darlin’?”
I shook my head, and the muscles felt so stiff in my neck I thought they might snap. That would have been something, to have my head roll right across the restaurant floor; the police would have a time trying to explain that.
Uncle Lee settled back, and I could see the table across the way again.
It was empty.
chapter ten
I might have been done with Elijah, but Collette had other ideas. She fell right into decorating with me like she’d waited her whole life to rearrange my furniture. My desk went to one side of the room and my bed to the other, but the shelves had to stay put. Even empty, they were too heavy for us to lift.
As we climbed on the mattress to tack my canopy up again, Collette tried to sound casual, though her eyes didn’t meet mine. “I was thinking we could go to Ben’s next. His daddy has tons of stuff from high school up in the attic.”
“I know, he told me.” Suspicious, I pressed my hands to the ceiling to hold my canopy in place. “I thought he had a lazy eye, Collette.”
“It’s just a little lazy.” She shrugged, reaching down to grab another pushpin. She made herself impressively busy with a handful of them, rolling them in her palm before reaching up again. “Anyway, there might be clues up there.”
I stared at her. “Like what? Class pictures? That’s real helpful.” I made a dismissive sound.
“You never know!”
“I’m pretty sure I do.”
“Ben thinks there might be something.”
Huffing a breath, I forgot to hold the canopy in place. It drifted down, shrouding me in navy blue that I brushed at impatiently. “What happened to you doing better, Collette? Is he back to kissing you or something?”
Collette got quiet, a guilty expression flickering across her fine features. Her dark eyes shifting back and forth, she finally shrugged in defeat, smiling a smile that begged me to be happy about it. By God, Ben Duvall had kissed her, and she wasn’t complaining.
“I thought he smelled like cabbage.”
“You did, not me.”
Dropping to the bed, I let the canopy hang over my face like a widow’s veil and I stewed. It wasn’t fair for her to change her mind like that, not without telling me first. Worse, I already felt like I should apologize to Ben; I’d have to for sure if he and Collette made up.
“I don’t want to look for Elijah anymore.”
“Well, we have to, don’t we?”
She sounded so matter-of-fact that I tugged the gauze back to stare at her. She just looked thoughtful, her mouth pursed slightly, like I’d caught her puzzling over algebra homework.
I shook my head. “Not if we don’t want to, we don’t.”
“Iris, he’s already set loose.” Reaching up, Collette knotted her hair at her neck. “We stirred him up, and we have to put him back down again.”
“ I stirred him up,” I corrected.
If she was right, I had a whole lifetime of rock showers and handprints on steamed glass to look forward to. One bad spell in the cemetery might have cursed me.
All decided, Collette fanned herself with a folder, leaning over to pick through Uncle Lee’s box. “Ooh, anything good?”
“The shirt I’m wearing,” I said. My room needed airing, so I got on my knees and climbed under my desk to plug in my fan again.
Leaning down, Collette waved a brown book at me. “Look what he put in.”
“Hold on, Collette, dang.” I bumped my head on the underside of the desk, but I forgot the hurt in an instant. One of Elijah’s stones lay in the shadows; it felt cool and heavy when I slipped it into my pocket.
Then, quickly, I plugged in the fan and sat up. “All right, what?”
Collette turned the chair and sat above me, then handed over the book with a flourish. “Look at that.”
Marveling at the neat handwriting on the inside, I took a shuddering breath. The fan’s drone filled my ears, so my voice sounded far away, even to me. “This was my mama’s.”
“I know. How come Uncle Lee had it?”
It was a good question, but
I shook my head, and the muscles felt so stiff in my neck I thought they might snap. That would have been something, to have my head roll right across the restaurant floor; the police would have a time trying to explain that.
Uncle Lee settled back, and I could see the table across the way again.
It was empty.
chapter ten
I might have been done with Elijah, but Collette had other ideas. She fell right into decorating with me like she’d waited her whole life to rearrange my furniture. My desk went to one side of the room and my bed to the other, but the shelves had to stay put. Even empty, they were too heavy for us to lift.
As we climbed on the mattress to tack my canopy up again, Collette tried to sound casual, though her eyes didn’t meet mine. “I was thinking we could go to Ben’s next. His daddy has tons of stuff from high school up in the attic.”
“I know, he told me.” Suspicious, I pressed my hands to the ceiling to hold my canopy in place. “I thought he had a lazy eye, Collette.”
“It’s just a little lazy.” She shrugged, reaching down to grab another pushpin. She made herself impressively busy with a handful of them, rolling them in her palm before reaching up again. “Anyway, there might be clues up there.”
I stared at her. “Like what? Class pictures? That’s real helpful.” I made a dismissive sound.
“You never know!”
“I’m pretty sure I do.”
“Ben thinks there might be something.”
Huffing a breath, I forgot to hold the canopy in place. It drifted down, shrouding me in navy blue that I brushed at impatiently. “What happened to you doing better, Collette? Is he back to kissing you or something?”
Collette got quiet, a guilty expression flickering across her fine features. Her dark eyes shifting back and forth, she finally shrugged in defeat, smiling a smile that begged me to be happy about it. By God, Ben Duvall had kissed her, and she wasn’t complaining.
“I thought he smelled like cabbage.”
“You did, not me.”
Dropping to the bed, I let the canopy hang over my face like a widow’s veil and I stewed. It wasn’t fair for her to change her mind like that, not without telling me first. Worse, I already felt like I should apologize to Ben; I’d have to for sure if he and Collette made up.
“I don’t want to look for Elijah anymore.”
“Well, we have to, don’t we?”
She sounded so matter-of-fact that I tugged the gauze back to stare at her. She just looked thoughtful, her mouth pursed slightly, like I’d caught her puzzling over algebra homework.
I shook my head. “Not if we don’t want to, we don’t.”
“Iris, he’s already set loose.” Reaching up, Collette knotted her hair at her neck. “We stirred him up, and we have to put him back down again.”
“ I stirred him up,” I corrected.
If she was right, I had a whole lifetime of rock showers and handprints on steamed glass to look forward to. One bad spell in the cemetery might have cursed me.
All decided, Collette fanned herself with a folder, leaning over to pick through Uncle Lee’s box. “Ooh, anything good?”
“The shirt I’m wearing,” I said. My room needed airing, so I got on my knees and climbed under my desk to plug in my fan again.
Leaning down, Collette waved a brown book at me. “Look what he put in.”
“Hold on, Collette, dang.” I bumped my head on the underside of the desk, but I forgot the hurt in an instant. One of Elijah’s stones lay in the shadows; it felt cool and heavy when I slipped it into my pocket.
Then, quickly, I plugged in the fan and sat up. “All right, what?”
Collette turned the chair and sat above me, then handed over the book with a flourish. “Look at that.”
Marveling at the neat handwriting on the inside, I took a shuddering breath. The fan’s drone filled my ears, so my voice sounded far away, even to me. “This was my mama’s.”
“I know. How come Uncle Lee had it?”
It was a good question, but
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