Midu's Magic by Judith Post Read Free Book Online Page A

she asked.
Kyle had taken the day off, something he rarely did, even in the
off-tourist season.
    "I went to see Thea Patek."
    "To visit?" People in town held Thea in a
certain amount of awe. Most shop owners in Emerald Hills had magic,
but Thea was preordained to be a weaver, to help the Fates record a
new soul's journey when he stepped on the scales of life before
being born.
    Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, taking
a minute to answer. "She wants to plant an herb garden, so I helped
her build a glass lean-to on her barn."
    Midu frowned at his body language, thought
about his hesitation before answering. Kyle was never evasive.
Something was up. "You must be a glutton for punishment. You just
helped me finish our big greenhouse, and then you build a small one
for Thea?"
    Kyle shrugged. "We're doing a trade-off, a
favor for a favor."
    A trade? Thea made book marks and life maps
of peoples' lives. Okay, she and her friends raffled off quilts to
raise money for special projects, too, but Midu didn't see Kyle as
the type to hanker for a patchwork comforter or bonnet coverlet.
"What's she doing for you?"
    Kyle shuffled his feet and looked away. "It's
sort of personal. I'd rather not talk about it."
    Midu could feel her eyes go wide. She and
Kyle could talk about anything to each other. They'd been friends
for so long, knew each other so well, most of the time, they didn't
even need to talk. She stared. "Is everything all right?"
    He squared his jaw. The man was shy and
quiet, but he could be stubborn. "I got myself into sort of a
predicament, and I don't see a way out of it. Thea's weaving might
be able to help me."
    Midu had heard of people paying Thea to weave
life maps for them. But Kyle? He was so easy-going, such a
homebody—what predicament could he possibly have? Then an ugly fear
made her gasp. "You're not sick, are you? Something serious?"
    He grimaced, frustrated. "Nothing like
that."
    "Is it something I can help you with?"
    "No!" He cleared his throat. "I mean, you're
kind of the last person I could ask."
    Her hands went to her hips. "I'm your best
friend."
    A blush crept over his cheeks. He ran a hand
through his soft, sandy-colored hair. He had beautiful hair.
Everything about him added up to almost handsome. If he weren't so
quiet, Midu was sure some woman would have snatched him up by now.
His voice low, he said, "You are my best friend. That's part
of the reason I can't talk to you about this."
    But a life map from Thea? What sense did that
make? When Midu first met Emerald Hills' weaver, she'd been curious
about the gift the Fates had given her. "How much of a person's
life is preordained?" she'd asked.
    Thea had assured her, "It's only the
journey—the ups and downs—that can't be changed. How you deal with
them, what you make of your life, is your own choice."
    Midu frowned up at Kyle. "Did you do
something horrible, something dumb? I can help you fix it."
    He shook his head. "I just stopped by to
check on things here, but I have to get going. I'll be at Thea's
tomorrow, too. I'm taking her lots of herb starts. She should have
basil and thyme in a few weeks."
    Midu watched him stalk to the door and cross
the cleared, garden patches to where he'd parked his pickup. She
felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of her or maybe put
her brain in a blender. What the heck was going on?
    She pushed thoughts of Kyle out of her mind,
but they wouldn't stay gone. He'd been more restless lately than
usual, but as always, he just worked more hours, like she did, to
distract himself. What would he go to Thea Patek for? The only
people she knew who paid for life maps were desperate because
they'd hit a life bump and didn't know how to deal with it. What
could Kyle possibly be desperate about?
    Come to think of it, though, whenever she
asked him if something was bothering him, he denied it. Maybe he
needed a vacation, perhaps working here and living in his small,
one-bedroom apartment was getting to be too much of