Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)(49)

"Hi, sweetheart." Her mom sighed. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What is it?" Right then, the room's temperature dropped. Kylie felt her stomach twist into a tight knot. Had someone she loved been hurt, like the ghost had warned? "Are you okay, Mom?" Kylie asked as panic began to pull at her heartstrings.

"No. I'm not okay."

Oh, God! The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I just received an e-mail and my company is insisting I fly out today to a meeting in New York. It's with a big client and ... I'm going to miss seeing you on parents day. I checked to see if there was a red-eye flight back and it's already booked."

The chill hung on, even as Kylie's panic lessened. "It's okay." Kylie looked around to see if the ghost had materialized. She hadn't. Kylie reached over and petted Socks, who looked around with nervous, beady skunk eyes. Socks always knew when a spirit was here.

"I wanted to see you. I feel as if I haven't seen you in months."

"It hasn't been months," Kylie said. "Just two weeks." Yet deep down, Kylie realized she was going to miss seeing her mom, too. "I'll be coming home in a couple of weeks for the weekend, anyway. We'll have plenty of time to catch up then."

"And we have the haunted B&B dinner and tour," her mom added, sounding so thrilled.

"Yeah. That, too." Kylie tried not to let her dread leak out in her tone. They talked a few minutes about her mom's schedule and about her mom's cousin who wanted to come down for a visit. Kylie almost brought up Daniel again, but couldn't figure out how to turn the conversation that way.

As they talked, Kylie pulled the blanket up closer. The cold from the spirit lingered and even grew colder, but she still didn't materialize. "Oh, guess who I saw at the grocery store?" her mom asked.

"Who?" God, it was getting even colder.

"Sara."

Kylie's heartstrings gave her emotions another tug. "How's she doing?"

"Actually, she didn't look good at all."

"What did she do, dye her hair or get a nose ring?" Kylie asked, knowing how Mom felt about such things. She might have suddenly found common ground with her mom, but that didn't make the woman perfect or change the fact that she was judgmental.

"Not that," her mom said. "Sara's not that kind of girl."

Her mom would be surprised at some of the things Sara had done with drinking and boys-not that it made Sara a bad person. She was just ... going through something.

"She just didn't look ... good," her mom continued. "She's thinner than she should be. I hate it that you girls feel as if you have to be size zero to look good. I hope you aren't losing weight."

"Nope, if anything, I think I'm growing." Frowning, Kylie looked down at her boobs, a tad worried what her mom would say when she saw her.

"Which reminds me, have you gone shopping yet?" her mom asked.

"Your camp leader called and confirmed it was okay if you drove to town.

I told her I'd already given you permission."

"Actually, we're going today." Kylie shivered again from the ghostly cold.

"Well, have fun. And keep it reasonable." The maternal tone filled her voice.

"I will," Kylie promised. "Under a hundred dollars. I remember what you said."

"Okay, go up to a hundred and fifty. But no higher."

"Mom, I didn't ask-"

"I know." Her mom chuckled. "But I'm offering." She grew quiet a second. "Ahh, my baby is growing up." Her mom let go of a deep, heartfelt sigh. "Oh, I forgot to mention it, I told Sara you were coming down. She said you'd texted her and told her and that she owed you a text. And she'd probably be in touch in the next few days."

Sara owed her about four text messages, not including the phone calls and e-mails, Kylie thought.

She and her mom chatted a few more minutes. Mostly about her selling the house-another subject Kylie had to bite her tongue on. "I'll still do my best to come see you on Saturday. Maybe I can get a flight out first thing in the morning. If I get in by ten, I might be able to make it. Even if I'm a little late."

"Mom, it's okay. Don't worry. And they're pretty strict about visiting hours here." As in if you come in without a pass, you might be taken down by a vampire. "So really, don't worry, okay?"

"I just miss you," her mom whimpered.

"I miss you, too."

When Kylie hung up, the spirit's chill still lingered in the air. Kylie got the crazy sensation she'd been listening in on the conversation. But why?

"Do you have something to say?" Kylie asked. "Something to show me?" she muttered with less enthusiasm. Kylie really didn't like the freaky visions or dreams, but if that was what it took to solve this and protect someone she loved, she'd do that and more.

No answer filled the cold air and a few seconds later, the chill faded. She looked at her clock on the bedside table and moaned. She was late, which meant Della and Miranda were probably already pissed.

She grabbed her brush, phone, and purse and headed out. Right before she shut the door, she looked back at Lucas's letter on her bed.