him.
“I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” Amanda said.
My jaw dropped. Could she read my mind? I contemplated whether Amanda was a type of Crafter I hadn’t heard of yet, one who could read people’s thoughts. Which was much too scary to contemplate, so I turned my attention to the kitchen’s flowered wallpaper and wished I were somewhere else. Anywhere else.
“Now, now,” Cherise said with a skittish laugh. “Darcy came all this way—”
“Dollar signs,” Dennis answered dully.
Amanda spun on him, and sputtered, “Oh! Oh! How
dare
you! You’re just such a—”
“Now, now!” Cherise slammed her hand on the countertop. “I
said
, Darcy came all this way.”
Her voice hadn’t risen, but the tone had changed drastically. It was enough to make me glad she wasn’t my mother.
Both snapped their mouths closed and looked at me, as if only just realizing I was standing there. “Hello.” I finger-waved and watched glitter fall to the floor.
Color flooded Amanda’s cheeks. “Hello.”
Dennis nodded.
“Now, then,” Cherise said, “let’s remember tonight is about Laurel Grace. Not about petty squabbles.”
Amanda opened her mouth, but Cherise wagged her finger. “Nuh-uh. Not a word.”
At this point I just wanted to dissolve into the woodwork—or, better yet, make a run for the door. But my work ethic held strong, and I decided I’d better get this done and over with so I could go home. Consoling an inconsolable Ve was much better than being in the crosshairs of a marital spat.
My heart twisted at the thought of my aunt. Sylar’s lawyer, Marcus, had dropped her off at the house just before I headed out. They’d already been to the Cauldron, and Aunt Ve had had one too many gin and tonics to be coherent. But Marcus had explained everything, and it all boiled down to Sylar being denied bail.
Harper and I had managed to get a sobbing Ve into bed, where she promptly passed out.
It was probably best that way for her. I’d left Harper at Ve’s bedside. She was reading a forensics manual to pass the time while she kept an eye on snoring Ve. Now, more than ever, Harper wanted to clear Sylar’s name.
Heaven help us all.
“Shall we?” Cherise asked me.
Grateful, I nodded. In a repeat of the night before, I carefully climbed the wooden steps. Only this time, three people looked on. Two of whom wanted to kill each other.
I opened Laurel Grace’s door and crept inside. Tiptoeing to the bed, I thought carefully about what I was going to say.
As I bent over her, Laurel Grace suddenly popped up. Our foreheads slammed together, and pain radiated down the back of my head, down my jaw. Stars swam in my eyes, and my vision narrowed. I glanced quickly at Cherise; then everything went dark.
I woke to a small voice asking, “Did she die, Mommy?”
“No, no.” That was Amanda. She didn’t sound convinced.
I winced as I opened my eyes. Dennis was kneeling over me, his eyes intent on my face. They were nice eyes, I decided. Kind. Maybe there was more to him than an egomaniacal jerk.
“Hold still,” he said smoothly.
He needn’t have worried. My head hurt so bad that Ididn’t want to move. Lord, I hoped there wasn’t any blood. I couldn’t stand the sight of blood. I usually fainted if it amounted to more than a nick.
Over his shoulder, he said, “I told you having her here was a bad idea.”
I winced in pain.
“Now is not the time, Dennis,” Cherise chastised.
Dennis rubbed his hands together and slowly lowered one palm to my forehead. His lips moved, and his left eye twitched twice. Warmth flowed across my forehead, fizzing its way over my head, down my face, through my whole body.
“Is the pain gone?” he asked.
I nodded. Suddenly, I liked him a whole lot better.
“Good. Now it’s time for you to go.”
And just like that, he was a jerk again.
“No!” Laurel Grace cried. “I need to give her my tooth!”
Cherise helped me stand up (the wings were a little
“I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” Amanda said.
My jaw dropped. Could she read my mind? I contemplated whether Amanda was a type of Crafter I hadn’t heard of yet, one who could read people’s thoughts. Which was much too scary to contemplate, so I turned my attention to the kitchen’s flowered wallpaper and wished I were somewhere else. Anywhere else.
“Now, now,” Cherise said with a skittish laugh. “Darcy came all this way—”
“Dollar signs,” Dennis answered dully.
Amanda spun on him, and sputtered, “Oh! Oh! How
dare
you! You’re just such a—”
“Now, now!” Cherise slammed her hand on the countertop. “I
said
, Darcy came all this way.”
Her voice hadn’t risen, but the tone had changed drastically. It was enough to make me glad she wasn’t my mother.
Both snapped their mouths closed and looked at me, as if only just realizing I was standing there. “Hello.” I finger-waved and watched glitter fall to the floor.
Color flooded Amanda’s cheeks. “Hello.”
Dennis nodded.
“Now, then,” Cherise said, “let’s remember tonight is about Laurel Grace. Not about petty squabbles.”
Amanda opened her mouth, but Cherise wagged her finger. “Nuh-uh. Not a word.”
At this point I just wanted to dissolve into the woodwork—or, better yet, make a run for the door. But my work ethic held strong, and I decided I’d better get this done and over with so I could go home. Consoling an inconsolable Ve was much better than being in the crosshairs of a marital spat.
My heart twisted at the thought of my aunt. Sylar’s lawyer, Marcus, had dropped her off at the house just before I headed out. They’d already been to the Cauldron, and Aunt Ve had had one too many gin and tonics to be coherent. But Marcus had explained everything, and it all boiled down to Sylar being denied bail.
Harper and I had managed to get a sobbing Ve into bed, where she promptly passed out.
It was probably best that way for her. I’d left Harper at Ve’s bedside. She was reading a forensics manual to pass the time while she kept an eye on snoring Ve. Now, more than ever, Harper wanted to clear Sylar’s name.
Heaven help us all.
“Shall we?” Cherise asked me.
Grateful, I nodded. In a repeat of the night before, I carefully climbed the wooden steps. Only this time, three people looked on. Two of whom wanted to kill each other.
I opened Laurel Grace’s door and crept inside. Tiptoeing to the bed, I thought carefully about what I was going to say.
As I bent over her, Laurel Grace suddenly popped up. Our foreheads slammed together, and pain radiated down the back of my head, down my jaw. Stars swam in my eyes, and my vision narrowed. I glanced quickly at Cherise; then everything went dark.
I woke to a small voice asking, “Did she die, Mommy?”
“No, no.” That was Amanda. She didn’t sound convinced.
I winced as I opened my eyes. Dennis was kneeling over me, his eyes intent on my face. They were nice eyes, I decided. Kind. Maybe there was more to him than an egomaniacal jerk.
“Hold still,” he said smoothly.
He needn’t have worried. My head hurt so bad that Ididn’t want to move. Lord, I hoped there wasn’t any blood. I couldn’t stand the sight of blood. I usually fainted if it amounted to more than a nick.
Over his shoulder, he said, “I told you having her here was a bad idea.”
I winced in pain.
“Now is not the time, Dennis,” Cherise chastised.
Dennis rubbed his hands together and slowly lowered one palm to my forehead. His lips moved, and his left eye twitched twice. Warmth flowed across my forehead, fizzing its way over my head, down my face, through my whole body.
“Is the pain gone?” he asked.
I nodded. Suddenly, I liked him a whole lot better.
“Good. Now it’s time for you to go.”
And just like that, he was a jerk again.
“No!” Laurel Grace cried. “I need to give her my tooth!”
Cherise helped me stand up (the wings were a little
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