“It’s just something Donovan and I talked about yesterday. After everything that happened, I’m realizing that I’ve never really tried to get any sort of control over my ability.” I slumped forward, resting my elbows on the counter and mirroring Camille. “That asshole Nate used crystals and those weird symbols to banish Charlie and keep him out of my house. I didn’t even know that was possible.” Thinking of Charlie brought with it a familiar twinge of bittersweet grief.
“There are quite a few ways to protect a home. I can stop by and do it for you any time you’d like.”
It was tempting. I couldn’t deny that. If I blocked them from entering my house, would they be forced to leave me alone for good? Would they disappear when they couldn’t draw off my energy? I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go to bed at night without that tiny nugget of worry in the back of my mind that I’d wake to a ghost in my bedroom. To never again go out in the dead of night in search of a dead body. It sounded like pure bliss.
Right on the heels of that thought, though, reality came crashing in.
What would happen to those people if I didn’t help them? Would they be able to move on, or would they be trapped here? Would their bodies remain missing or hidden forever? How many families would suffer, waiting for news of a loved one that never came?
Could I live with myself if I let that happen?
“I don’t want to bar them completely, but… I don’t know, maybe something to help me focus? Or maybe they have something that can teach me how to get some control over this?” I slumped forward on the counter, letting my forehead rest on the cool wood. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Camille. I don’t even know if there’s anyone else out there who can do what I do, so how do I even know what to look for?”
A gentle hand touched my head, stroking through my hair, soft and soothing. “You let your friends help you, first of all,” she murmured. “We’ll see what we can find and we’ll experiment until we figure out what works for you. If you don’t feel comfortable going to see Ori, I’ll go talk to them and at least see what kind of information I can come up with.”
I turned my head just enough to peer up at her. “What did I do to deserve such awesome friends?”
She laughed, tugging at a lock of my hair in a move she’d picked up from Raina. “That’s easy. You’re a good person and a good friend. Now, sit up and eat your lunch. I need your opinion on this new sandwich. We’re thinking of adding a lunch menu beyond just savory pastries, but we’re still testing the waters.”
“It’d be nice to have a little variety.” I did as ordered, sitting up in my chair and reaching for the bag she’d brought. “What’s the drink today?”
“Your usual. Raina decided to save the experimental drinks for next week. The sandwich is roasted vegetables, sundried tomato pesto, and goat cheese on ciabatta.”
I paused in the middle of unwrapping the sandwich. “Where did you even get goat cheese in Lowery’s Crossing?”
“I had to take a trip to Denver to get it,” she admitted. “If it’s not a fan favorite, it won’t make the permanent menu, but I’m hoping I can get enough people to give it a shot. I’ll die of boredom if we just do turkey and cheese sandwiches or something.”
If I weren’t getting it for free, I’m not sure I would have tried it, either. Not that I’d tell Camille that. I took my role as guinea pig seriously, especially since it meant my friends fed me most days.
“I think I want to at least talk to Ori and check out the shop. If you have free time in the next week or so, would you want to come with me?” Maybe I was just being a chicken, but I didn’t want to go alone, and Donovan would be even more clueless than me. It seemed smartest to take someone who at least knew what she was talking about.
“I’ll stop by your house tomorrow after we close, if you’d like,” she agreed easily. “Ori stays open fairly late. Raina will probably come, too. She’s not as into it as I am, but she likes their incense selection.”
“You’re the best. I’ll give you a review of the sandwich in the morning when Donovan and I stop by for breakfast.”
“Have the two of you spent a night apart since you got back from visiting his family?” she teased, blue eyes twinkling. She and her twin Will shared that devilish streak, though she was more subtle about it than her twin.
“Nope, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”
“I’m sure you are.” She shook her head, still smiling. “I’ve got to head back. I’ll do a little research tonight when I get home and let you know what I find in the morning.”
Buns ‘n’ Roses was only a block away, but Camille bundled up like she was preparing to trek the length of Antarctica. After a quick hug, she was gone, leaving me alone with my lunch and way too many thoughts.
***
By the time I closed up the bookstore the next day, I’d already had second (and third and fourth) thoughts about this whole venture, but it was too late to back out after I’d already agreed to go with the girls. Donovan and Will were both putting in extra hours on the Perez case, so after Donovan left my bed this morning, I’d rattled around the empty house alone. Louis had been clingier than usual, like he knew something was bothering me, and followed underfoot no matter where I went. A few extra treats on my way out the door distracted him enough for me to leave.
Weekday mornings were usually slow, leaving me free to focus on the administration side of running the store. Once again, I silently thanked my aunt for not leaving me with a mortgage or lease on this place. Things would be a lot tighter if I had to worry more about losing the building.
I’d been exchanging emails with Anya Marx about setting up Drag Story Hour at the shop, which would hopefully draw in some new business. A lot of parents brought their kids to A Likely Story in bad weather to take advantage of the well-stocked kid’s section, but that didn’t always end in a purchase. Most of the time, the kids just played with the puzzles and flipped through picture books for awhile until they got bored.
The sun had already begun its descent when Raina and Camille walked into the store together, arm in arm and giggling about something that would probably make me blush.
“Perfect timing,” I said, powering down the tablet that I used as a cash register. The big clunky thing Aunt Lizzie had used was now in storage and no longer taking up half the counter with its bulk. It was one change I thought she’d appreciate.
I bundled up in my thickest coat before we left and even then, the first touch of cold air on my face made me whimper. I loved living in the mountains, but sometimes the wait for winter to let go was maddening.
“I did a little research last night,” Camille said. She walked in the middle, with Raina on her left and me on her right, closest to the road. “There are a few sites I trust to have decent information, usually.”
