction. Just this morning, Ruby made that exact comment to me—that I’ve had to sacrifice so much as of late. My home, my sense of self, my future, my outlook on men and relationships, and worst of all, my own judgment.

Celeste grabs me by the hand. It startles me, even though her touch is soft and warm. “The good thing that comes with The Hanged Man is wisdom. If you’re recalling a sacrifice in your life, then take comfort in knowing you’ve been through the trials already. Trust your intuition, sweet child. Let your energy lead you. Trust yourself in whatever your future holds.”

My phone vibrates again. I’d bet my life it’s another text from Ruby.

Celeste eventually releases my hand, and my session finishes. It’s donation only, and I tip her more than I planned on, but I would be lying if I said my outlook wasn’t a little skewed afterward. There’s a weird energy flowing through my body that I swear wasn’t there before.

I slip out from the purple curtains and step onto the sidewalk blanketed in sand. I shake out my hands as I make my way to the shade and finally open my texts.

It’s a photo of Ruby and me in our bikinis from last summer. The only off thing about the photo is that the background isn’t the pool that I know should be there. Instead, it’s a cityscape that is clearly photoshopped in. There’s a billboard behind us that says The future awaits.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Ruby edited that into the photo too, but I can’t help but question if the universe really is giving me a sign.

I glance back to the purple curtains and reread the cardboard sign: Free Tarot Readings— Donations appreciated!

My heart beats with a little bit of anticipation as I type.

Her face pops up on the screen with an incoming call a second later.

I roll my eyes.

Chicago, here I come.