Flame in the Dark (Soulwood #3)(73)

I twisted around in the booth and saw that T. Laine’s seat at the bar was now occupied by someone else. “You saw her? I’m sorry.”

“I think it’s nice that you got folks who’ll watch out for you.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

Ben tossed a twenty and a five to the tabletop, looped his jacket over an elbow, and slid from the booth. He leaned down and I tensed, near horrified at whatever he might be about to do. In public. He hesitated, his mouth only an inch from me. I didn’t turn. I didn’t breathe. He crossed the distance and gently kissed my cheek. His lips were warm and moist. He pulled back a fraction of an inch and, when he spoke, his breath feathered across my face, smelling of coffee. “I know you said you’d pay for your meal. And that’s fine. It just means the waitress gets a mighty fine tip. I’ll see you later, Nellie.”

I didn’t look around, didn’t move for a good two minutes. And then I gathered up my coat and left Pete’s, allowing Ben Aden’s two crisp bills to buy my breakfast too.

A date. I’d had a real date.

Outside, I spotted T. Laine’s car. The overworked witch was asleep in the driver’s seat with her head leaning against the window, her mouth open a little. I tapped on the passenger window and she snapped awake and unlocked the doors. I got in and buckled up, saying nothing, ignoring her steady gaze. A few seconds too late, she turned to the front and pushed the start button, easing into traffic, heading toward the hills that marked Soulwood. More minutes passed.

“Okay. Fine,” she said at last, taking the turn toward Oliver Springs. “I wasn’t going to ask. I was going to let you volunteer. But I have to say, that boy is a fine specimen of manhood. Dark hair and creamy skin, blue eyes to freaking die for. And you made him blush. Deets. I want to know everything. And before you say no, just remember that it’s a damn long way to your house from here, on foot.”

I had begun to smile as she spoke and when she finished her harangue, I said, “You waited for me.”

“Of course I waited. Unit Eighteen rule number one. No one goes in alone. No one gets left behind.”

It was the single most important reason that I had joined PsyLED. “He kissed me on the cheek before he left.”

“Day-um, girl! Dish! Start at the beginning!”

For the first time in my life, I had what Lainie called a “girl talk” about men. And it was pretty wonderful.

? ? ?

Back at the house, I unloaded my gear from the car and waved T. Laine away. She was so tired, I feared her eyes wouldn’t stay open for the drive to her place, but she refused to “crash at your pad,” as she put it, and pulled back down the hill at speed, her mouth moving. I figured she had waked up JoJo to tell her about my breakfast date.

? ? ?

I took care of urgent housekeeping chores, like heat and water, and mixed up some no-knead bread for later baking. I had venison stew, but it needed corn bread to go with it, so I set the Dutch oven on the cooler part of the stove to warm, and the skillets on the hot part of the stove top for later use. Let the cats out and then back in, and fed them. Washed a load of clothes. Put on my pajamas. Turned on the electric blanket. And went out to the married trees with my faded pink blanket, raided from my big gobag. I sat on the blanket on the damp ground, my palms flat, and blew out the stress of the last few hours. I eased my mind into the earth, down and deep, into the warmth that was Soulwood. I had drawn on it pretty hard and wanted to make sure it was all right. And it was, energies humming quietly through the ground like pulses of pale light. I gave it a small bump of energy, like a scratch behind the ears. Had it been a dog, the sentient thing that was my woods would have rolled over and given me its tummy. Satisfied, I glanced Brother Ephraim’s way long enough to ascertain that he wasn’t doing anything naughty. His area looked cold and dark and appeared to be free of electric snakes. I figured he had used everything he had for his strike at me. If I was lucky he was well and truly dead. I wasn’t usually lucky where Ephraim was concerned. Slowly, I eased back to my body.

The air was warmer than any day in the past week, but I was still cold. I raced for the house and the bed that was snuggly and warm and wonderful. And fell asleep. Only to wake at four p.m., stirred from whirling, confusing dreams about Ben Aden and Occam. About bravery and cowardice and lifestyles and the future. And not being human.

? ? ?

I was ready for work by four thirty, when I felt an unknown vehicle on the road up the hills to my land. And realized that I hadn’t felt Ben or Occam when either of them drove onto my land. That was worrisome and I didn’t know what it might mean.

I put my gear by the front door and waited until I saw Daddy’s truck turn into the gravel driveway. Sam and Mud got out, and Soulwood perked up, aware and drowsy and happy to have them here. Which was disturbing in its own way. I opened the door and let my true sibs in, offering the church welcome of hospitality, keeping the good things from my past. “Welcome to my home. Hospitality and safety while you’re here.”

Sam chuckled and pulled off his bright blue toboggan. It looked brand-new, it wasn’t Mama’s favorite paler blue shade, and I assumed his new wife had crocheted it for him. “I hope you’un have something on the stove, sister of mine. Mindy says you two are having an early supper.”

“We are?”

“Yup,” Mud said, plopping on the couch and pulling an afghan over her.