Page 119 of The Seven Rings
“Don’t worry about dinner. We’ll make some sandwiches or something. It’s been a day.”
She opened the front door for Yoda and Pye, then gripped Cleo’s hand. “Look at that. Oh, just look.”
A double rainbow arched over the sea.
“If that’s not a really strong sign, I don’t know what is. Get a picture.”
When Sonya took a few, Cleo nodded. “Good. You need to paint that.”
“I—” Sonya paused on her knee-jerk denial. “You know what? I will. Eventually. Let’s get a glass of wine and have that sit-down out front.”
They’d barely settled down when they heard the trucks coming.
“Ready to tell the story again?”
“Yeah.” Sonya ran her fingers over the beads. “And don’t mention that I forgot to bring that stupid BB gun out with me. Again.”
Sonya rose as Trey, then Mookie jumped out of the truck. He held up a large take-out bag from the Lobster Cage. “Got dinner. Picked up a couple of seafood platters, and sides.”
Now Cleo rose. “Bright blessings all over you.”
“I’ll put it inside.”
Owen and Jones got out of their truck, headed over.
“So an incident,” he said, studying them both. “In the ballroom?”
“That’s right.”
“If there was a battle, it looks like the good guys won.”
“Also right.” Sonya sat again. “And we’re just now toasting our victory.”
She saw Owen skim a hand over Cleo’s cloud of hair, and still studying her, lean in to kiss her.
That’s settled, she thought. He loves her. And knowing it added a little more warmth to the evening.
When Trey came back and the dogs occupied themselves with a wrestling match while the cat sat on the wall and observed, he sat beside her. Touched a finger to the beads.
“That’s new.”
“Actually, it’s old.”
“You said you weren’t hurt. Either of you.”
“No. I’ve got a little bruise.”
“From what?”
“Let me start at the top. Another rainy day, all caught up with work. I decided I’d make some progress in the ballroom.”
He listened, then held up a hand. “She trapped you.”
“Slammed the doors, turned off the lights. It was darker than it should’ve been, so she added to that. But she either didn’t or couldn’t make it full dark.”
“Couldn’t,” Cleo said. “If she’d wasted power trying that, she wouldn’t have had enough juice, the way I see it, to bring on the rest.”
“And what’s the rest?” Owen asked.
