Free Tall Dark Handsome Lycan by Anastasia Maltezos Page B

the dotted line. He is coming here next week for our final meeting.”
    Christina directed her attention to Sam. “The Acropole is one of our hotels here in Greece. We have many all over the world.  Leo wants to sell it and re-invest the money to upgrade our hotel in England.”  She gave her son a pride-filled glance.  “My son is a wise businessman, Sam. Our family business started with my grandfather’s first hotel.  Then, when Harry took over the business, we grew to four. Ever since Leo has taken over, we have fourteen hotels scattered all over the world.”
    Leo smiled politely. “Mother, I do not want to bore Sam with our family history.”
    “Very well,” Christina said, narrowing her gaze on Sam.  “Are you married?”  She asked suddenly, taking Sam by surprise.
    “No, I'm not.”
    “Do you have a boyfriend in America?”
    Sam laughed ruefully. “No.  I haven't had any time for boyfriends the past three years.”
    Christina’s brows rose. “Three years as a single woman?”
    The only downfall of her gift, Sam w anted to say, but refrained. Somehow, she didn’t think his parents would understand how much she relied on her cards when it came to making decisions in her life. The cards had revealed one man she dated was cheating on her and another man enjoyed drinking to the point of becoming an alcoholic in his later years.  She began to feel a little awkward under Christina’s shrewd gaze.
    “There was college,” she explained.  “I majored in Business Administration and minored in Art—and, of course all the babysitting I had with my younger siblings. Then, I received a small inheritance from my grandmother and I moved away and opened my shop.”
    “You said you own a shop called The Crystal Ball . What do you sell?”
    “It’s more of a novelty store. I sell antique books, candles, crystals—things like that. I also give readings to my clients in the parlour at the back of my shop.” She reached for her napkin. “I’m glad I met Toni when I did because I found I needed someone to run the shop when I was in the back. My customers love her. She’s great with them.”
    Sam’s cards had guided her to hire Toni and subsequently embrace her as a best friend since they revealed her as a warm, kind, generous person.
    “You said you give readings. What do you mean? Do you peer into a crystal ball?”  His mother’s face hardened.
    Sam wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or hide. Christina’s questions were starting to make her feel uncomfortable.  Sam was always uneasy when she had to tell someone she read people’s futures for a living. She took a sip of her wine to buy some time. “No. I read the Tarot cards.”
    Christina stiffened. “Isn’t that some form of the occult?   Are you a witch?”
    The question took her by surprise because Christina voiced it as though she expected a serious answer.
    “Mother, please,” Leo began dryly. “I hardly think Sam is a witch. In fact, I did a little reading on the Tarot and it was originally a card game somewhere in Italy in the first half of the fifteenth century. It wasn’t until centuries later when devotees of the spiritual world encountered the Tarot cards and found they had some mystical and magical meaning behind their symbols.  You, of all people, should have an open mind.”
    His mother narrowed her gaze on him and Sam wondered about the strange look that passed between them. 
    “I couldn’t have explained the Tarot better myself,” Sam said.
    He shrugged nonchalantly, but she could see a smile hovering about his mouth. “I actually found myself compelled to learn more about it. I admit I find it very interesting.”
    Christina broke their locked gazes, asking abruptly, “Are you any good?”
    “I…I think so. My clients always come back for repeat business and they’ve given me many referrals. That’s why I hired Toni to come work with me. I’ve been spending more time in the back of my shop than in the