The Call of the Cards Read online

  The Call of the Cards

  Copyright © 2022 by Heather Hardison

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations contained in critical articles or reviews. This novel is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, locations, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is completely coincidental.

  For information contact:

  [email protected]

  http://author.heatherhardison.com

  Cover Design by Heather Hardison and Andy Hardison

  Cover Image: Canva artwork - Tarot Cards in Hand by Galina Lureva

  About Author Photo taken by Andy Hardison

  First Edition: June 2022

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Dedicated to Stephanie Seavers

  Thank you for bringing Izzy to life for me.

  Alex and Izzy’s story is one for the ages.

  di·vine

  /dəˈvīn/

  verb

  To foretell, especially by divination

  To guess or know by inspiration or intuition

  To practice divination

  div·i·na·tion

  /ˌdivəˈnāSH(ə)n/

  noun

  The art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.

  Unusual insight: intuitive perception.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Dr. Alexandra Steele finished typing her last therapy note for the day when an appointment request popped onto her screen. She flipped her work calendar over to September 2018 to find an opening and smiled when she saw the twenty-second circled. She always eagerly awaited autumn’s return.

  For a moment, she got lost in a daydream of a chilly autumn day in Memphis, Tennessee, roaming through the local pumpkin patch with hot apple cider and that familiar energetic buzz in the air as September approached. It was the time of year she felt most like herself. There was something so familiar about the witchy vibe autumn ushered in.

  She located the next opening on her schedule and replied to the email request. After she pressed send, she returned the calendar to August. She couldn’t get too far ahead of herself. Autumn would come in its own time, no matter how much she tried to usher it in prematurely. She tidied up her desk in her cozy home office in preparation for the next day’s sessions.

  Needing a change of scenery from the four walls she had been staring at all day, Alex opened the front door and walked to the mailbox. The sun was setting earlier each day as autumn slowly approached, and the green leaves on her Bradford Pear trees in her front yard were only about a month away from changing colors.

  As she strolled to the end of her driveway, she made a point to take in several deep breaths of fresh air to clear her lungs and wake herself up from the groggy daze she was often left in after a long workday filled with back-to-back therapy sessions. The wind picked up the moment she pulled the mail out of the box. Something felt different in the air today. She wasn’t sure what it signified, but she had sensed a shift coming for days. Despite the suffocating August heat, a chill traveled up her spine.

  She sifted through the handful of envelopes while walking back up her driveway when a postcard adorned with a cauldron and broom caught her eye.

  Come join us for Trolley Night this Friday at Mystic Haven. Ghost tours depart at 8 p.m. every Friday.

  Oh yeah she thought.

  She had been meaning to check out this metaphysical store since the grand opening a year ago in the downtown area of Memphis. She lived in the suburbs and hadn’t made it out that way yet.

  She walked back into her home office and placed the postcard on top of her planner as a reminder to schedule time to check out the store this weekend.

  “I need some magic in my life,” she muttered as she walked back toward the kitchen.

  She placed the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter for her husband, Jackson, to look through after he got home from work. Alex saw clients out of their two-story home, which provided a more secluded setting for her therapy practice. Jackson worked when she scheduled clients, leaving a serene atmosphere for her therapeutic work.

  The clock on the microwave read 7:45. She only had fifteen minutes before she was scheduled to meet a colleague for drinks at the Highlander Pub. It was only a five-minute drive from her house to the Middleton town square, and she needed to just freshen up her makeup before heading out. She quickly applied a layer of lipstick and ran her fingers through her thick shoulder-length brown hair and fluffed it on both sides to give it more volume. Then she grabbed her purse on her way out the door.

  *

  Alex arrived a few minutes early and was relieved to find that the pub wasn’t too crowded. They had decided on drinks at 8 p.m. to avoid the dinner crowd. Diners had already started to pay their checks and drift out as the hostess sat Alex at a table for two in the corner. She left Alex a drink menu to peruse while she waited on her colleague, Allison.

  Alex made her wine selection right as the hostess escorted Allison to the table.

  “Anything good tonight?” Allison asked as she took a seat across from Alex at the small tabletop.

  “The cab, merlot, and malbec all look good,” Alex replied, pointing to the red section of the wine list.

  “I’ll have the house cabernet,” Alex said when the waiter asked for her drink order a few moments later.

  “I think I’ll try the merlot,” Allison said, putting her keys in the side pocket of her purse before setting it by her feet under the table and out of the way of the waitstaff. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in months.”

  “Things are hectic right now with work,” Alex replied, leaning over to put her license back in her wallet, after being carded by the waiter. She looked young for a forty-one-year-old and never minded when asked to provide proof. “It’s always a blur when school starts back, and I’m flooded with therapy and testing referrals. I definitely need this glass of wine to wind down.”

  “Same here.”

  “How are things with you?” Alex asked.

  “Classes are going well. We’re over the bumpiest weeks already. Once we hit September, the students will settle in.” Allison took a sip of merlot from the wine glass the waiter just set on the table.

  “Which courses are you teaching this semester?” Alex asked after thanking the waiter for delivering her drink.

  “Abnormal Psychology and Clinical Psychology 101. They’re always the most enjoyable to teach. Everyone loves Abnormal Psych.”

  “I remember. I have such fond memories of that class. I had the most amazing teacher in undergrad,” Alex said, reminiscing about the early days when she first fell in love with psychology. Her mind flashed to her freshman year when she sat in packed auditoriums hanging on every word her psychology professors uttered.

  “I remember how much you enjoyed that class,” Allison said. “That’s why I asked you to have a drink tonight.”

  Allison’s comment surprised Alex and left her a little confused.

  “The department’s looking for someone to teach Deviant Psychology next semester,” Allison explained. “I wanted to ask if you would be interested since it’s a topic you’re passionate about.”

  Alex averted her eyes to the half-empty wine glass in front of her as a knot formed in her stomach. Her cheeks flushed, and the nape of her neck started to sweat. Alex remained quiet for a few moments, swirling her wine while contemplating how to deliver the disappointing news to Allison.

  “You don’t seem too keen on the idea, I guess.”

  “Thank you for thinking of me. I’m truly flattered that you wanted to submit my name to the department,” Alex said apologetically. “I’m just not comfortable speaking in front of groups of people. I think the stress of a full semester of classes would be too much, especially in addition to my full caseload.”

  “But you would be good at it,” Allison asserted. “You did an incredible job on your guest lecture in my class last year. That’s why I thought of you. The students loved you. And I still remember your paper on the Salem Witch Trials when we took Deviant Psyc in grad school. You’d be a natural for this course.”

  Alex shifted in her chair nervously.

  “Giving one lecture and teaching a full class are two different things,” she said defensively.

  “Didn’t you say the last time we talked that private practice had started to feel stale? I figured you might like something to spice things up.”

  Alex swallowed hard as the walls appeared to close in on her. She fanned herself with the wine menu.

  “I’m not sure that’s quite what I was envisioning when we last talked.”

  “I don’t want to pressure you into it. I just wish you would reconsider,” Allison pleaded. “I know you don’t like to venture too far out of your comfort zone. I think you’d be amazing if you came out of your shell and stopped playing small. You have to burst through that fear, and I think you’d fall in love with teaching if you gave it a try.”

  Alex was crestfallen.

  The words “playing small” landed like a punch in the gut.

  *

  Alex
didn’t stay long after finishing her wine. She had started to feel self-conscious about having to disappoint her friend and gave the excuse of a pounding headache to shorten their meeting.

  Tears streamed down her face as she drove back home. The knot in her stomach tightened as she struggled with the fear barreling to the surface.

  Why does it always come back to this?

  She flashed on all the times colleagues and mentors urged her to step into the spotlight and take a more visible role in their field. Each attempt was more torturous than the last. She broke out in hives after her last guest lecture and swore never to put herself through that agony again. The knot in her stomach tightened with each memory.

  “Can’t they just leave me in peace?” she yelled out in defiance, slamming her hand against the steering wheel.

  The streetlights pulsated in unison, giving the effect of a lightning storm.

  What the heck?

  Alex wiped the tears from her eyes, thinking the water had blurred her eyesight momentarily. She stared at the streetlights as they matched the rate of her pulse until her heart rate started to decline. The lights returned to their normal brightness as she turned onto her street.

  Stop playing small ran through her head over and over again as she pulled into her driveway.

  *

  “Hey babe,” Jackson said with a smile as he leaned down for a kiss when Alex walked through the garage door. At 6’3” he stood a foot taller than Alex, which they always joked about.

  She ran her hand lovingly through his light brown hair and gazed into his kind, hazel eyes, hoping it would lift her spirits. Jackson was the one person she could always count on.

  “Hey, when you drove into the neighborhood earlier, were the streetlights working properly?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. They looked like they always do.”

  “Weird. They were flickering on my way home. It was pretty freaky.”

  “Hmm, maybe there’s a wiring issue. I’m sure someone will check it out.” Jackson tucked Alex’s hair behind her right ear. “What’s wrong? Did your meeting not go well?”

  “Not great. How can you tell?”

  “Oh, come on, I can always tell. There’s a sadness in your eyes that I haven’t seen in a while.”

  Alex dropped her purse on the table and sighed.

  “Allison blindsided me with an offer to teach a course next semester at the university. I hate being put in that position. Turning her down was so uncomfortable.”

  “Did you give any thought at all to taking on the course?” he asked as he deposited his dinner plate in the sink. “Might be a good change of pace for you.”

  “You, too?” Alex shot a look of disappointment his way.

  “Sorry, I thought you were just complaining last week about wanting to regain some of that spark you had when you first got into psychology. My bad.”

  “It’s not that simple,” Alex replied, annoyed that he still couldn’t understand her fear of being in the spotlight. “It’s too stressful and anxiety-provoking any time I try to teach. You know how bad it gets for me when I have to talk in front of groups of people. I thought at least you would have my back.”

  “Of course, I have your back. It’s totally up to you, but don’t you think you’re going to have to cross this bridge someday. They’re going to keep asking until you relent.”

  Alex’s stomach twisted.

  “They can ask as many times as they want. My answer will always be the same.” Alex sank into the chair at the end of the kitchen table. “Don’t you think I feel terrible that I can’t overcome this crippling fear? I’ve tried and it never gets easier.”

  “Honey, I’m sorry you have to go through this each time, but what are you scared of?”

  “It’s hard to explain, but it feels unsafe out there. I’m safe here where I feel less exposed.” She gestured to their house, which doubled as her office.

  “Less exposed to what?”

  Alex hesitated.

  “Well, I don’t know for sure. All I know is I’m not ready to step out of the shadows yet.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Alex opened the door to Mystic Haven and was immediately greeted by the store clerk arranging the crystals in the corner.

  “Can I help you find anything magical today?”

  “Well, I just came by to check the place out. I’ve been meaning to stop by for a while now,” Alex said, already visually taking in the contents of the store.

  “In that case, come on in. We have crystals, candles, incense, and books.”

  “Now that you mention books, I’m looking for a specific one. This may be a long shot, but my acupuncturist just recommended a book for me.”

  “Sure, which one?”

  Alex dug through her purse and found the piece of paper where she jotted down the book title at her last appointment.

  “Oh, here it is — Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss.”

  “Oh, yes, we carry all his books.”

  “Really?”

  “Here, I’ll show you the spirituality section where we keep those copies.”

  The clerk escorted Alex to the aisle where the book was perched facing forward on the middle shelf, and she handed her a copy.

  “If you need anything else, my name is Christie. Just flag me down,” she said in a perky voice before walking back toward the front of the store to help another customer.

  Alex stared at the title of the book in her hand, perplexed.

  Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives.

  Hmm.

  Her acupuncturist hadn’t told her the book was about past lives.

  I wonder why she recommended this.

  She hadn’t ever given much thought to reincarnation.

  Interesting.

  There must have been a good reason she had been told to read this book. She chose to trust the recommendation and returned to exploring the store. She was eager to scope out what other treasures this shop might hold.

  She had been eyeing the crystal section since she walked in. She returned to the front of the store to get a closer look at the beautiful amethyst that caught her eye as she opened the front door. She was drawn to the medium-sized amethyst in the middle of the wooden table set in front of the window. The sparkling purple hue glistened with the soft touch of the sun’s rays through the store window. The energy emanating from the crystal was comforting and calming. She could already envision this crystal on the small table positioned between her desk and the client chairs in her home office.

  “Did you find a crystal?” Christie asked.

  “Yes, I think this one would be perfect in my office.” Alex held up the Amethyst after inspecting it thoroughly.

  “That’s a beauty. Good choice. I could hold it for you at the counter with your book while you continue to shop.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  Alex placed the book on top of the crystal that Christie had picked up to carry back to the register. As she turned back to the front of the store, the sunlight bounced off a crystal on another table, blinding her for a second. She shielded her eyes to block the sunlight to take a closer look, and she spotted a lovely piece of clear quartz. She didn’t know much about the properties of each crystal, but this one seemed to tug at her intuition. Something was telling her that this crystal had something to teach her. She handed Christie the clear quartz to add to her stash by the register.

  While she was here, she might as well pick up a book on crystals to learn more about them. She surveyed the selection of books on crystals positioned next to the table and selected The Crystal Bible. She continued to look through the shelves of books on mystical topics lining the walls of the store. Aisle after aisle offered wisdom on herbs, crystals, palmistry, and spells.

  She was starting to think that she might need to wrap her shopping session up before it turned into a shopping spree when she stopped dead in her tracks. A small table tucked in the back of the store caught her attention. Without even realizing it, she gravitated toward the table, mesmerized. As she approached the table, she could make out cards that were laid out in a pattern of some sort. Beside the table stood a row of shelves filled with decks lining the entire back of the store.