He didn’t look back, allowing Liam to stew for a while. The guy needed time to think about what Tessa really needed, and it wasn’t an overprotective brother.
Me. She fucking needs me.
Maybe Tessa deserved better than a man who lived for an adrenaline rush, but Micah would be damned if he was going to let another guy touch her ever again.
He prepared to exit with a heavy tug on the door, feeling it stick for a moment before it finally gave way and opened.
“Mr. Sinclair? Oh, my, you’re finally here.”
Micah pulled the door closed behind him and faced the two little old ladies standing right in front of him.
With their short gray hair and similar heights, Micah could hardly tell the two women apart. He looked at both of their smiling faces, knowing Beatrice Gardener was on the left only because of her more flamboyant, colorful dress. Elsie Renfrew was next to her in a more conservative dress and sensible flat shoes, staring at him as if she was surprised to see him. Beatrice, dressed in a flowing, bright-purple skirt and a lighter-colored top, didn’t seem the least bit shocked at his presence in Amesport.
He nodded. “Ladies,” he acknowledged politely. He barely knew either woman, except for the fact that Beatrice had gifted him with a rock that he oddly carried in his pocket even now. He looked at her and asked about her greeting. “How did you even know I was going to be here?” Hell, he hadn’t even known he was leaving New York for some downtime until recently.
“Because your destiny is here,” Beatrice told him matter-of-factly. “Of course I knew you’d come. You can fight your fate, but you have to eventually give in. The stone should help. Have you seen Tessa yet?”
Micah looked at the older woman in surprise. “You think Tessa is my destiny?”
It was Elsie who nodded. “She’s known for a long time. She’s very in tune with you Sinclairs.”
He’d written both of the women off as eccentrics. He’d met them at Hope’s winter party, and then again at Evan’s wedding. They were harmless enough, but neither one of them ever made much sense.
Elsie was respected, a governing member of the community. Strangely, Beatrice seemed to command people’s attention, too, but he’d never figured out why. She was a business owner, some New Age store called Natural Elements or some such thing, if he recalled correctly, but Micah didn’t put any stock into her acclaimed foresight and ESP. He’d always thought the people of Amesport just humored her because she was elderly.
He dug into his front jeans pocket and pulled out the black stone Beatrice had gifted him. “Because of this?” he questioned Beatrice, opening his palm, noting that the stone seemed strangely . . . warm.
Now I’m imagining some strange shit. Of course the rock is warm. It was in my pocket!
Beatrice shook her head. “Not because of the Apache tear. Tessa has always been your soul mate, your destiny. I gave you both the stone so you could recognize it.”
Micah was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, we’re going to eat, of course,” Beatrice told him as though he should have known what they were doing. “The best lobster in the area.”
Micah felt the hair at the back of his neck rise, and he slapped a hand to his nape, disconcerted by both sets of knowing eyes on him at the moment. “Uh . . . sure. Don’t let me stop you, ladies.” He leaned over and flipped the sign beside the door to “Open,” and then motioned them forward. It was time. Liam should have opened for business by now.
He shoved the stone back in his pocket, still wondering at the fact that Beatrice had apparently paired him with Tessa before he’d even figured everything out for himself. To be honest, it was a little bit creepy to him now, but there was a part of him that was fascinated. The self-proclaimed matchmaker had done the same thing with all of his Sinclair cousins. Was it possible that she really knew . . . ?
Micah put a gentle hand on Beatrice’s shoulder as she went to pass. “What about Julian and Xander?”
I can’t believe I just asked that!!
Beatrice beamed up at him. “Julian’s fate is already decided. Xander is a little more unclear. I’ve never met him, but he’s very troubled. But I have faith that he’ll eventually come around.”
“Are you sure?” Although he didn’t totally believe in the woman’s power to see the future, any reassurance about Xander was welcome, even if it wasn’t accurate. “Who do you predict for Julian?”
Beatrice’s expression turned thoughtful as she reached up and patted Micah’s cheek. “Take care of yourself and Tessa. Your brothers will work everything out for themselves in time.”
Micah gaped after the two women as they waved and disappeared into the dilapidated restaurant.
Shaking his head in denial, he finally started walking, still feeling the warmth of the stone in his pocket as he told himself that there was no such thing as fate and destiny . . . and soul mates.
By the time he had reached his truck, he’d almost convinced himself that the two women were just eccentric.
If only the stone in his pocket would stop burning, he’d feel a hell of a lot more assured.
CHAPTER 11
The next few days were all about pushing her limits for Tessa. She’d seen Liam, but her brother hadn’t said much about her decision to skate again. In fact, he’d consciously encouraged her, which had frankly surprised the hell out of her.
Micah had given up on the guesthouse and had brought an overnight bag with him just the day before. She was guessing neither one of them wanted to miss an opportunity to explore the heat that sizzled between them. Tessa knew she didn’t. Now that she’d committed herself to living in the moment and enjoying every single minute she could get with Micah, she was going to take full advantage.