Even though it was late, Lady Azura went to call Mrs. Merberg.
“Bob was a pilot for the army,” she reported when she returned. “Mrs. Merberg said that Bob—he was her cousin—was on a training flight out over the Pacific Ocean when his plane went down. The army never recovered his body.”
“So he’s dead? Buried at sea?” I asked.
“Most likely. But his parents always held out hope that he had swum to safety.”
“Is that possible?”
“Doubtful. The military officially declared him dead.” Lady Azura sat beside me at the table. Eleanor and Dwight had long since wandered off to some other corner of the house.
“Then what happened?”
“Eleanor and Dwight refused to have a funeral or a memorial for him. The idea upset them so much that they wouldn’t speak of him or have anyone else speak of him. No one has mentioned Bob for over twenty years. It was as if he never existed.”
“And now, to them, he never did. They forgot about him.”
“Not completely. They’re still searching for him. I suspect they fear crossing over and leaving their son behind, though they don’t realize it. His unknown fate is what binds them here.” Lady Azura folded her hands. “They need to reconnect with him, so they can all move on together.”
“How does that happen?”
“I will perform a séance to bring Bob’s spirit back. In death, he can reunite with his parents. Then they can all go on together to the same place.” Lady Azura exhaled. “It will take a lot of work. A great deal of psychic energy.”
“Mrs. Merberg will be happy you solved her problem. She’ll write about you in her book.”
“It was you who solved it, Sara. You.” Lady Azura clasped my hands tightly between hers. “We will finish this together, if you’d like. Perform the séance together. Bring Eleanor and Dwight their relief together.”
“Really?” I smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” She leaned back. “I have been working too hard. It is not good for me, and it is not good for you.”
“I’m fine—”
“Rubbish. You have not been happy. I closed my eyes to what was in front of me to look beyond. I was focused on the tops of the trees and ignored the roots. You moved here for my help, and I have been helping others instead.”
“Lots of people need you,” I said. I was proud of her. She was much more patient than I could ever be. I’d have sent Eleanor and Dwight packing and never would have discovered how to help them.
“I am taking a vacation. I am closing the business for a month. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great.”
“Hot chocolate?” she asked. “With lots of marshmallows?” She held up the package.
“I can’t miss any more of Lily’s party,” I said. As it was, I had a lot of explaining to do.
“I’ll hold these then. A special treat.” She replaced the marshmallow package in the pantry and waved me away. “Go celebrate. Dwight, Eleanor, and I will see you tomorrow. And tomorrow we will talk more about that boy.”
I felt my cheeks burn at her mention of Mason. “It’s a deal,” I promised.
I ran upstairs. I had to separate Henry from Buddy. First I did a little decorating. I plastered the closet walls with photos of Buddy. “He’ll be with you always,” I told Henry. Then I shut him away, grabbed the dog and Lily’s present, and ran down the street.
Avery, Miranda, Tamara, and Marlee were already arranging their sleeping bags in Lily’s family room by the time I flopped onto the sofa.
“So what’s the deal with you and Mason?” Avery asked as soon as I hit the couch cushion.
“Yeah, Sar, what’s the deal?” Miranda demanded. “I thought you guys didn’t even like each other . . . but the way he went back to your house with you like that . . .” She waggled her eyebrows at me, à la Lily’s favorite expression.
“He was being nice. We’re just friends.” Or at least, we’re finally starting to be, I thought.
“You guys aren’t a perfect match, after all,” Lily admitted. “He’s so up and down. Kind of moody.”
“My big sister had this one boyfriend, and he liked her and then he didn’t and then he did again,” Marlee added. “Mind games is what she called it.”
I fought to hold back my grin. Mason definitely played mind games. But so did I.
I kind of liked that we shared that. Mind games.
“Enough boy talk for now!” I said, wanting to change the subject. “Open my present, Lil!”
Lily squealed and opened her present. “It’s gorgeous!” she breathed as soon as she saw what was inside the box. She unwrapped the necklace, showing everyone. “Is this a crystal from Lady Azura’s collection? Does it have powers? What does it do?”
“It’s a moonstone. If you wear it close against your skin, it helps your most precious wish come true.”
Lily squealed again and fastened the cord around her neck. “It’s perfect. I absolutely love it!”
“What’re you going to wish?” I asked. I already knew the answer. She wanted to do what Mason could do.
“I’m not sure. Until tonight, I thought my wish was to be able to move things with my mind. But I’ve thought more about it, and I’m not sure that’s the coolest power.”
“So have you made up your mind what power would be the best one?” Avery prompted.
Lily nodded and grinned. She looked right at me and her smile grew wider. “I bet you can guess, Sara. . . .”
“Me?” I croaked. “How could I guess?” My head was spinning. What was Lily going to say? Was she going to say she knew about my powers? I knew I had to talk to her about it very soon . . . but not now. Not in front of everyone else.
“Oh come on, Sara! Think about it!” Lily pressed. “You know, right?”
“No, not a clue,” I croaked.
“How to talk to the dead,” Lily said finally. “Lady Azura and I can do it together. Wouldn’t that be so cool, Sara? Talking to the dead with Lady Azura?” Lily pressed the moonstone against her chest. “That’s my wish. This stone will help me be able to do that. I just know it will work. This is the best birthday present ever!”
Could the moonstone really have that kind of power? I leaned back on the sofa cushion and cringed. What kind of present had I just given her?
From now on, I was only handing out gift cards.