Soothsayer: Magic Is All Around Us (Soothsayer Series Book 1) Read Free

cozy place to come and enjoy a good book or just sit on the patio and people watch, which just so happened to be one of my favorite past-times.
    Becky ordered a croissant with her coffee and I ordered a fresh donut and a bottle of water. Their glazed donuts were decadent and even though I had just stuffed my face at the farmers market, I couldn’t pass up my favorite pastry. We both started eating and made small talk by the counter while waiting for our drinks.
    "So what’s so earth-shattering that you’re out of bed before noon?” I asked, nibbling on a warm and deliciously gooey piece of donut.
    She gave me a heavy sigh and said, “I needed an excuse to get away from my date.”
    I gave her a sideways glance. “I’m assuming he wanted to make you breakfast or perform some other heinous act of kindness the morning after.”
    “Pancakes.” She shook her head, mocking me.
    “You know, some women would love to find a man who wanted to cook her breakfast in the morning.”
    “Yeah well, I’m not some women. Besides, I did want to ask you something. Do you know a David Ainsworth?”
    “No, I don’t think so, why?” I asked, puzzled.
    “I was telling David a story last night, and when I mentioned your name he got a little weird and…” she wouldn’t meet my eye, which was never a good sign. “He knew your parents. He said he went to college with your mother.”
    “My parents?” I wasn’t expecting that. They died when I was just a kid and I moved to Pismo, California after college in the hopes of having a fresh start. “David Ainsworth you said.” I rolled the name around in my head but nothing clicked.
    “Medium latte,” the barista called out Becky’s drink.
    She grabbed her paper cup from the counter and walked out of the café. We strolled along the sidewalk in silence for a few moments. I wondered if I could connect David to my parents, but I had never heard his name before. I took a sip of my water and closed my eyes, willing myself to remember David in some way.
    “Did he say anything else?” A million questions zipped through my head before it dawned on me that Becky had just spent the night with this man. “Wait, back up. I’m assuming David is who you were trying to escape this morning after spending the night with him.”
    “Yes,” she said and narrowed her eyes at me, puzzled.
    “And David went to college with my mother.” I raised my eyebrows.
    “Hey, I don’t discriminate. He’s damn good looking and to be honest he was very persistent.” She said the last part under her breath.
    “Right.” I laughed and shook my head. “So did he say anything else about my parents?”
    “No, not really. He sends his condolences. Do you want me to introduce you? Maybe he can tell you some stories or something.” Her half smile was sincere but anxiety rolled off her as she fidgeted with the lid of her coffee.
    “No,” I said and took a deep breath. It was tempting, but I didn’t want to open old wounds and I didn’t want to put Becky in the middle of my past. “No, I think I’m okay. Thanks though.”
    “Phew, I wasn’t really planning on seeing him again, if you catch my drift.” It was as though Becky had flipped an internal switch and turned to humor, instantly lightening the mood.
    We both laughed as we walked around the corner and headed in the direction of the bookstore.
    “Another book?” She asked as she noticed the direction we were walking in.
    “I just want to pick up a collection of Walt Whitman’s poems, for a project,” I noted.
    I’d always loved poetry and Walt Whitman was one of my absolute favorites. For as long as I could remember I’d wanted to put together a portfolio that paired pictures of my own work with Whitman’s poems.
    “I don’t know why you need to have a book with all his poems when you can just look them up online,” Becky remarked.
    Becky lived for the digital age. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her without her computer. Even now it was