“Are you okay?” I ask, finding her behavior too weird not to mention.
“Yeah.” She closes her eyes in a long blink. “It’s, uh…my aunt and uncle.”
“The Amish ones?”
“Yeah.”
“Are they okay?” I watch her shoulders relax just a bit.
“Yeah, yeah…they’ve been bugging me to come visit and I don’t want to. They care since I’m family, but they’re a bit judgmental.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, I can see that being stressful.”
“You’re a good person, Ace,” she says quietly, and looks away. She doesn’t speak again until our coffees come, and she jumps up to get them. “Have you decided about going to your neighbor’s party? It’s coming up on Monday, right?”
“Shit.”
“You forgot about it, didn’t you?”
“I did. I’m supposed to bring a side dish, and I don’t cook. So I guess I’m not going.”
“I’m a great cook and have the best recipe for macaroni salad from my aunt and uncle. I’d love an excuse to make it and then eat it until I feel sickly full. I can make it and we can go together. If you want, I mean.”
I don’t want to go to Richard’s party. I don’t want to meet the other people on the street and pretend I’m interested in what goes on in their lives. But being friendly with the neighbors and figuring out who’s who in the nearby houses will definitely work in my benefit. What better way to do it than when everyone is all together?
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Gemma beams and takes a sip of her coffee. “Yay! I’ll make it so you have fun, okay? They’re having free drinks, so it’ll be easy. Do you drink? I never asked, did I?”
“I don’t very often, but yeah. And I’m probably going to need a drink or two to get through this party. The guy who’s hosting—Richard—has a son who I caught trying to take pictures of me through my bedroom window.”
“Ew! What a perv! Did you arrest him?”
“I gave him a warning but will if he so much as sets foot on my property again.” I’m still leaving out most of the truth, but damn, it feels good to talk. Now I get the appeal of hanging out with friends. “Which reminds me, I really need to install a few cameras at my place.”
Gemma almost spits out her coffee. “You don’t have security cameras?”
“Not yet.”
“I imagine your job makes you pretty paranoid.”
I shrug. “It can, but I also know how to defend myself and I’m a good shot.”
“Right.” Her eyes go to my gun on my belt. “I’ve never fired a gun before.”
“I won’t say it’s fun because this is a tool not a toy, but there is something very satisfying about hitting your targets.”
She smiles. “It seems like it.”
I take the lid off my coffee to let it cool down faster.
“What’d you get at Lyra’s? Your bag is pretty full.”
“Just some basics, though she was out of mugwort.”
“I have a ton of it,” Gemma offers. “I can give you some if you need it.”
According to my book, mugwort helps with divination and dreams, and could help me see more of the curse. “I don’t want to take your stash.”
