THIRTY-FIVE
Putting Our Heads Together
Declan dropped me off at the gallery before returning to his workshop.I was putting my fourth octopus of the day into the annealer when I saw movement on the deck.Mom and Faith were sitting on a bench when Bracken joined them.Okay.This probably wasn’t going to be a quick visit.With a flick of my fingers, I opened the accordion wall to the deck, as well as the vents in the ceiling.
“I’ll be right out,” I called.
“Take your time, darling.We’re fine,” Mom said.
Faith was up and leaning over the railing.“Hello, Cecil.”When she laughed, I knew Cecil had said hello.“Wilbur!”
Faith was suddenly in the doorway.“Can I throw him his ball?”
“You bet,” I replied, powering down everything in the shop.“Grab the orange ball flipper thing by the back door of the studio so you don’t have to touch that gross ball.”
“Got it,” she said, tearing off.
I went to the bathroom, used a cold cloth on my face, then went to the fridge for a cold drink.“Does anyone want anything?”I called.
Faith came in.“Can I get a soda?”
I pointed to the fridge.“Help yourself.”
Mom and Bracken came in as well.“Let’s meet in here, darling,” she said.“It’s very windy today and Bracken reminded me that the people working on his apartment are shifters and will hear us.”
“Good point.”I went out onto the deck and flicked my fingers, calling up a wall of muffled sound, so we could talk with the doors open without our voices carrying.
Mom and Faith sat on the couch.Bracken took a chair from my worktable and brought it to the opposite side of the coffee table.They’d left me my favorite reading chair.I grabbed the container on the kitchen counter with the cookies left over from the batch I’d made for Uncle John and brought them over with some napkins.
“These are peanut butter and chocolate chip,” I told them as I set them down.I took one, kicked off my shoes, and curled up in my chair.
Faith and Bracken both took a cookie, but Mom declined.
“Bracken called me about Margaret this morning,” Mom said.“I went to see her.”
I gave a low, “Oooooooooo.Somebody’s in trouble.”
Faith grinned before taking another bite.
“Yes, well,” Mom began.“Let’s say the meeting didn’t go as she’d planned.She thought I was coming to tell her she could have the yellow house.Instead, I demanded to know why she was sharing Corey family information with Catherine Swan.”
Mom looked fierce as hell, and it was making me giddy.“Kick her ass, Mom.”
She rolled her eyes, but I saw the corner of her mouth lift.“Margaret seemed to be under the impression that since she’s my aunt, I should treat her with deference.”
I grimaced and sat back in my chair.Margaret totally had it coming, but I almost felt sorry for her.Talk down to Mom at your own peril.
“My sister always was an idiot,” Bracken said.
Mom stared up at the ceiling for a moment, looking both tired and annoyed.“I’m afraid she assumed if she kept ordering me around, I’d comply.”
Bracing for impact, I whispered, “What did you do?”
She stood and went to the kitchen area.“I’m making tea, if anyone wants some.”
“I will,” Bracken responded.“Thank you.”
She nodded and got to work, as she knew where everything was in my kitchen.“I lost my temper.First, I cut off her voice.Then I forced her into a chair.Lastly, I made her tell me everything.”She turned and leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest.“She’s known me her whole life.I’ve been one of the Three since I was a teenager.”
