by Cat Adams
I started arranging the trimmed flowers in the vase. “Why hasn’t she told me any of this?”
Dawna sighed and turned around to lean on the counter. “Honestly? You should talk to Pili about it. She knows a lot more than I do. Let me get your gran to show me and Emma the gardens. I’ve actually already seen them, but it’ll take a while.”
Without giving me a chance to reply, she walked back into the living room. “Emily, could you show me and Emma the rose garden? I’m sure Celia and Pili would like a chance to catch up with things on the siren island.”
And just like that, Pili and I were alone. I sat down on the floral tapestry couch cushion Gran had vacated and looked at the small ancient Polynesian woman. “So … Pili. How are you liking retirement?”
She smiled so calmly and gently that my muscles relaxed. “We have no need for small talk, Celia. I know you’re wondering about your grandmother, and that’s understandable. She hasn’t wanted to worry you because she knows you already carry such great burdens of your own. You speak so little of your problems that it makes others reluctant to speak of their troubles with you. Please don’t take that as any sort of criticism. But you must remember that your grandmother has been affected by her minister’s death, the revelation of the death curse, and everything that’s happened to you and to her daughter. And now she’s had to leave the only home she’s known as an adult. She’s needed time to adjust. Time to find a new way of living, just as you have.”
My face felt hot and my stomach was roiling. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t put all that together before. My poor gran!
“I don’t know what to say. Do you think I should cancel my trip and spend some time with her?”
Another soft smile as Pili touched my hand. “Not at all. You need time to heal as well, just as Emily does. I’ve become a bit concerned that she’s attached to Ahn and me so completely in such a short time, which is why I suggested she explore herself a little more … meet new people, do things she’s never done before. She’s very healthy and may outlive many of her peers. To balance the continued loss of friends and family, she needs new friends and new experiences.” A quick pat of her fingers didn’t make me feel much better. “Please don’t worry. I’m working very hard to get her to a place where she’s not spending all her time worrying about you and Lana. To keep her heart light, we must make her mind and hands busy.”
The continued loss of friends and family. Ouch.
14
Emma and Dawna laughed and the three of us simultaneously raised our margarita glasses. I felt a cool swirl brush around us in a ghostly hug. Dawna clinked her glass, first with mine and then with Emma’s on her other side. “To the girls! No boys allowed. Although…” She paused and lowered her tortoiseshell sunglasses to the tip of her nose as one of the staff walked through carrying another tray of lime-topped refreshments. “ Pretty boys are always allowed.”
I leaned back with a sigh and stared up at the stained glass and carved wood above the heat lamp for a moment before raising myself on one elbow to look at my three friends lounging next to the shining turquoise pool.
Yeah, Vicki was here, and while we couldn’t see her directly, there was a distinct body mark denting the thick white towel on the otherwise empty-seeming chaise. Emma and Dawna were bronzing under tanning lamps, but I was just as “allergic” to artificial sunlight as I was to the real thing. But a heat lamp is just heat without UV rays and such, and even if I wasn’t particularly cold, I wanted to share in the luxury of the moment. The heat lamp, fourth lounge, and framed mirror for communication with our dead friend had thrown the staff into a little bit of a tizzy, but they’d recovered quickly.
I was done worrying, at least for a weekend. I’d promised Pili I’d do my best to relax while she helped Gran do the same. Then maybe Gran and I could go back to the warm, loving relationship we’d shared for so many years. I looked forward to getting to know Pili better, too. I not only trusted her; I liked her. Finding a new relative who was both wise and wonderful was one of the better side effects of the last few weeks.
The cabana boy saw Dawna flicking her eyes up and down the length of his body and responded in kind. His sly, confident smile was enough to make me roll my eyes and shake my head. If Dawna didn’t get lucky this weekend it would be a miracle. Emma wasn’t above gawking, too, but the last thing I needed was another man in my life. After all, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the ones I already had.
After our drinks had been replaced—I’d sent the cabana boy back to get me an energy shake instead of another alcoholic margarita—I relaxed into the wave of warm air. “So what do you think about the mystery heir thing? Do you agree with me?”
Vicki had been noncommittal about my thought that she’d chosen Mick Murphy because his daughters were younger versions of me and Ivy—and because if Mom had had money to buy off the kidnappers Ivy might still be alive.
“I guess it’s possible,” Dawna said after a few seconds. “But it’s not the sort of thing she normally saw in her visions, right, Vick? If she’d seen something, it would have been the actual kidnapping. Why see a happy family with no trauma?”
Dunno appeared on the mirror that was propped on an easel next to Vicki’s lounge so she didn’t have to get up to write. It was interesting to me that after she’d first died she could only write a word or two. Now she’d often do five or six with ease. Could a ghost get stronger, or had she just learned the trick to it?
“That makes sense, really,” Emma said from the far end. “If she remembered why, she wouldn’t have asked you to investigate.”
“True. But I really think we need to follow the money. That’s a lot of freaking cash. Why not a hundred thousand, or even a million? Why give them a quarter of the estate?”
Yes. About the money showed on the mirror. It was the first acknowledgment that I was on to something. Needs to buy …
“Needs to buy … what?” She’d disappeared. The room got warmer and the heat lamp was abruptly almost too hot. I sat up and looked around, searching for the sparkling cloud. But she was gone. “What’s up? Where’d she go?”
Dawna shrugged and sat up fully, setting her feet on the floor. “Maybe she had an idea. She’ll be back. Anyway, we need to get to the salon. We have a haircut and style in fifteen minutes. Then facials and makeup. Ladies, we are going to rock that debut tonight!”
So true. Who knew the spa would have such an amazing boutique? Absolutely everything fit and looked good on me. That was saying something. “Can you believe the dresses we found? There’d better be cameras there, because I want a picture of us for my album.”
Emma nodded. “Before you were attacked, I wouldn’t have picked silver and blue for you; they would have really washed you out. But you looked amazing in the dressing room. I can’t wait to see you … and me and, well, Dawna, too. This is just what I needed.”
I tried to smile, wanted to because she looked so happy. She used to be that way all the time. Well, not cheerful and bouncy, but content in her own skin. We both were. Before. Now she looked … haunted. And it was my fault. Worse, I didn’t know how to fix it. “I really want you to get what you need, Em. You shouldn’t have to be fighting this.” It was a non sequitur from dresses to a demon attack. I knew that I should keep the tone light, but I couldn’t seem to stop the seriousness and pain that rolled out with the tears that filled my eyes. “It’s my fault that you’re going through this and I hate it. I’d fix it if I could. Eirene was trying to hurt me. You got caught in the middle. That’s not fair.…” I felt my lip trembling.
Her brow furrowed and she stood in a rush, knocking over the small table that held her drink. It crashed to the floor, but neither of us cared. “Oh, Celie! No! It’s not your fault at all.” She raced the few feet between us and enveloped me in a hug. There was a fierceness to her grip that took me by surprise. “I took the job with Eirene. I could have said no. Dad told me to say no—to not leave school.” She pulled back to grab me by th
e shoulders and stare into my eyes. “This is not yours. And it’s going to be okay. You’ll see. They’re really helping me at Birchwoods.”
Fortunately, Dr. Gwen had agreed with that sentiment. It had taken more than a few minutes to convince her to release Emma for this mini-break, but ultimately Dr. Gwen decided that Em would be best served by doing some “normal” things. Normally, in the first month at Birchwoods it’s lockdown city. Everybody is supposed to wear gray sweats to “level” everyone’s class and status bars. After all, the alcoholic father of a middle-class family who is court-ordered to rehab isn’t the same in the eyes of society as a top-money model with “alcohol dependency.” But at Birchwoods they’re treated the same … and they have to treat each other the same.
Birchwoods is exclusive and pricey and it gets results because of its strict standards and effective staff. It wasn’t just a rehab center, and in fact Emma wasn’t there because of any sort of addiction. She needed to get her head on straight and was undergoing frequent religious rites to remove her attachment to the demon who’d tried to claim her soul.
Dawna joined the group hug and we cried for long minutes until we finally laughed. Dawna wiped a long streak of mascara from her tawny cheek. “They’re really going to have to earn their money to make us look good now.”
I let out a choking laugh that was still a little bit soppy. “I’m all about value for my dollar. C’mon. Let’s go let them make us look like movie stars.”
* * *
“No, there’s no flash photography allowed until the end of the event. Sorry.” The heavyset guard at the gate before the long, winding path really did look apologetic. The burgundy red carpet and the fairy lights that followed the curves of the road were really impressive touches that made me eager to get inside. “The owners want this to be about the wine, not about who’s attending.”
I suppose it made sense, but it was sad. We looked good. Dawna’s bronze and green sparkles had obviously stolen the guard’s heart and Emma’s blonde cheerleader beauty was only enhanced by the black and gold dress that hugged her every curve. And yeah, I really did look good in silver and blue, and the dress had a built-in bra that gave me more cleavage than nature had. The stylist had even put silvery white extensions in my hair that I thought would look cheap but were amazing.
Dawna batted those big brown eyes at the guard who couldn’t keep his eyes off her long expanse of bare legs. She shifted to expose even more skin to hand him her ticket. “Could you take a picture of us … out here? That wouldn’t break any rules, would it? We just want to remember looking this good.”
It hadn’t occurred to me to bring a camera, but it had to Dawna. Her glove-clad fingers pulled a little digital out of a purse that wasn’t much bigger than the camera. “Please?”
There was no one waiting, so nobody would know. The press were a quarter of a mile down the road, waiting for the event to end. I don’t know what kind of magic they’d done to keep the press at bay, but they literally couldn’t come closer. We even saw one reporter try to pole-vault over the barrier. It had been entertaining in that ouch, that must have hurt sort of way.
We’d arrived a little late because Emma desperately needed highlights. The guard stared at Dawna and the camera with a frown. She tipped her head just a bit to show off her gorgeous neck. We all smiled winningly and he finally let out a sigh and held out a pudgy hand. She squealed and bounced and we got together in front of the winery’s sign: The Twins . He snapped two pictures and let us see them on the screen before he pulled the camera away and tucked it in a jacket pocket. “You can pick it up on the way out . I’ll be here until everybody is gone. But I’ll lose my job if I let a camera inside, and I know you don’t want that.”
Dawna wasn’t the only one who could work facial expressions. He gave such a sad puppy face pout that we had no choice but to let out little maternal noises and give him a peck on the cheek. Then he picked up his radio and said, “Three more to pick up and then we’re ready to lock the gates, Dave. All invitations accounted for.”
Wow, we really were late. Oops. It was only a moment before we heard the hum of an electric motor. A golf cart modified to look like a horse-drawn carriage—minus the horse—pulled up to the gate. The guard opened the massive silver gates and bowed us inside. I walked toward the cart and felt the moment the magic barrier pressed against me. It was an oddly familiar sensation, but I couldn’t place why. I was through in moments, but it left the hair on my arms standing on end for nearly the whole trip up the path.
“Are you cold?” Emma leaned over as we rolled down the path. “You keep rubbing your arms.”
“I just feel a little weird. Did the barrier make your skin tingle?”
They looked at each other and then shrugged with heads shaking. “No.” Dawna looked at her arm. “Not really. It felt like a barrier. Maybe you’re having a vamp reaction. I’ll bet they stepped up the oomph on security for tonight.”
That was probably it. Fortunately, I’d stashed a couple of shakes in my purse. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that wine was going to taste horrible with chocolate, so vanilla was all I’d brought. Not my favorite but definitely more Chablis friendly. I drank it quickly, then tossed the empty can into a tiny, almost-hidden trash can beside the golf cart’s drop-off point.
We’d missed the early mixer, which was probably a good thing. I hadn’t realized how many of my clients would be here. From movie stars to singers and a few politicians, it was old home week, and many eyes lit up with surprise as I walked in. No bodyguards were allowed at the premiere, and that meant I was, gasp, a guest.
Dawna likewise recognized a few people—mostly from dating them. She is so good at crashing high-end events that half of the beautiful people in L.A. probably think she’s some reclusive heiress, rather than a receptionist who’s still studying for a degree. Of course, now she really was an heiress, so it all worked out. Emma didn’t see a single familiar face, judging by her brief look of disappointment.
I took it upon myself to grab her hand and pull her forward. When she tried to pull away, Dawna realized what the problem was and grabbed her other hand. “C’mon, Em. I know just the person to introduce you to.”
I wondered who she was thinking of and started scanning the crowd. When I spotted him I smiled, because Dawna was right. He was perfect. Emma protested for just a moment until she saw the first frown from a guest. I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “We wouldn’t ever embarrass you, Em. Just give us a chance.”
Emma had always been the outgoing one in school, gorgeous and popular; I’d felt like the ugly duckling. To have the reverse happen was a bizarre feeling. But as my words sank home, she bucked up and stood straight and gave the frowning man a smile that was worthy of a homecoming queen. He let out a little chuckle and turned back to the group he was talking to.
A handsome man in the corner was our goal. He was tall and exotic looking, just the opposite of the so-American Emma. I’d guarded him on his way to a science award ceremony and Dawna had tried to date him because of his amazing looks. But she’d given up after one dinner, when he’d done nothing but talk about gene splicing.
Like I said … perfect.
“Remir? How are you?”
Emma’s mouth went wide when he turned those sapphire blue eyes our way. I didn’t blame her. It was like someone had set gemstones into a frame of aged honey pine. Gorgeous.
He reached out both hands for one of mine. “Celia Graves. What a wonderful surprise. I know so few people here.” He rolled his eyes. “Too much time in the lab, I suppose.”
“Remir, I’d like to introduce Emma Landingham. I think you two have a lot in common.” He turned his head and smiled at her and tipped his head just a bit in a how so? expression.
As I expected, Emma’s eyes had brightened. “Are you really Remir Sandrow? I loved your article in Scientific American last May. It’s no wonder you were up for the Nobel.” I hadn’t expected her to recognize Remir, but it should have o
ccurred to me. Every field has its rock stars, and Remir was definitely one. They launched into a discussion about prokaryote cells and DNA and both Dawna and I were lost in moments. They never even saw us leave.
A gentle but piercing crystal bell caught our attention and I turned before I’d reached the next person I wanted to say hi to. I felt my heart rate speed up and let out a little internal cheer. While there’s nothing better than mingling with people in a non-work environment to cement a future work relationship, I wanted to get to the wine. The uniformed butler who had rung the bell looked as if he could be moonlighting from Buckingham Palace. “If I could have your attention, would everybody please come into the next room? We’re ready to begin.”
I smiled at Dawna and we started to move forward with the now-murmuring crowd. When I glanced back, I saw Emma and Remir deep in discussion, completely oblivious to the sudden absence of people in the room. Would she hate me if I interrupted? He was really giving her his full attention. I’d guarded him for nearly a week and I hadn’t seen him look at anyone like that. Or would she hate herself for missing the tasting? I asked Dawna, “What do you think? Should I tell them?”
Dawna looked back and took in the whole scene—from his hand, not so casually on the wall next to Emma’s shoulder, to her bright eyes and animated expression. “Nah. She’ll hate us. Let someone else spoil their moment.”
I agreed and went through the bejeweled curtain into the tasting room. Yay! At the front of the room was a small stage with a table covered by shimmering golden cloth. They were really pulling out all the stops for drama, building the anticipation, and I was loving every second of it.
