Page 59 of Tango

When they reached the park, Vivian and her fiancé Jay were stretched out on a cute little quilt with a picnic basket and flowers. It was all very picturesque, which took time and attention to detail, so Piper felt a little guilty that the rescue call was coming in from Chanti.

“I’m so sorry,” Piper said. “This is an important call I’ve been expecting.” She stepped to the side. “Hello?”

“Emergency code received, but I have to poop, so I went ahead and called.”

“TMI. Still, appreciated.”

“Your dress is pink and looks like it should be a costume for a children’s show named something like the Good Ship Lollipop,” Chanti was gleeful. “You’re going to hate it.”

“This is a nightmare. Maybe when I get back, you could look at—”

“The cards?” Chanti asked.

“I’m desperate.”

“When I saw the dress, I figured you’d want some reassurance.”

Piper tipped her head into her palm as she focused on the grass and whispered, “Yes, thank you.”

“The first card was celebration, three of cups.”

“Good.”

“Not really,” Chanti said. “It means you’re going to this shindig. The second card was chariot—something’s coming fast. It might have something to do with your car. I’d be cautious on the road tomorrow.”

“Though, a minor fender bender would get me out of the speech. And that’s a price I might be willing to pay. I can hear in your voice that the third card is bad.”

“Doesn’t matter. You don’t believe in this stuff anyway.”

Piper flicked her gaze toward the kids, tossing a ball in the field. “Humor me.”

“The five and seven of swords fell out at the same time. So some words associated with those cards are stealing, deception, conflict, betrayal, manipulation.”

Piper’s frown was so deep it was hard to speak. “So it looks like I was right about the formula?”

“Or you hate the dress as much as I think you will. Look, this was a quick three-card spread about you wearing this horrible dress tomorrow. The most benign thing I could say about what I see in your cards is that you feel manipulated into going to this gig. But, Piper, honestly, I’d be really careful tomorrow. Watch who you talk to. Watch what you say. I’d go there, then go home. You’ll want to go home anyway because you’ll want to get out of the dress. It’s itchy as hell. I have no idea what this fabric is.”

“You tried it on?” Piper asked.

“I’m wearing it now.”

Piper raised her voice so it would carry to the picnic group. “Oh, dear. Really? … Okay, no. You’re right. That can’t wait. I’ll be right there.” Piper ended the call, then walked back to the picnic blanket, adjusting her face into what she hoped looked like sincere regret. “So sorry, Vivian, this looks lovely. But that was an urgent call, and I need to get going.”

Vivian stood and shot Wade a stern look. She probably knew that Piper had used a girl code to leave. “Shall we walk you back to your apartment?”

“I’m comfortable in this neighborhood, but thanks.” She wiggled her fingers at Jay. “Enjoy your picnic.”

“I’ll see you in the lab tomorrow,” Vivian said.

“Actually, I have to get ready for a speech in the morning. And a lunch with the Alabaster people. I don’t know how long it’s going to go. So I’ll leave you to your normal day.”

Jay looked up. “You’ll be at Le Canard Frou-Frou?”

“I will. Yes.”

Jay turned and let his gaze catch Vivian’s.

“Have you been there?” Piper asked.