Hourglass

Even though my body had reached the point of exhaustion, my brain wouldn’t shut down. So many thoughts kept my mind whirling: Jack, and who, not to mention what, he really was. Lily, and the secrets between us. Michael, and where he was. What he was doing. And with whom.

Circling around and around, never finding any answers, I fought sleep, holding out hope the phone would ring.

Talk about pissed.

I woke up confused. I’d slept in three different beds in the past few days. I preferred Michael’s to all of them. Probably because of the pillow.

He never called. Or he did and Dru or Thomas answered because I was asleep. Maybe one of them turned off the ringer. I reached out for the portable phone on the coffee table, fumbling to see the caller ID.

Nothing.

I might not know where Michael was, but I had a pretty good idea how to find him. I threw the covers back and made a beeline for my room, taking the phone with me, just in case.

“Hold it.” Thomas stepped out of the kitchen with a box of Fruity Pebbles in his hand, blocking my way. “Where are you going?”

“To take a shower.”

He angled his body to keep me from stepping around him. “What about after that?”

“Why does it matter?”

“You’re not going to look for Michael, are you?” Thomas asked the question as if he already knew the answer.

“I guess it all depends,” I said, fisting my phone-free hand on my hip. “How long are you supposed to keep me away from him?”

“Did he call?”

I shook my head.

“Em, he was serious. I don’t know if he knew what kind of situation he was walking into when he left, but he didn’t want you to be involved.”

“I need to go to the coffeehouse to check my schedule,” I said in a monotone, not meeting his eyes. “Am I allowed?”

“Don’t be this way,” he pleaded. I knew he hated lording any kind of authority over me. But he still did it.

“I’m your sister. You’re taking Michael’s side over mine. How could you?” I figured it wouldn’t hurt to layer on some guilt now to pave the way for forgiveness later.

“I am on your side. So is Michael,” he said self-righteously. “His intention is to keep you safe.”

I still held the cordless phone in my hand. I really wanted to throw it at my brother’s head. Growling in frustration, I pushed past him, slammed the door to my room, and locked it behind me.

I showered quickly and chose not to argue with my hair, leaving it loose and wavy. I didn’t want to think about why, but I took special care with my makeup and clothing, wearing tighter jeans than usual and a close-fitting green T-shirt with a scoop neckline. As accessory challenged as I am, I even threw on a matching pair of earrings. Dru’s shimmery powder still sat on my dresser, and I used a little to highlight my … collarbone. Trying not to feel like a hooker, I grabbed a pair of strappy-heeled sandals and pulled them on as I half ran, half hopped to the front door.

I didn’t see Thomas, but as I turned the knob to leave I heard Dru clear her throat from behind me.

“What?” I spun around to face her, leaning back against the front door hard enough to make it creak. “I’m going to Murphy’s Law. I already cleared it with the prison matron, even though her panties were in a wad about it.”

“Work? I know what I would do in your situation.” She scanned my outfit, then handed me my cell phone and her keys. “Don’t make me regret this. And stop insulting my husband.”

I took the keys and gave her a quick hug. “You’re going to be such an excellent mother.”

“If you were my child, I would staple you to your bedroom wall.”

I blew her a kiss and shut the door softly behind me.

Chapter 31

I couldn’t get in touch with Michael—his cell phone kept bouncing straight to voice mail. I drove like a maniac to Murphy’s Law, parking illegally at the curb. The pickup line for orders snaked almost to the front door. Lily threw me an apron as I walked behind the counter and then did a double take.

“Wow,” she said, giving me the once-over. “Okay. Wow. What are you going for with this look? Are you headed for a Playboy Bunny convention? Because whatever you’re doing, I can guess it’s not making coffee.”

“I’m throwing my hat in the ring, staking a claim, making my intentions known. It’s kind of like … a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.”

“I could’ve done without that visual.” She assessed my outfit as I tied on the apron. “Why do you feel the need to put all your goodies on the front line for a man?”

“It’s more for the competition,” I answered, twisting my hair up and sticking a pencil in it to keep it out of my way.

Lily shook her head and added a shot of espresso to a latte.

I threw up my hands. “What? Do I look that bad?”

“No, you look that good,” she said, spooning foam into a mug. “I just want your self-respect to be intact when all this is over. I assume Michael is your fire hydrant?”

“Yes.” I picked up the order pad to see what was next and then poured milk into a metal cup before attaching it to a steamer. “I’m sorry for bailing on you yesterday,” I said over the hissing noise. “You’ve been here two mornings in a row, haven’t you?”

“No worries. Vanilla latte?” she called out to the crowd before turning back to start the next drink. “Just help me get through these orders, and I’ll forgive you.”

We worked in silence for a few minutes until the crowd dissipated. Lily picked up a glass of ice water and downed half of it before asking, “Where are you headed?”

“I don’t know exactly. There are a couple of places I think he might be. Or he could be someplace else altogether. That’s why I came to talk to you.” I was done with secrets. My best friend needed to come clean. Even if it meant I had to do the same. “I wanted to ask you to help me.”

“Help you?” she asked, crunching down on a piece of ice and narrowing her eyes.

“Help me … find him.” I wouldn’t chicken out. I wanted everything out in the open. “The way you find things.”

Lily choked on her ice before seizing my arm and dragging me toward the back office. She yanked me into the room and slammed the door behind us.

“What the hell, Lily?” I rubbed my arm where she’d grabbed it.

“How do you know?” Lily’s breath came out unevenly.

“I don’t know anything specific,” I confessed. “I just had an idea.”

“I’ve tried so hard to keep it a secret.” She stared at me with wide eyes. “When you asked me my opinion about the supernatural the other day, I got the feeling you were on to me.”

“Actually, I asked you the question about the supernatural stuff because of me.” I opened the door, sticking my head out to check the shop for customers. Only a couple of people sat in the orange chairs by the front window. I pulled my head back in and shut the door.

Lily sat down on the edge of the desk. “Please don’t tell me you’re a vampire. Vampires are so overdone.”

“I swear on every coffee bean in the universe that I’m not a vampire,” I promised her, laughing. “But … I can … sort of … see people from the past. Talk to them.”