Page 556 of Lodestar

Paddy tugged on his shirt collar. “I dunno, Kid. Shay is normal. I watched him a few times but he didn’t try to play with swords or nothing.”

“That’s because Kat’s more fun than him.” I chuckled. “It’s okay. We’re going to go watch a movie together until Star comes and picks her up. They’re going to visit Kat’s sister. So, if I doze off, just elbow me if she wanders away from the TV. Think you can handle that?”

He rubbed his hands together. “Sure can. You got any of that Disney shit? Used to love watching it with Liam.”

That almost had me choking on my milkshake. “Youlike Disney?”

“Some of those movies are fuckin’ strange, Con. Chicks getting kissed by fellas when they’re dead, dads being tossed over cliffs by a back-stabbing sibling, pricks with hooks trying to kill a group of kids?—”

I raised a hand. “I totally get why you like it now.” Shaking my head at him, I asked, “Peter Pan,The Lion King, orSnow White, Kat?”

She stopped teasing Ren while Stimpy clawed his way up her shirt. “If you fall asleep, then you owe me some cake after gym class as well as a hot dog.”

I smirked at her, and even knowing I'd lose the deal, I still held out my hand. “We have ourselves an agreement.”

65

STAR

LATER THAT AFTERNOON

“I’m telling you,Star, if you don’t stop canceling the goddamn ice sculptures for the gala, I will attack you with one when they show up at the event hall!” Rachel growled, her tone discordant with the way she was gently sweeping from side to side to get Sommer to burp.

“Why does it have to be ice? Do you know what a waste of money that is? The statues will literally be water by the time the event is over.”

“Yeah, but it’s fancy, and the whole place has a winter wonderland theme.”

“So use fake snow,” I snarled. “That’s wintry?—”

The doorbell rang.

Giulia whistled. “Saved by the bell. You two are fucking intense when you’re arguing. That’s me saying that.Me. I’m more attitude than tits and since Samael, my tits are massive. You two need to take a chill pill.”

“She right. Chill pill. Where we buy?” Amara demanded, slamming her hands on the table. “Very stressful this is listening argue to you.”

“Wow, that was more garbled than usual,” Tiffany said kindly. “Is everything okay, Amara?”

“No. Stressed. They argue. Too much.” Amara scowled at me. “She want ice. Give ice. She ice lady,tak?”

Rachel sniffed. “Yes. I want ice. Give me ice, Star.”

The doorbell sounded again.

Because I needed a time-out, I got up and strolled away from the table. “Ice melts, Rachel. What you’ll end up with once the night is over is an expensive bucket of water. But if you feel like wasting funds that could go elsewhere, you know, like the dozens of shelters we’re establishing…”

I didn’t finish because her growl of exasperation told me my point had been successfully rammed home.

With a smug smile, I swaggered over to the door where I found a diminutive woman standing on the stoop as I spied her through the peephole.

Her hands, tucked in old-fashioned but well-kept leather gloves, pleated nervously around the handle of her purse as she hovered there in a coat that had seen better days but which had once been of good quality too.

The whole shabby/quality thing made me think she’d fallen on hard times.

As I tugged open the door, I asked, “Who are you?”

Bright spots of color peeped into being on her cheeks. “I’m looking for Rachel Laker. Is that you?”

“Why are you looking for her?”

---