Page 17 of Air Of Mystery
I smiled down at the beagle. “Sorry, buddy.”
With a chuckle, my cousin reached in the fridge and pulled out a bottle of red wine. “Go ahead and take that pizza to the table. I’ll grab some glasses and then you can tell me what’s troubling you.”
“Who says anything is bothering me?” I asked.
Sunny followed me to the table where she already had celestial-themed plates and napkins waiting. She set the bottle down and the glasses followed. “I saw Kenna at her bakery yesterday,” she said, changing the conversation. “She seems crazy in love with Tyler and was incandescent with happiness.”
I took a seat at the table. “Kenna deserves to be happy.”
“Mm hmm.” Sunny nodded and poured the wine. “Grandma Althea says that Tim and
Cordelia are buying a house in Ames Crossing.”
“They had an appointment for another walk-through this week,” I said, lifting the lid on the pizza box. “I bet they’re putting a bid on it today.” I placed a slice on each of our plates.
“I ran into Brynn,” Sunny said as she moved to sit across from me. “She told me that Robbie is asking for a puppy.”
“Oh man,” I sighed. “I can’t see that happening. A dog would tear up Brynn’s gardens and probably chase the chickens.”
Sunny nodded. “I agree. Which is why I referred her to a feline rescue program that I work with. She said she would take Robbie next week and go look at possibly adopting a cat.”
We chatted casually over our dinner and the topic remained firmly on family. I discovered that my cousin Astrid had still not contacted her mother or any of her siblings since she moved out of Blackthorn Manor a few months ago.
“Mom is devastated,” Sunny confided. “I get that Astrid wants to go and live her own life, but she cut us all off because of a guy.”
“Jace?” I asked. “He’s in real estate, isn’t he?”
“Jace Edwards,” Sunny said with a frown. “He’s some big shot developer. Successful, loaded, and he’s also a condescending asshole.”
Her comment had me choking on my wine in surprise. It was rare to hear Sunny say anything that wasn’t kind.
“What’s worse,” Sunny continued, “Astrid has completely changed. Her personality, her looks, her clothes…everything.”
I set my wine glass down before I could drop it. “Astrid? The girl voted most likely to be Morticia Addams?”
“Have you seen her social media page lately?”
“No,” I admitted. “Things have been kind of crazy.”
Sunny pulled her phone out and with a few taps on the screen pulled up her sister’s social media account. “Look,” she said, passing me her phone.
My jaw dropped. My boho, free-wheeling cousin had cut her hair and completely changed her look. Gone were the long dark tresses and braids that used to swing down her back. Now her hair was cut in blunt bangs and into a sleek, almost sharp, straight bob. Her makeup and clothes were different too. The cosmetics were subtle and understated, and her clothing in the photo was completely unlike what she’d worn in the past. She’d typically worn edgy styles and deep colors. In her current pictures she was wearing pastels and subdued florals.
“By the goddess,” I muttered. “All she needs is a beige twinset and some pearls.”
“I know, right?” Sunny tossed back some wine. “It’s enough to make you think he’s cast some sort of spell on her.”
I narrowed my eyes at that. “Is he a practitioner?”
“Not that I am aware of. But he is charismatic, in a mildly creepy,nouveau richesort of way.” Sunny sighed. “We all tried to warn her, told her to slow down, but she moved in with him so fast, and now she’s living in some fancy condo in downtown St. Louis, partying with the rich and famous.”
I considered Astrid’s posts again. Most of the recent photos were of her and Jace at various charity events. I spotted news anchors and local sports personalities in the photos. Clearly, her boyfriend had connections and influence.
After one final assessment of Astrid’s social media account, I passed my cousin back her phone. “I’ll reach out to her,” I promised. “Maybe she’ll respond.”
“If you hear from her, let me know.” Sunny reached for her wine glass. “How is your paranormal show going?”
“It’s doing well,” I said. “Passed the two hundred thousand subscribers mark last month.”
