Page 13 of More Than Meets the Eye

“What if we go borrow Leroy the turkey?” Grandpa Jed said, looking thoughtful. “We could ask one of those little pixies to ride in on Leroy, carrying the ring.”

I closed my eyes. This was going to be a long week.

Dinner, despite all the excitement that preceded it, was fairly uneventful. Jed and Millie’s announcement wasn’t really a surprise: the two of them were going to move out to Los Angeles for a year to consult on a film.

“And you’re all invited to the premiere!”

Tess smiled, but looked concerned. She didn’t like to go anywhere with sizeable crowds, which heightened the chances that she might inadvertently touch somebody. Tess’s gift—or curse—was that sometimes, when she touched a person for the first time, she could see how that person was going to die. The vision was more like stepping into the reality, she’d told me, and she’d suffered through some terrifying experiences since the ability showed up when she was only eighteen.

Everyone at the barbecue knew about this, though, even Millie. Tess has touched us all, too, except for Millie.

Jed leaned over and patted her arm. “Don’t worry. People in L.A. are weird. They won’t bat an eyelash if you wear elbow-length gloves everywhere you go.”

“Ooh! Like Doris Day inPillow Talk!” Ruby said. “I love Doris Day!”

“In a funny coincidence,” Tess said, laughing, and then we had to tell them about the disco ball and the Frosts.

Everybody was howling with laughter at the end of the story.

“What exactly happened at Eleanor’s wedding?” Jed asked, leaning forward. “My new phone blew up with the town texting tree. I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tess mumbles.

“Oh! I meant to tell you, I got that stain out of your dress,” Ruby said.

Tess closed her eyes and moaned. “Please.Pleasegive it to Shelley for Pickles’s dog bed.”

“It’s never a dull moment with you, Tess,” I said, putting an arm around her where she sat curled up next to me on the couch.

Shelley was across the room sneaking pieces of veggie burger to Pickles, who looked like she’d rather have steak. When Shelley started making kissing noises, I threw a pillow at her.

She laughed and whipped it back at me. “Pickles can’t have that dress! Aunt Ruby says she’ll cut it down to my size for the next school dance!”

“And it will be beautiful on you,” I tell her, ignoring Tess’s elbow jabbing into my side.

After that, we all pitched in and helped clean up, because Jed and Millie were flying out of Orlando the next morning.

“So soon?” Tess hugged Jed.

“Life’s too short to waste time,” he said.

“For some of us,” I pointed out, grinning when he pretended to glare at me.

“I have that new smartphone Jack gave me,” Jed said. “Millie has been teaching me how to use it. I’ll call and text so much you’ll be tired of me.”

“Never,” Tess said, and then she hugged him again. “We’ll miss you.”

“I’ll visit a lot. It’s a lot easier to travel by airplane than it was by horse and wagon,” he said.

I gallantly refrained from any comments about chariots and shook his hand before pulling him in for a hug. “Call me if you need anything. I know people out there.”

My grandad shook his head. “Why am I not surprised? You know people everywhere.”

“I’m surprised you’re not part of the newly formed North American Consortium of Shifters,” Millie said. “It seems to be a big deal and picking up steam.”

“I’m happy to avoid big deals, especially those picking up steam.”

We all hugged goodbye, and Shelley was careful enough to wait until Tess went back inside to stage whisper at me. “I didn’t tell! But you have to hurry! I can’t hold this secret in for long!”

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