reschedule, but please call us immediately if the activity increases.”
“I will, thanks.”
With more than a little relief, Sachi said good-bye and ended the call.
“ Bok-bok ,” Mandaline clucked from the doorway.
Sachi stuck her tongue out at her. “Hey, don’t blame me, witchypoo. Blame the Goddess.”
“Did you do a rain dance?”
She grinned. “No, but thanks for the idea.”
“You want to stay for dinner tonight?”
Sachi was about to say no and remembered that she’d be going home to an empty house for the first time in a couple of weeks. Her dad had arrived the day after she got shot, and had been there ever since.
It would be weird going home and not having him there, not smelling him cooking their dinner, and not having his comforting presence around.
“Okay,” Sachi said. “Sounds good.” She stood to leave the room and stopped in front of Mandaline. “You sort of owe me anyway for putting me through this.”
“I am but a tool of the Universe,” she said, an evil grin on her face.
“You’re a tool all right, witchypoo.” She pushed past Mandaline to take the phone receiver back to its cradle at the front counter, her friend’s bright laughter following her down the hallway.
* * * *
Brad’s cooking experiment that evening was homemade fried chicken. The aroma drifted from the apartment and filled the downstairs where Sachi and Mandaline were going through the candle display in the closed store and putting together a replenishment order.
“I have to admit,” Sachi said, “you lucked out with those two.” Ellis would return home shortly from his law office just a couple of blocks down the street. For now, they were still living in the apartment over the store until the renovations were complete enough on the old house Brad and Ellis had purchased and started rehabbing for them to move there.
The same house that had brought Brad and Ellis together with Mandaline, and where Sachi nearly lost her life.
“You, too, could know the joys of a poly triad,” Mandaline teased. “Or, at the very least, a relationship with one guy.”
“Can we make a deal to can it tonight? My stomach’s finally declared a truce with itself. I haven’t needed the bathroom for a whole twenty minutes. I’d rather keep it that way.”
“Sorry.”
Her father had also called her upon his safe return to Idaho. While they didn’t have a firm date set yet, it looked like Sachi, Ellis, and Brad would be flying out sometime the following week.
“This messes up your July 4th plans, you know,” Sachi said. “Are you sure you don’t want them here with you? I can drive the truck. Might take me longer by myself, but I can do it.”
Mandaline jammed her hands on her hips. “You know damn well your dad won’t let you do that, and he shouldn’t be riding in a vehicle that long with his arthritis. Makenzie and Anna already volunteered to help out here in exchange for paid days off elsewhere. So did Mina and Paige. I’ll have more than enough help around here.”
“All right.” She swallowed hard, touched that her friends had jumped in like that to help cover the day. “Thank you.”
“Second thoughts about having him here?”
“No. Not that. Just…it feels weird in a good way, this big change.”
“Not all changes are bad, sweetie. I know you’ve had more than your fair share of bad changes, but take it from me, good things are coming your way.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am right.”
Ellis let himself in the front door with his key, carrying his suit jacket and his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. “Ooh, what smells yummy?”
“Tarzan’s stirring up a batch of fried chicken,” Sachi said.
He walked over. “I take it you’re joining us tonight?”
“For dinner. Nothing else, lucky you.”
She liked Ellis. He and Mandaline had a little bit of a rocky start at first due to his inability to believe in the supernatural, but he was the first person outside of
“I will, thanks.”
With more than a little relief, Sachi said good-bye and ended the call.
“ Bok-bok ,” Mandaline clucked from the doorway.
Sachi stuck her tongue out at her. “Hey, don’t blame me, witchypoo. Blame the Goddess.”
“Did you do a rain dance?”
She grinned. “No, but thanks for the idea.”
“You want to stay for dinner tonight?”
Sachi was about to say no and remembered that she’d be going home to an empty house for the first time in a couple of weeks. Her dad had arrived the day after she got shot, and had been there ever since.
It would be weird going home and not having him there, not smelling him cooking their dinner, and not having his comforting presence around.
“Okay,” Sachi said. “Sounds good.” She stood to leave the room and stopped in front of Mandaline. “You sort of owe me anyway for putting me through this.”
“I am but a tool of the Universe,” she said, an evil grin on her face.
“You’re a tool all right, witchypoo.” She pushed past Mandaline to take the phone receiver back to its cradle at the front counter, her friend’s bright laughter following her down the hallway.
* * * *
Brad’s cooking experiment that evening was homemade fried chicken. The aroma drifted from the apartment and filled the downstairs where Sachi and Mandaline were going through the candle display in the closed store and putting together a replenishment order.
“I have to admit,” Sachi said, “you lucked out with those two.” Ellis would return home shortly from his law office just a couple of blocks down the street. For now, they were still living in the apartment over the store until the renovations were complete enough on the old house Brad and Ellis had purchased and started rehabbing for them to move there.
The same house that had brought Brad and Ellis together with Mandaline, and where Sachi nearly lost her life.
“You, too, could know the joys of a poly triad,” Mandaline teased. “Or, at the very least, a relationship with one guy.”
“Can we make a deal to can it tonight? My stomach’s finally declared a truce with itself. I haven’t needed the bathroom for a whole twenty minutes. I’d rather keep it that way.”
“Sorry.”
Her father had also called her upon his safe return to Idaho. While they didn’t have a firm date set yet, it looked like Sachi, Ellis, and Brad would be flying out sometime the following week.
“This messes up your July 4th plans, you know,” Sachi said. “Are you sure you don’t want them here with you? I can drive the truck. Might take me longer by myself, but I can do it.”
Mandaline jammed her hands on her hips. “You know damn well your dad won’t let you do that, and he shouldn’t be riding in a vehicle that long with his arthritis. Makenzie and Anna already volunteered to help out here in exchange for paid days off elsewhere. So did Mina and Paige. I’ll have more than enough help around here.”
“All right.” She swallowed hard, touched that her friends had jumped in like that to help cover the day. “Thank you.”
“Second thoughts about having him here?”
“No. Not that. Just…it feels weird in a good way, this big change.”
“Not all changes are bad, sweetie. I know you’ve had more than your fair share of bad changes, but take it from me, good things are coming your way.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am right.”
Ellis let himself in the front door with his key, carrying his suit jacket and his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. “Ooh, what smells yummy?”
“Tarzan’s stirring up a batch of fried chicken,” Sachi said.
He walked over. “I take it you’re joining us tonight?”
“For dinner. Nothing else, lucky you.”
She liked Ellis. He and Mandaline had a little bit of a rocky start at first due to his inability to believe in the supernatural, but he was the first person outside of
Similar Books
