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I was mixing bath salts in the back of the shop the next morning when the bell announced a customer. I grabbed a towel to wipe my hands and walked to the front.
A petite woman with short dark-brown hair gave me a smile while she shuffled through the clothing racks.
“Let me know if I can help you find anything,” I said.
A little girl peeked from behind the woman, a girl with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes.
I smiled and crouched. “Well, hello.”
The girl shoved a thumb into her mouth and wrapped her free arm around one of the woman’s legs. A flash of light flickered in her eyes.
Ash mewed behind the counter, rose from her rug and trotted onto the display case.
“Kitty!” the little girl said, letting go and pointing.
I picked Ash up and stroked her fur. “Is she allowed to pet the cat?” I asked the mother.
“I think she’d love that.” The woman stepped around the clothes rack, holding the little girl’s hand. She was either carrying extra weight, or she was pregnant. Jason’s wife? Jeannine would have told me if they had another child, wouldn’t she? Then again, I didn’t have what I’d call a good relationship with either of my cousins.
“This is Ash,” I told the little girl.
The little girl reached out to pet the cat, giggling when she touched the soft fur.
I eyed the woman, unsure if I should introduce myself. Then I saw another brief flash in the little girl’s eyes. Could the woman be Narcy’s sister, and the little girl was their next generation?
I set Ash on the floor and she flopped down in front of the little girl, sending her into peals of laughter.
I straightened and extended my hand. “I’m Brynn Taylor.”
The mother took my hand. “LeAnne Hanson, and this is my daughter, Georgia.”
Hanson. As in Jason Hanson. My cousin’s wife. Did this mean I’d get another unfriendly visit from my cousin? Too late to worry about it now. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said. “I didn’t realize you already had a daughter.”
“Then you know who I am,” she said.
“Well, I might not have connected the name if Jason hadn’t paid me a visit.”
She gasped and her eyes widened. “He didn’t. Please tell me he wasn’t rude to you.”
“I’m sure he was looking out for your best interests.”
“That may be true, but I can’t imagine his family are the monsters he paints them. You, for instance, seem normal enough.”
As much as I disliked my aunt Theresa, and Uncle Jerome by association, Jason’s parents had provided me with a home when I’d been orphaned. I wouldn’t badmouth them to their daughter-in-law.
“I don’t want to cause trouble for you or for Jason,” I said, watching Georgia reach for Ash, touch her, and giggle some more. “How old is your daughter?”
“She just turned three.” LeAnne put her hand to her belly, something I recognized as a protective gesture to the child she carried. “Georgia’s very precocious. Honestly, I think we’re going to have our hands full with her.”
Georgia tugged on Ash’s tail and Ash swatted her. Georgia jumped to her feet, cradled her hand and pouted. One of the sock monkeys on the display case behind us fell to the floor. Telekinesis? I was pretty sure mine didn’t start until I was much older.
“It’s the strangest thing,” LeAnne said. “Sometimes I swear her moods produce seismic waves.”
When I didn’t respond, LeAnne took my hand. “You don’t seem surprised. Can you tell me why that happens?”
I couldn’t meet her gaze. Retrieving the fallen sock monkey, I handed it to Georgia. “Why what happens?”
“When she’s upset—not your usual hungry or tired kind of upset—things happen.” She took a step closer. “Jason says I’m imagining it, that things fall off shelves. Gravity, he says, but I think there’s more to it. Last time he got really upset and said no daughter of his would be the next to inherit the family legacy. What did he mean?”
I was saved from answering when the bell over the door rang again. Kyle walked in, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Ash leapt to her rug on the rear counter and Georgia clung to her mother’s legs once more.
“LeAnne, this is my fiancé, Kyle Jakes.” I drew a deep breath. “This is Jason’s wife,” I told Kyle.
“See?” LeAnne said, holding out her hands. “If you were as odd as Jason says, you wouldn’t have a normal, healthy relationship with such a nice-looking man, right?”
Kyle cocked an eyebrow. “Do you always rush to judgment? How do you know I’m not a serial killer?”
She stepped back, her hand dropping to her belly.
“Don’t take Jason’s bad behavior out on her,” I told Kyle, and then turned to LeAnne. “Kyle’s not a serial killer. He’s a policeman, but I think you get his point.”
“I also know my husband, and I know when he’s overreacting.”
Making friends with LeAnne was a bad idea, and yet I instinctively liked her. Georgia and I would need an ally if what I suspected about the little girl was true. What if LeAnne balked at the truth, sided with Jason to protect her daughter?
“When people start families of their own, they often want to share their extended families, to give their children a bigger sense of belonging.” My voice faltered. “That isn’t always what’s best for the child.” Tears welled in my eyes and I turned away, considering how much of my family I’d lost.
LeAnne took my hand. “I can see how much you ache for your family as much as Jason does. Oh, he says he doesn’t, but everybody needs to know where they come from.”
“Jason might be the exception,” I said.
She backed away once more. “Wouldn’t Jason’s parents want to know their grandchildren? I’ve never met them. I’m not even sure they know we’re married.”
I shook my head. “That’s for Jason to decide. I’m not getting in the middle of your relationship with your husband.”
LeAnne looked at Kyle, then at me. “And the sock monkey?”
I crouched beside Georgia once more and chucked her chin. “My gift to—what does that make you, Georgia? First cousin, once removed, I believe, but you can call me Aunt Brynn.”
“Aunt Bwinn,” the little girl repeated.
“Do you mind if I stop in again?” LeAnne asked.
“I don’t mind at all. Jason might, though.”
“I make my own decisions.” She took Georgia’s hand. “Tell Aunt Brynn thank you for the monkey, Georgia.”
“Thank you, Aunt Bwinn,” Georgia said.
More unshed tears burned my eyes. The little girl was so sweet. I waved as they walked out.
“We never discussed children,” Kyle said softly, tightening his arm around my waist.
I looked into his eyes. “Would that be a deal breaker?”
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. “No, but I’d like to talk more about it. Probably not when one or both of us is at work, though.”
I nodded.
He kissed the top of my head. “Everything okay? Any more messages from your internet customer?”
I walked around the counter to check my computer. “Nothing so far.”
“Did she give you her name? Deputy Becker said he couldn’t find anyone in Winnsboro with Narcy’s last name. That suggests either the sister is married, or Narcy was at some point.”
“Or they have different fathers, among other options. We don’t even know if this is Narcy’s sister.” I opened the message I’d received. “No name on the message.”
“Which, in and of itself, is odd.”
“Not necessarily. The web page only tracks emails, and inquiries aren’t always signed. I imagine if I’d told her I had the perfume she wanted in stock, she’d give me a name and shipping information with an order.”
“Or tell you she’d stop in to get it, leaving you ignorant of who she is, and vulnerable.” He set his hands on my shoulders. “That makes me very uncomfortable.”
“You can’t protect me from everything,” I told him. “I can take care of myself.”
“Like you did when Narcy locked you inside a burning house?”
The reminder of which never failed to produce a tickle in my throat that made me cough. I tensed, flashing back to the workshop, to the rising smoke, to the face of evil watching from the other side of the windows.
Be here. Now.
Kyle hugged me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
The bell rang again and my best friend Lisa walked in. She covered her eyes. “You’re not supposed to be doing that during business hours,” she teased.
Kyle backed away, laughing. “Doing what? Hugging?”
Lisa smiled. “I have to say I like seeing the two of you this way.”
I drew a deep breath to compose my nerves. “Will you tell him to get back to work on his house? He thinks I need a bodyguard.”
“I don’t like her being alone in the store,” Kyle said. “Cassandra’s taking time off to be with her family.”
“I’ve been alone dozens of times,” I said.
“But you never know who’s going to drop in,” Kyle said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you get another visit from your cousin Jason.”
“Why am I out of the loop on what’s going on with you?” Lisa asked. She set her hands on her hips. “You,” she said, pointing at Kyle. “Go home and fix your house.” She turned to me. “And you, I was going to pick up lunch and hang out for a while. Surgery day at the vet, and Dr. Biggs only had a couple scheduled. I have the afternoon free.”
“Perfect,” Kyle said.
I hated being treated like a helpless child. “If you hang around the store all day, I’ll have to pay you.”
“Not a chance, and you’re stuck with me,” Lisa said. “I’ll make a lunch run, and then you need to tell me everything I’ve missed out on, which sounds like a lot.” She frowned. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately, but with all the thank you notes after the wedding and starting the new job...”
At least with Lisa there would be no male posturing. I walked Kyle to the door. “You. Go. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Are you sure?” he asked one last time.
I opened the door, kissed him and pushed him out.
Lisa sighed. “It does my heart good to see you two together.”
I laughed. “If you’re serious about picking up lunch, we can definitely catch up. We should have plenty of time to chat, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to hang around.”
“Are you kidding?” she said. “Give me your order and I’ll be back in a flash.”