0-69 in 5 Minutes (19 page)

She laughed. “The look on your face is
priceless. I bet you thought the room would be dark with incense
burning.” She wiggled her fingers through the air. “Beads flowing
from the ceiling. Maybe even a crystal ball.” She raised a brow.
“Am I right?”

Relaxing a little, he joined her in
laughter. “Maybe.”

“
I sensed you were here
for answers, not the whole stereotype experience or entertainment.
This room helps me to clear my head and receive your energy
stronger. But if you’d like, I do have another room with all the
works.”

“
No.” He shook his head.
“This is better.”

Her long, purple flowing skirt swished as
she grabbed tarot cards from an end table. “Have a seat.” She sat
down and handed the cards to him. “While you shuffle the deck,
think about what you need answered. When you’re done, cut the deck
and hand it back to me.”

The past month and a half crossed through
his mind. Being with Val had been the happiest time in his life.
Without her, he was miserable. His heart belonged to her. There was
no denying it. Yet, he yearned for a child to hold and he couldn’t
turn his back on an innocent babe. Bambi was never going to change.
Why had he let Val walk away? But would Val still want him if Bambi
and the child they’d conceived occupied part of his time? Could she
look at the child of the woman who had slept with her fiancé? Not
that she loved Tyler anymore, but still, the thought would be in
the back of her mind. Was it possible to have Val and his child in
his life? Too many questions swirled through his head.

He handed Wanda the cards.

“
You have a lot on your
mind. I’m going to arrange the cards in a layout called The Celtic
Cross. It should give you a little more in-depth reading.” She laid
the cards face up before him.

The pictures enticed and alarmed him at the
same time. Swords and cups. A man hanging and a beautiful woman.
Those two cards alone summed up his life. Beautiful women had been
the death of him many times.

“
The first card, the
Hanged Man, is the present. He takes one step forward and two steps
back, putting self-interest aside.”

Whoa!
That card was dead on.

“
Your immediate challenge
is represented by the Ten of Swords. You’re playing the martyr and
sacrificing your wants. In your distant past I see motherhood,
shown by the Empress.” She raised her brows.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead and his
heart raced. He didn’t want to go back there. Not now. He had too
many things occupying his thoughts to drag up old pains. “What
else?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Recently.” Her
tone dropped a couple octaves. “Lies and deceit.”

Well, ironically, those words rang true. His
relationship with Val had been one lie after another. Of course,
she hadn’t lied to him, just her family.

“
The fifth position
symbolizes the best outcome.”

He sighed and shifted his feet, nervous
about what the card would show.

“
Relax; the Nine of Cups
symbolizes happiness and having your wish fulfilled.”

Well, he’d always wished to be a father.
Emily melted his heart when she was around. A baby girl would be
nice to play with his niece. He smiled.

Her brows dipped again and she frowned. “But
with the Three of Swords looming in your immediate future, you’ll
have to go through some rough times first; betrayal, separation and
heartache.”

Great! What the fuck was Bambi going to do
now?

“
You’re affecting the
situation by fear and deceiving yourself. Outside influences
include regrets and mistakes. You lack faith and you’re allowing
yourself to be controlled.” She sighed and leaned forward. “The
last card is the final outcome, Judgment.”

Sweat trickled down his temple. So far, the
cards had pegged his life. Could he trust in them about the future?
Did he even want to know? Yes. Good or bad, he couldn’t live any
longer with the uncertainty plaguing his life now. “Go on.”

“
You have to make hard
choices.”

“
Is that all?” He leaned
back against his chair. “Is everything going to work out or am I
going to be miserable forever?”

“
There are a lot of arcane
cards here, which generally means a very strong and urgent
message.”

“
Can you explain that to
me in plain English?”

Silence filled the space between them as she
gathered the cards. Finally, she spoke. “I get the sense that
you’ll be placed in an uncomfortable situation. Your instinct will
lead you one way and your heart another.”

“
What should I
do?”

“
I can’t tell you that.
You have to make your own choices. The cards are not set in stone.
But just a lesson from someone more experienced, life can be a long
sentence if you’re trapped and miserable.”

He wasn’t the medium, but he picked up on
the vibe that she wouldn’t say anything else. Without another word,
he paid her and left.

The reading was clear about his past and
present. Too clear. He had a hard choice to make ahead of him.
Problem was…he feared he would have to choose between his unborn
child and Val.

Chapter 15

Real tears flowed down
Val’s cheeks. Her heart ached for Noah’s arms to hold her, his
breath on her skin and his deep voice whispering to her in the
night. Why hadn’t she fought for him?
Because he didn’t fight for me.

She shifted on her barstool in the
kitchen.

“
Is there anything I can
do for you, sis?” Sitting on the stool next to her, Bree handed her
another tissue while their mother bustled around.

“
No, thank you, you’ve
been great. Both of you.” She sniffed and wiped her sore
eyes.

This morning her mom and Bree had ambushed
her. After three weeks of putting them off, she couldn’t avoid them
any longer. They’d refused to leave her be until she gave them
information.

Her mom busied herself making smoothies
while Bree held her hand and asked questions.

“
Well, I say good riddance
to him,” Mom said as she sat two strawberry smoothies in front of
them on the counter.

Something’s up.
Her mom had never said anything remotely
supportive after a break up. Usually, she blamed her daughters for
the slightest argument.

“
What the hell is that
about?” Bree spat.

“
Bree.” She gave her
sister a look, but she really wasn’t upset. It was the question she
wanted to ask, but didn’t have the guts to.

“
No, I want to know. She’s
never said that to me after a break up. What gives,
Mother?”

Mom clanked dishes and turned her back to
them as she cleaned up.

“
Mother! Answer me,” Bree
demanded, then turned to her and mumbled. “She’s hiding
something.”

No doubt! But what?
She clicked her nails on the countertop. “Mom?
What’s going on?”

“
Nothing, girls.” Her
voice rose to high pitch. “You deserve better than a man who cheats
on you.”

Bree bent close to her ear. “That’s her ‘I’m
lying’ voice.”

Val nodded. “We’re not buying it. Besides,
when Tyler left for that same tramp, you told me to apologize to
him. You said I wasn’t satisfying him enough. Spill it.”

Mom stopped cleaning and walked to the bar.
Nervousness etched her face. Her eyes glazed over and her gaze
darted around the room. She tossed the dish rag down and let out a
breath. “Well, you girls are adults now.” She looked between the
two of them. “Remember, whatever I say, I love you two very
much.”

“
We know that, Mom. But
you’re worrying us right now.”

“
When I told the two of
you that I had moved from foster home to foster home and my parents
were dead…that wasn’t completely true.” She bit her bottom
lip.

“
What part of it?” Bree
demanded.

“
My mother died when I was
nine. I went from my maternal grandmother’s house to my aunt’s and
boarding school. I lived with a few different cousins here and
there. But the worst was living at home…with my father.”

“
How old were you when he
died?”

Val nudged Bree with her knee.

“
What? I want to
know.”

“
It’s okay, dear.” Their
mom pulled up a barstool on the opposite side of the counter and
sat. “My father, your grandfather, he’s…he’s still
alive.”

Speechless, Val turned to Bree. Their gazes
met. For a moment, they bonded in silence. Anger, disbelief,
bewilderment; they all flashed in Bree’s eyes. No doubt hers
revealed the same things.

She swiveled the seat to face her mother.
The creak echoed through the kitchen. “Why did you keep our
grandfather from us?”

Knots formed in her stomach as the stress
piled up. She hadn’t slept or eaten in days. Everything reminded
her of Noah, bills were piling up and to top it all off, her period
was late. Yet, she hadn’t found the courage to test her theory. Of
course, it could all be anxiety and nothing more.

“
What I am about to tell
you isn’t pleasant.”

“
Tell us already.” Bree
fidgeted.

“
Okay, I’m just going to
lay it all out. My father is a mean and cruel man. I’ve done
everything to please him; nevertheless, it’s not enough. When I
found out I was pregnant with you, Val, he was so happy. But when
you were born and he found out you were a girl, he shunned you.”
She shook her head and a tear glistened in the corner of one eye.
“When, you came along, Bree, it was the same story. I vowed on the
day of your birth that I was done trying to please him. I couldn’t
let the two of you go through the cruel things he’d put me
through.”

“
What kind of cruel
things?” Bree’s voice shook.

Mom waved the question off. “That’s not
important. Your grandfather had a rough childhood himself, but it’s
not an excuse for the things he’s done. I tried to shield both of
you from him.”

“
But, Mom.” She reached
across and took her hand. “You’ve done all right for yourself.
You’re a wonderful mother, you have an amazing husband and you have
a great job. Look how you’ve climbed to the top of
Zimmerman’s.”

“
I worked hard for that
job. Every bit of it was earned.” She slammed her fist down,
causing the smoothie glasses to shake.

“
Of course it was. We
wouldn’t think otherwise.” The woman slaved at that company; day
after day, trip after trip, year after year. Nobody put as much
sweat and blood into a company unless… “Mom, what does work have to
do with this?”

Mom squirmed in her seat, then held her head
high and squared her shoulders. “Zimmerman’s Furniture
Manufacturing belongs to my father.”

“
How can that be? You’re
telling us…” she pointed to her chest and then to Bree, “…that our
grandfather is
the
Mr. Zimmerman? The one who lives in that old mansion and is
loaded to the hilt, Mr. Zimmerman?”

Bree’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, shit! That
means he owns the auto parts factory as well.”

“
Yes, that’s the one. No
matter how hard I work or how much money I make him, that old goat
refuses to leave his companies to me, because I’m not a
male.”

“
I…don’t know…where to
begin.” Val hugged herself as her stomach roiled and her head spun.
“What does any of this have to do with N…Sam?” It seemed that she
was a bit more like her mother than she’d thought. Secrets piled on
top of secrets.

“
I know I’ve been
pushy—”

“
You can say that again,”
Bree mumbled.

Mom continued on as if she hadn’t heard
Bree. “But, the first male heir will inherit both companies with me
as the trustee and overseer of operations…Don’t look at me like
that. If he dies before a male heir is born, then he gives it all
to charity. I’m looking out for the future of you girls and your
families.”

“
Mother, I’ve never wanted
financial help.”

“
Speak for yourself,” Bree
interjected.

“
I know, but wouldn’t you
like to own a larger shop and have people work for you? Creativity
runs through your veins and you deserve to have the world see your
designs. They’re amazing.”

“
Thank you…Mom, is he in
bad health?”

“
Yes, well, he is ill.
But…well, I have a half-sister. Erin. After I had both of you, he
tried to have a son, but ended up with another daughter. He wants a
great-grandson from one of you two, but he will leave the company
to Erin’s son if she has one first.”

“
I still don’t know what
this has to do with you
not
wanting me with Sam.”

“
I’m sorry, honey.
Obsession to have a grandson has ruled my life for so long, I
freaked out. Your grandfather is ill and he could pass anytime. I…I
got Rita to do a…a fertility test on Sam when he was in the
hospital.”

Val stood up. The barstool hit the floor
with a clang. “Oh my, God! Tell me you didn’t.”

“
Sis, calm down.” Bree
reached for her.

She jerked away. “Calm down? She talked Rita
into committing a crime. I can’t believe this. No amount of money
is worth Rita risking her license and going to jail.” Her head
started to spin again. Facts and information swirled together as
she tried to grasp the implications. She clasped the counter for
support. “Are you telling me that Sam can’t have children?”