my scrying bowl and I will be looking on. I wouldn’t miss my sweet boy’s first circle.
…
Lauren walked into Nat’s room at Jamie’s house, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in each hand. “Got time for me?”
“You and ice cream? Always.”
Nat’s delight pushed her guilt buttons. “Sorry we haven’t had much time to chat. It’s been a crazy couple of days.”
“That’s why we came out here, Lauren. I know you have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it. I’ve been fine. I went hiking with Nell and her girls yesterday, and Jennie is picking me up for a yoga class tonight.”
Jamie’s name was conspicuously absent from that list. Lauren peeled the lids off the ice cream containers and passed one to Nat. “When did you and Jennie cook up this morning’s yoga class idea?”
“Dinner the first night we got here, actually. I helped load her camera equipment into her car and saw a yoga mat. I think I’d agreed to do the class about ten seconds later. She doesn’t mess around.”
And she’d made sure Nat felt welcome at witch central. Bless Jennie. “You should try being her trainee. The class was pretty cool, though. Aervyn was funny. He kept sending me mental pictures of you twisted up like a pretzel. He likes you.”
“I like him too. It’s hard not to.”
“How much does he look like the little boy in Jamie’s precog? I got it all on fast forward, so it’s a little hard to tell.”
Nat paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. “A lot.”
“How are you feeling about all that?”
Nat doodled on her leg with the spoon. “Did you recognize yoga class this morning?”
“Recognize?”
“It was one of Jamie’s precog visions—morning yoga in the meadow? I recognized the tank top I was wearing, and the sun salutation flow I did this morning. Not one of my usual sequences.”
Lauren tried to recall Jamie’s precog download. “Didn’t dancing come first?”
Nat took a big bite of ice cream and grinned. “Yeah. That happened last night.”
Lauren just raised an eyebrow. Talk, girl.
“Do you remember the big Christmas scene in Jamie’s vision?”
“The one with you surrounded by hordes of people?”
“Right. It’s Nell’s house. We stopped by after hiking yesterday. Her triplets—one of them is sitting beside me in Jamie’s memory.”
Which Jamie would have known, thought Lauren. She tried to find her friend some wiggle room. “It could be simple, Nat. Maybe we come to visit for Christmas, or something.”
Nat shook her head. “I don’t think so. And Ginia—the triplet sitting beside me—still had her braces. I think it was a vision of Christmas this year. I think if this comes to be, it all happens soon.”
Nat married with a baby in a year or two? Lauren shoved a lid on the selfish little spurts of emptiness and envy that kicked up. “That’s a big deal, Nat. Are you ready for all that?”
“I’ve been ready my whole life for a family like this one. Did you see them all at dinner when we first got here? Every single person in this family lives wrapped in love.” Nat cuddled her arms around her chest. “I’m a little afraid I’m going to take the guy just to get the family.”
She’s so steady that sometimes you forget about the sad little girl inside, Lauren thought. Nell and Jamie’s family would be siren song for Nat; the close, loving, and rowdy family she’d never had. Nat was going to be all-in on this one soon, if she wasn’t already. Jamie, you’d better take care with her.
Maybe he already was. “He’s a good guy—I like him. And you neatly skipped over the part about dancing last night. Spill.”
Nat blushed again. “No big deal. We went out for a bit last night. Dancing and a walk on the beach.”
“You took a walk on the beach with a gorgeous witch, and that’s no big deal? Nice try. Did you kiss him?”
“Not exactly.”
Lauren laughed. “How old are we, twelve? What happened?”
Nat’s cheeks got rosier. “He kissed me.”
“Since when do you blush talking about a kiss?”
“Since this kiss with this guy. I’m not sure I really know how to talk about it yet. Aren’t you learning how to read minds? Can’t you read how this makes me feel?”
“It’s not like that. We’re not supposed to pry.”
“It’s not prying if you have permission. I don’t have secrets from you.” Nat’s grin was a little wobbly. “Consider it practice.”
Lauren dropped into her center and focused. Connection was easy, as it had