Jack had almost declined a ride to the library, but snow was steadily falling. His shoes could handle the snow with no issue, but he had yet to get around to buying a hat without any guidance. He could potentially steal one from Kieran and ignore the implications.

He set himself up in one of the study rooms of the library. The lack of privacy was somewhat reassuring. He was within sight of the circulation desk, and the floor to ceiling windows allowed anyone who passed by to peek in.

If anything happened, there would be witnesses.

He forced himself away from the dark turn his thoughts had taken by pulling out his phone and staring at Candace's number. He sent a text for her to call him when she was able. His stomach turned at the partial commitment.

His phone rang almost immediately, and he startled, nearly dropping it. Candace was on top of it for once. "Hi," he greeted, cringing at how reluctant he sounded. He was the one who asked for a call. He only had himself to blame.

"Watcha need? Advice? I'm a wealth of information!" Candace said with a slight note of song.

"Um, yeah. Are you free tomorrow?" Jack asked. It was a decently vague question, but then she might get the wrong idea. He didn't need another shopping trip with his own dressing room montage. "I mean light on appointments. Like, can I come in?"

"You're always welcome!" Candace insisted. "What are we gonna look into?"

The eager tone of Candace's voice gave him instant regret, and it was only going to get worse with his next words. He braced himself before speaking. "Well, not for me. For Kieran."

The sharp intake of breath from Cadace's end only made the urge to vomit worse.

"Did he talk you into a couple's reading? I love him already!"

"What? God, no! Just him. I want your opinion on him, and if that requires holding hands around the table, then fine." That would be all Jack could handle. Something short and sweet that would have enough conversation and prying to give Candace a good feel of her victim. "Couple's readings exist?" he asked, keeping any bit of intrigue from his voice.

"Yeah, it's great! Love, sex life, family relations, finding compromises on big decisions. All sorts of fun things! It's a hoot when they try to skirt around sexual positions," Candace replied with a laugh. "I finally had to get a store copy of the Kama Sutra. I guess some people are just more visual than others."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It was a visual Jack could have done without. "Ew."

"Other people are into it," she dismissively replied. "And I'm so happy you found someone who's understanding and can accommodate you."

It wasn't exactly by choice, but there was no way he could discuss that aspect of his relationship with Candace. "Yeah. Lucky me." The thought of compromise rattled around his head before he chose to ignore it.

"Definitely lucky you!"

Jack narrowed his eyes and glared at the wall as he heard what sounded like the soft tap of a card being placed on a table. Lucky, lucky him. He should consider himself lucky that he had friends who cared so much about him.

"Aww!" Candace cooed. "It looks like you're going to overcome some past traumas! Yay for you!"

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Not just reinforce them? Are you sure?"

"I'm posi— Well, it depends on what the Devil is playing at. He keeps flipping on me. Well, you. He's such a naughty little thing!" she said with a forced laugh. "No, but really. Change! Good things. Good thoughts. And when you see the reversed Six of Wands, kick him in the balls just to show him what's what."

"What?"

"You heard me," Candace said flatly.

"Right… I'm gonna get back to this…" He trailed off, his eyes running across his screen and the bare bones interface for the database he was putting together for Kieran.

"Something for Kieran?"

How did she know? He must have said something in passing. "I'm building a database for him and all his crap."

"If you need QA testing, I'm here."

"You and Sam's credit card?" He bit back a smile at Candace's offended scoff.

"One time! I paid him back."

"Just go into the damned store, okay? I honestly don't care," he said. "But do it after you judge him with your cards."

"Okay, okay. First thing tomorrow morning?" Candace hummed for a moment. "Eight's open."

"Eight?" Jack was certain she opened at ten.

"Doctor Delgado has seven. He called me around lunch today, so I'm here all day tomorrow, anyway."

"Why would you agree to that?!" It wasn't just the fact that Candace was doing tarot readings first thing in the morning that had Jack bewildered, but someone felt the desperate need to drag someone else out of bed for some sort of emergency reading.

"My regulars get special treatment," she replied, "and it's before the museum opens."

"Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow."

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]