For the moment, anyway. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the world is always about to end. It’s a heavy burden, but there’s nothing like advance notice of an impendingapocalypse to re-order your priorities. I mean, what’s a messy kitchen when you’re trying to hold back the fires of hell?
Laura knows that a few weeks ago, my family managed to do exactly that. What she didn’t know was that it was Allie’s blood that closed the gate, and the only reason Allie’s blood worked was because she’s part demon. Something we hadn’t known before that very moment, but considering the horde of demons that had been about to barrel down on us, that disturbing revelation had a definite upside.
I’d been telling myself that I hadn’t shared that part of the story because it wasn’t the kind of thing you talked about over the phone or in text messages. But that wasn’t the entire truth.
No, the sad truth is that I was afraid that my best friend would look at my daughter askance. That she’d start finding excuses to keep Mindy out of Allie’s life. That she wouldn’t see my beautiful, bright, funny, talented, sarcastic, sometimes pain-in-the-butt daughter as a real person anymore. She’d be tainted. She’d be the enemy.
Or worse, she’d be something to pity.
I worried about all of that. And even as I struggled with that fear, I hated myself for thinking so little of Laura as to even entertain those thoughts.
But which way was I supposed to go? Protect my daughter? Or protect my friendship?
And though I hated being disingenuous with Laura, when I put it like that, there really was no debate. In the end, my kids would always come first.
“—America.”
I frowned, completely lost.
Laura rolled her eyes. “Earth to Kate. I said that if you’re not sure about Nemo, you could always go with Captain America.”
“No,” I said firmly, because right then I really just wanted to get home, and I appreciated the fact that Laura obviouslyunderstood that I wasn’t yet ready to tell her the full story of what happened in Rome. “Nemo is great.”
“Speaking of great, Eliza seems like a good kid.” She efficiently snagged a package of Pixar-themed wrapping paper and tossed it in the cart without missing a step as we headed toward checkout.
“She is,” I agreed, “though she’s had a hard go of it.” It hadn’t been easy for her in Rome. The demons had been just as aware of her as they’d been of me. “And though I don’t know her well yet, I think she’d probably frown on thekidthing. She’s eighteen. I’m pretty sure eighteen-year-olds get touchy about that. What with the whole right to vote thing.”
“Phhhbt. Until they can sit down with us and have a cocktail, they’re a kid. For that matter, forget cocktails. I want a college degree on their wall, and a paycheck in their hand. Or a family or a career or both. Oh, hell, Eliza’s just going to have to deal with my personal prejudices, because as far as I’m concerned, Mindy’s going to be a kid to me forever.”
We’d reached the checkout stand, and I kept my head down as I unpacked the cart. Because the truth was, as much as I wished it were true, Allie wasn’t a kid to me any more. She’d always be my baby, but my daughter had been forced to grow up. And while I think she’d done a damn fine job of it, I couldn’t help but mourn that lost piece of her childhood.
“Hang on,” Laura told the cashier after she scanned the last item. “I’m sure I have a coupon in here somewhere.” Not that long ago, Laura had spent money without a second thought. After the divorce, she’d become remarkably frugal.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. Now that I was back on theForzapayroll, I was feeling a little more flush than I’d felt when we were a family of four on a government lawyer’s salary.
“No, no. You should use it. It expires soon, and I know I put it in here…”
I was about to tell her it wasn’t worth it, when the woman behind me huffed heavily. I glanced toward her and saw a gum-smacking sour-faced woman holding a basket in front of her with a single ugly candle. Weird green swirls inside an ivory column. Definitely not centerpiece material, except maybe for druids conducting some sort of tree-worshipping ceremony. Her eyes were narrowed and her expression was nothing short of a scowl. And, honestly, we’d reached the cashier first, and it wasn’t as if we’d been dawdling.
Suddenly, an extra minute to find a coupon seemed like no big deal at all.
“If you can find it, that would be great,” I told Laura. “I’m in no hurry.”
I didn’t look back at SourBitch, but I was certain I felt her eyes boring down on me. And while I’m not remotely psychic, I’m also sure I heard all the nasty names she was calling us loud and clear in my head.
After full minute passed, I almost told Laura to forget it. But just as I was opening my mouth, she whipped her hand out with a flourish and waved the coupon. “Ha! Told you!”
She passed it to the clerk, and I was suddenly the beneficiary of a whopping ten percent reduction in my bill.
We grabbed the bags and scurried toward the exit, and as I slipped through the automatic glass doors, I glanced back and saw SourBitch looking right back at me, pure malevolence in her eyes.
“What?” Laura whispered.
“Nothing,” I said, but it wasn’t the truth. Because in reality, I was in the mood to kick a little ass, and I suddenly wondered if SourBitch wasn’t a full-blown demon from hell, and I’d just walked away from the perfect opportunity.
CHAPTER 4
“Shewaschewing gum,” I added, as I shut the door to the hall closet where I’d just stashed all of the birthday paraphernalia, well away from prying eyes. I’d brought up the possibility in the car that SourBitch had been a demon. Not that I would have whipped out my stiletto and stabbed her in the eye right then and there. Discount stores tend to frown on that kind of thing. “And that candle? Could any creature with a soul pick out a candle that ugly?”
