Chosen (Second Sight) Read Free Page B

against his shoulder, his hands pressed against her back. Minutes passed as their labored breathing eventually subsided and finally ended in shuddering gasps. Neither of them moved a muscle, until he rested his head on the edge of the couch, closed his eyes, and slowly smiled.

CHAPTER THREE

    Though Mac had expressed misgivings about the high-crime Rampart district, Isabelle had insisted that the original Tommy burger was only original if it came from the first restaurant in the chain. Besides, it was a quick drive. And now that they had their burgers and stood at the narrow wooden shelf that served as the establishment’s table, Isabelle watched Mac polish off the last of the chili cheeseburger.
    Normally, she’d grocery shop before Mac came into town but, with the surprise of his arrival, there’d been no time–and Isabelle wasn’t complaining.
    The last rays of the evening sun gleamed off the high-rise towers of downtown to the east. Like watchful sentinels, their reflected, eye-watering stares dotted the city, catching unsuspecting motorists and maybe a few diners at Tommy’s.  
    “So, who was the woman in the Tercel?” Mac asked.
    Isabelle was using a plastic fork to dip a french fry into the little, paper cup of catsup and paused.  
    “Tercel?”
    “The red Toyota that dropped you off,” Mac said, dipping a fry and popping it into his mouth.
    “Oh, Yolanda ,” Isabelle said. “A psychic friend of mine.”
    “A psychic friend ,” he said, smiling. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned her before. Someone you met through…work?”
    Isabelle frowned a little as it occurred to her how little she and Mac actually knew about each other. For a moment, she was reminded of Yolanda’s advice.
    Psychics and non-psychics. They were from two different worlds.
    “Something like that,” Isabelle said, setting down the fork.
    “Have you known her long?”
    Isabelle recounted her history with Yolanda, from that first day to the present. It hadn’t taken long since there really wasn’t that much to tell. All they really had in common was psychic ability.  
    “In a way,” Isabelle said. “We’re opposites. She sees the future and I see the past.” She paused for a second. “In fact, this morning, she offered to read my future.”
    It was the tiniest of movements but Mac’s eyebrows went up for an instant and his smile dimmed. Now he stared down at the can of soda in his hand.  
    “And did she?” he asked.
    Does he look worried?
    Isabelle watched Mac and, for an instant, she visualized reading him–just a quick one, like when they’d first met. Though she looked down at her gloved hands, it wasn’t a reading she remembered. It was her and Mac together in her apartment earlier. She’d forgotten to take off the gloves. Of course there’d hardly been time but… She glanced up at him. Not long ago, he would have insisted. His gaze met hers, waiting for an answer.
    “No,” Isabelle finally said. “She didn’t do a reading.”
    She watched the tension in his lips relax even as the tension in her stomach tightened.
    He was worried.
    “And this…eco-commune in…” Mac said.
    “Topanga Canyon,” Isabelle said, trying to focus on the conversation. “It’s up in the hills. I haven’t been there in years.”
    “And an eco-commune? Is that common here?”
    Isabelle shook her head.
    “Not that I know of. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
    “Well, it should be interesting,” Mac said lightly.
    But Isabelle could care less now.  
    Is he hiding something? And what if he is? Isn’t he entitled to his privacy? How could she even think of reading him without his knowing?
    For a moment, Isabelle felt nauseous.
    Maybe Yolanda is right. Maybe psychic and non-psychic aren’t meant to be.
    Mac raised his eyebrows as he dipped a french fry.
    “You knew Susan’s daughter?” he said.
    Isabelle took a deep breath and tried to concentrate.
    “Kayla,” she said. “We were friends.”
    “ Were ,”