Free The Cinderella Reflex by Johanna Buchanan

Australia and meet an Aussie girl and settle down there. All came true. But now! Now Mrs O’Brien thinks traditional fortune telling is over. Passé. And it’s all because of this!” She placed the magazine she was carrying on the table and indicated an article underscored with red biro. Tess scanned it curiously. It was a New Age story about Cosmic Ordering – how you simply placed your order and waited for it to be delivered. There was a story about it in some magazine or book every other week as far as Tess could tell. She glanced up.
    “So what does Cosmic Ordering have to do with Mrs O’Brien getting her fortune told?” she asked.
    “Well, why does she need to pay me to find out what the future holds if she can just ask the cosmos for anything she wants? Make up her own future?” Rosa threw her eyes heavenwards. “No wonder my business is going down the tubes.”
    “So this Mrs O’Brien. Does she think Cosmic Ordering really works?” Tess asked.
    “She says she
knows
it does. She doesn’t see how gullible that makes her. She can’t see it’s just another fad. As I said to her, ‘Mrs O’Brien, if Cosmic Ordering worked why would the vast majority of people spend their days beating their way through gridlocked traffic to spend ten hours a day at work when they could be asking the Universe for a new life somewhere warm and interesting? But she wouldn’t listen. Said she asked the Universe for a surprise and she won a hundred euro on a scratch card.”
    “One hundred euro?” Tess protested. She thought of what she’d ask for. For Ollie to disappear, for Helene to stop being a bully, for Jack McCabe not to take over the radio station and throw her out of her job. To be back in Bali. Or to have a different job altogether, a fantastic high profile career so she could swan into the reunion Chris Conroy was organising with her head held high. Tess was jolted back to the present by Grandma Rosa.
    “Well, that was just for O’Brien to test the theory!” she was saying. “But the point is,” she rolled her big brown eyes dramatically again, “this is going to affect my living. That’s why I hired a webmaster to get me on the Net. Is that how you heard of me?” she pressed.
    “Er ... yes, actually,” Tess replied.
    “Well, it must be working then.” Rosa seemed satisfied. “He’s going to set me up on Facebook and Twitter next. So,” she sank down into the sofa beside Tess and looked at her sharply, “what can I do for you now? Tarot, the crystal ball, tea leaves?”
    “Well ...” Tess began but stopped at the sound of the front door knocker banging again.
    “Just give me a minute.” Grandma Rosa sprang out of the chair and marched off to answer the door. Moments later she returned with a man in tow.
    “I have another client,” she announced cheerily. “That Net is a miracle. Now if you can both wait here while I go and clear the parlour of Mrs O’Brien’s aura – I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
    Tess smiled uncertainly at the newcomer. He was tall and rangy looking with very dark hair curling over his collar and a natural tan he hadn’t acquired in Ireland – not at this time of the year, anyway. He was dressed in faded blue denim jeans and a light cotton shirt. No jewellery. No wedding ring. Gay? He raised his eyebrows and Tess flushed as she realised he knew she was checking him out.
    “So – is she any good?” He jerked his head in the region of the kitchen door.
    “Haven’t a clue – I’ve never been here before,” Tess admitted. “It’s your first time too then?”
    “Yeah.” He gave a wry smile. “My sister says it’s cheaper than therapy. And more fun.”
    Tess frowned. “I don’t think fortune telling is suitable for serious problems that require therapy
.
Isn’t it meant to be just a bit of fun?”
    “Don’t look so worried – my problem isn’t that serious. I just need some advice about something I can’t make up my mind about. So, in the interests of