Page 122 of A Shade Too Far
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Not trustingLaurent to arrange the playdate, I set it up for the next afternoon. Since it was Saturday, Daya didn’t have patients, nor did she have any births scheduled, and Evani was home from preschool. The jubilant screaming in the background when Daya told her daughter made Laurent’s complaints worth it.
Then I realized that I had to keep from either jumping him during the playdate or giving away the fact that we’d gotten naked and sweaty and almost canceled the entire thing.
Sadie wanted to come with me to see Evani, so I picked her up from her aunt Genevieve’s house. Eli had moved the two of them in with his sister’s family until the ward was set, blaming a burst pipe, but telling me privately he didn’t want to intrude on the Kumars any longer.
Sadie had a different take on it as we drove over to Hotel Terminus. “He didn’t want Nav to see all his bad habits. I think Dad really likes him.”
“And you?”
She hummed the chorus of the pop song on the radio as she thought it over. “I do. He’s a bit bitchy at times, but he’s really sweet with Evani. And Daya is the best. So, I’ll take him to keep her.”
I chuckled. “Funny. That’s how I feel.”
After everything I’d gone through, I no longer saw Sadie’s and Eli’s relationships with the Kumars as a threat or any kind of aspersion on me. The more ties they build within the magic community, the better, and besides, I would never begrudge other people loving them as much as I did.
Provided I was always first in their hearts. I wasn’t a saint.
“How have you been?” Sadie plugged her phone into the stereo. “It’s weird skipping our week together.”
“This will all be over soon.” I squeezed her shoulder. “I’ve missed you. Work was a bit nuts there, but hopefully I’ll have some quiet time now.”
“That’s good.” She scrolled through a playlist.
If things weren’t chatty between us, they weren’t strained either. We’d fallen back into comfortable silence, which was golden.
When we got out of the car, Sadie grabbed me in a fierce hug. “I really missed you, too, Mom.”
I savored it for the three deep breaths until my daughter saw the hotel and bounded over to the boarded-up front door.
“You sure he lives here?”
“Positive.” I grabbed the bottle of wine that I’d bought for drinking after the Danger Zone had passed. It was hot out, and I didn’t want to leave it in the car.
My knock on the side door was answered almost immediately by Emmett, who’d been shoehorned into the top half of a dragon costume.
He grabbed the bottle of wine with the desperation of a drowning man reaching for a lifeline. “You shining booze angel, you.”
“That wasn’t for… Okay. You keep that.”
He’d already uncapped it, tipping the bottle back to take a swig, before wiping his mouth off with his hand. “Yeah, planning to.”
“Whoa.” Sadie shook her head.
Emmett narrowed his eyes. “You the daughter?”
“Yes.” She shot me a nervous glance and I smiled reassuringly, despite a flutter of anxiety that Emmett would get weirdly territorial.
“Call me Uncle Emmett.” He slung an arm over her shoulder.
I waited for her to elbow him, but she allowed herself to be led inside with an enthusiastic “Cool!”
Oy vey.
Inside was chaos. Evani in her pirate costume and brandishing a plastic cutlass screamed my daughter’s name then stabbed her in the stomach.
Sadie gave an Oscar-worthy performance of her death throes before crumpling to the ground.
