She pulled her face from my shoulder and looked deeply into my eyes and said, “I’ve been seeing Mama almost every week now for three months, and all she told me is that we were going to have a very special child. She never mentioned her name or that it was going to be a girl. Why did she tell you first and not me?”

Tears welling up in her eyes again, I was fighting the anger rising in my voice as I said, “Let’s just give Mama a call in the morning, sweetheart.”

We walked out of the kitchen arm in arm and, as the candles still flickered on the dining room table, I remembered the card reading Mama had done with me just a few hours ago. I said, “Maybe Mama didn’t know Layla’s name until tonight? Did I mention the card reading she did while I was there?”

“Mama Vermillion is famous all over New Orleans for her card readings,” Maggie said.

Maggie let go of my hand and disappeared into the bathroom and, as I blew out the candles, I wondered what those two had been doing together every week for the last three months.

I guess tomorrow I was going to find out.

* * *