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book to write."
"I knew that when I saw the spread."
"It gets worse." Gabe touched the inverted Ace of Wands. "The process involves creativity
that's going to be dangerous."
"Tell me the good stuff?" Sean asked.
"I'm not sure there is any." He touched the Eight of Swords on the left of the lower row.
"You're hampered by the past, confused and unable to focus." He moved on to the reversed
Nine of Wands in the middle. "You're going to procrastinate. You may get ill. But the Ace of
Sword says you just have to force your way through with reason and intelligence."
"So basically, it's going to be like pulling teeth and it's not going to be any good or make
any money?"
Gabe nodded. "Pretty much. I'm sorry, lover. This one sucked."
The phone rang. Sean stole a fast kiss before Gabe picked it up and went over to the
computer. A bunch of pieces of cardboard didn't know anything. He was going to write,
dammit, and it was going to be good.
Gabe's voice provided a soothing background to his typing as he roughed out the scene
where Samantha and Brian met Arthur the inventor. He had no idea where it would go from
there, but he made eight pages before lunch.
90
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Gabe was on another call. Definitely a good
paycheck in three weeks, he figured. The cupboards yielded the makings of tuna salad and
chips. He put them on a plate and joined Gabe.
Gabe sighed and hung up. "Maybe I need a new deck. Everyone's coming up reversed all
the time. Must be something in the zodiac."
"Maybe a day to switch to runes?" Sean asked around a mouthful of tuna.
"Maybe. You ready for a trip to Goodwill after lunch?"
"Yeah. I gotta get some cash for tomorrow. Let's hit the ATM on the way."
~* * *~
The next night, Sean's wallet felt too full with actual cash in it. They'd dressed neatly for
the trip out, but their coats were nothing approaching new, even if they were clean.
"I don't think I ve been out at night," Sean said.
"For how long?"
"Since the night before the bomb." Sean opened the lobby door and pushed Gabe's chair
out into the February night. A few flakes of snow fluttered around as if the sky couldn't decide
whether to actually open up or not. Sean really hoped not. It was just five blocks to the
restaurant, but the night was cold enough. Snow would only make the trip home difficult.
Sean walked slowly, holding the chair handles. "We do this again, let's make it a summer
trip," he said. "I don't like being out at night."
"You're doing fine," Gabe said.
They made it to the restaurant. Sean had to sit on a bench and let Gabe talk soothingly to
him for a few minutes before he was ready to face people. Once suitably braced, he pushed
Gabe into the restaurant.
The hostess seated them at once, asking a couple of times if Sean felt all right. He
suspected he looked pale. A waiter brought water almost immediately, despite the crowd.
Sean sipped it, steadying himself a little more.
"We'll have the special," Gabe said. "I'd like mine rare, with a baked potato."
"Make it two," Sean said. The waiter vanished and Sean sipped more water. He could do
this. He checked the exits and his line of escape, factoring Gabe's chair into the plan.
Gabe folded his hands over Sean's. "You're doing it again. You're really edgy tonight."
Sean took a deep breath and drank more water. "I'm okay. Just, you know, out of my
comfort zone."
"I beg to differ. I'm right here." Gabe grinned at him, teasing. Sean managed one back,
feeling better.
"Yeah. Just keep talking. The Voice always works."
Gabe eased the grip and just held Sean's hand across the table. "Hi, baby. You and me, out
like we always promised we would, huh?"
91
Sean relaxed even more. "Yeah. Nice to wait on dinner and not be puttering with you
talking to my back or side."
Gabe smiled. "Yeah. I get to stare you in the face until you squirm." He laughed.
Sean gave him a wicked grin. "Make me, witch."
"Watch yourself, flyboy. You know I can."
The waiter arrived with their steaks. "Anything else I can get you?" He looked at their
joined hands with a neutral expression.
"No, thank you. This looks wonderful," Gabe said. He gave the waiter a pleasant smile,
not at all flirtatious.
Sean cut off a small bite of his steak. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a steak.
It must have been before Iraq. He took the bite, letting the perfectly done meat flood over his
tongue in a nearly sexual tidal wave of pleasure. He moaned a little, quite unintentionally.
Gabe laughed softly. "Mmm, red meat."
Sean opened his eyes and nodded. "Excellent red meat." He sprinkled salt and pepper on
his potato and mashed the butter and sour cream through it before having a bite. "Good
potato, too."
Gabe took a couple of bites. "We should save our pennies more often. I could go for this
again."
"Well, we missed both of our birthdays." Sean ate slowly, cutting small bites and savoring
each as long as he could manage. Gabe looked to be taking his time as well.
"Too many holidays too close together for our budget. Your birthday, Thanksgiving,
Christmas, my birthday and Valentine's. At least you made me a cake. We didn't even get one
for yours."
"Let's do it in September, when we got together?"
"Not sure I can hold out seven months for a steak," Gabe said. "But yeah, anniversary is
good. February and September..."
Sean concentrated on his steak for a couple more bites. "What's the next holiday?"
"Ostara, the vernal equinox. We're welcoming the return of spring."
"Wait, we just did that at Imbolc." Sean was sure he looked completely confused.
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