Page 3 of Things Left Unsaid

She freezes mid-bite. “The she-devil’s summoning you.”

Tension crawls along my shoulders. “She’s not a she-devil.”

The last thing I need is to manifest that into being.

“I’m thesort ofCatholic. I’d know. Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Both our gazes are locked on the damn thing as if it’s cursed.

“This’ll be the third call I’ve accidentally missed.”

Tee hisses. “You don’t piss off a demon!”

“She isn’t a demon! Don’t be mean to Satan’s minions. You’ll offend them and they’ll terrorize us too.” When she elbows me, I grouse, “You know I hate talking to her. She’ll either anger me, upset me,or,worse still, guilt-trip me into coming home.

“My blood sugar has been all over the place the whole day—do I look like I’m in the mood to be agitated?”

Tee pulls a face. “I can’t blame you. There’s being agitated and then there’s being riled up byher. But she’s summoned you three times so you have to make the ultimate sacrifice and answer the damn phone before Bloody Mary makes an appearance and messes with your cookies.”

“Gee, thanks,” I snipe, but I keep my gaze locked on the cell screen until it stops flashing.

When the call disconnects, I release a soft, relieved breath, though I know I’m compounding my problems.

“What do you think she wants?” Tee whispers likeGrand-mèrecould overhear from Pigeon Creek, Saskatchewan.

“I don’t kn?—”

The phone rings again.

Tee and I share a look.

“You’re going to have to answer.”

I wipe my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand but make no move to pick it up. “Yeah.”

“She’ll be getting angrier and angrier.”

“I know.”

“So, answer her!”

“I don’t want to!”

“You have to!”

“I don’t! I’m a grown woman!”

“A grown woman who’s terrified of her grandmother!”

“Like you’re not terrified of her too!”

“Well, babe, she’s a piece of work. How could I not be when I'm as smart as I am?”

There’s no denying that.

With another grimace, I snatch up my cell phone but I don’t hit ‘connect.’

Instead, I toy with the case. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

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