Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)(69)

"You could guess," Kylie said. "But I won't confirm or deny it."

Holiday smiled. "Kylie, you didn't intentionally seek out the dream. You didn't even know you could do it. So you really aren't to blame.

And the fact that you find yourself attracted to more than one guy is completely normal. I've got three guys right now that all I have to do is think about and I start tingling all over."

Kylie gave Holiday's words serious thought. "But did you feel that when you thought you really cared about someone else?"

"Yeah. Even when I was engaged, I still could appreciate a goodlooking guy." She paused. "Being committed or loyal to someone doesn't mean you won't ever be attracted to someone else. It means you won't physically act upon the attraction." She grinned. "My aunt Stella, she used to tell my uncle he'd better pray Tom Selleck didn't show up on her doorstep asking her to run away with him. But the truth is, I know she'd turn Tom down flat. She loves my uncle Harry."

Holiday made a face. "Don't ask me why, though-he's bald, has a gut, and snores." She chuckled. "That said, I'll bet that woman has had some really hot fantasies about Tom."

Kylie laughed and then they both reclined back on the bed. The twinsize mattress offered just enough room for them both to stretch out with their shoulders pressed against each other. For a second they didn't talk.

Kylie stared at the ceiling and finally posed another question. "Is Burnett one of the guys who makes you tingle all over?"

"No Burnett questions, remember?"

"Okay," Kylie said. "But if I was older, he'd make me tingle."

Holiday laughed. "You and half the world. Including Selynn." The humor in her voice faded.

Silence reigned again. Maybe it was thinking about Selynn and Burnett that brought on Kylie's next question. "Lucas told me in his letters that he was trying to get permission to come back to the camp. Do you know if he's coming back?"

Holiday hesitated. "He'll be here either tomorrow or Tuesday."

"Is Fredericka coming with him?"

"Yeah," Holiday said.

"Great," Kylie muttered. So if she did morph into a werewolf, Fredericka, who would also be in wolf form, would probably chase her down and rip her wolf ass to shreds.

Her day was just getting better and better.

Chapter Twenty-two

That afternoon, Kylie decided to skip the picnic dinner at the swimming hole. First, she didn't have a bathing suit that would fit; second, she really wanted to make a few calls to see if she could locate any Brightens who might know something about her real dad. And third, well, she hoped the ghost would drop by again. Something about the way she'd shown up when Kylie had been talking to her mom felt odd.

Kylie knew she couldn't start fixating on trying to guess who the ghost was talking about being in danger. But deep down, the fixating had bit. Could the ghost be talking about her mom? Could her mom be in danger?

Worried that it might be true, Kylie had called her mom. Twice. But her phone was turned off. Probably because she was in mid-flight.

Kylie sat down at the computer desk, telling herself everything was fine, and pulled out the printed list of phone numbers. Her cell rang. Hoping it was her mom, she took the call without checking the caller ID.

"Mom?" Kylie asked.

"Not Mom. It's Sara."

"Oh, hi," Kylie said, trying to figure out which one of the multitude of emotions about Sara she should let control the conversation. There was the hurt she felt that Sara-whom she'd considered her best friend for years-hadn't returned any of her calls in almost a month. There was the concern she felt knowing that Sara was ... going through something. And then there was the melancholy she felt because she knew her friendship with Sara would never be the same again.

When the silence seemed awkward, Kylie jumped in. "My mom said she saw you in the grocery store the other day."

"Yeah, she did. She's looking good, too. I like her new look and hairstyle.

She said you talked her into getting a makeover."

"Did she do it?" Kylie asked. "She hasn't told me she did it."

"Oh, I hope I didn't ruin her surprise."

"Nah, I appreciate the warning. Does she look good? Or dumb?"

"Good. She looks ... younger, I guess. You know, kind of like she might be about to start dating."

"Dating?" Kylie knew this was a possibility, she'd even suggested it, but for some reason now the idea hit her stomach like a bad piece of chicken. "Did she say that or are you just guessing?"

"No, she didn't say it. She just looked, you know, like a woman who wanted to be noticed by a man. Tighter jeans and a fitted top that showed off her girls. I almost didn't recognize her."

Was Sara saying her mom was dressing like a ho? That wasn't the makeover Kylie had suggested. Realizing the conversation had gone quiet again, Kylie started talking to fill the silence. "Mom said you looked..."

Kylie had almost lied and said good, but at the last minute decided not to do it. "... thinner. Are you on some new diet again?"

Sara was the first to try every new diet endorsed by Hollywood: low carbs, no carbs, all fruit on Tuesday, all brown rice on Wednesday, the crazier the better.