Page 73 of Heartstone

She climbed into bed and said goodnight.We both lay in silence, but neither of us slept for a long while.

“You’re going to be late,” I said to my Mom the next day.

“No I’m not.I’ve got plenty of time to get to the airport.”She was still busy trimming the cuttings Micah had dropped by this morning.“These lilies are going to make the ladies in the garden clubgreenwith envy.”

“I’m sure you have better gardening puns than that,” I said.

“It’s a classic for a reason,” she said.“Just let me put these in my suitcase.”

I tapped my toe as I waited.It had been nice seeing my mother.Our late-night talk had left me tired, but feeling as if we’d both made room for a conversation between us about my father that didn’t fall into the same old patterns.After all, I knew now that my father hadn’t been delusional about shifters.The knowledge had made me question everything about the little box of accepted ideas I’d been forcing myself to live in.

My mom wheeled her suitcase out.“I double-checked, I have everything.”

“Everything?”I snagged her garden shears off the counter and gave them a quick wipe with a rag.“I can’t believe you brought these with you.”

“They came in handy, didn’t they?And I’m hoping they’ll be handy one more time, when I ask Melinda if I can take a cutting of her philodendron.”My mother wiped them again, more thoroughly, then tucked them into her purse.

I checked my watch.She wasn’t late yet, but it was a long drive.“Do we have time for that?”

“Of course.She’s your host, it would be rude not to say goodbye.Besides, I want to taste that tea again.There’s a flavor in there I can’t pinpoint.”

“Fine.But don’t forget to put those in your bag before you go through security.”I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t really mind.It was nice that they had bonded.I wouldn’t have thought that my fastidious mother would have much in common with a hard-nosed businesswoman, but they had hit it off easily.

But I resented any delay that kept me from seeing Jasper.

Later, I reminded myself.He would certainly come see me later, when my mother was gone.He had to be boiling over with desire the same way I was.After my interrupted dream, I hadn’t been able to dissipate the sexual energy.I could still feel it tingling under my skin.

I’d never dreamed of a sexual partner before.Now, with Jasper, it was happening every night.I wondered if it had something to do with the mindsharing he and his brothers had talked about while we were camping.But how was that possible?Based on what I’d witnessed, there had to be some sort of physical contact between the two participants to make it work.And he’d said that only the most adept could mindshare with humans.Besides, Jasper had never mentioned dreaming about me.Maybe I was the only one whose subconscious was flooded with need.

“Edith.Are we going?”

I pulled myself out of my thoughts.“Yes.Yes, of course.”

I helped my mother carry her bags out to the golf cart, which we took around to the trailers behind the Lodge to see Melinda.“It really is beautiful here,” my mother said, snapping my picture as I drove.“And you’re beautiful here.”

It was an oddly touching thing to say.“Thanks, Mom.”

In the trailer, Melinda was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels.She’d somehow gotten thinner and paler in the last twelve hours.Dominic was probably in the middle of the breakfast rush, but he’d left a steaming pot of the tea sitting on the table beside Melinda.

I don’t think I’d ever really appreciated what a good nurse my mother was.She got Melinda to sit in a better position for her back and straightened her hair with no-nonsense ease that Melinda tolerated when she would have batted anyone else away.“It’s a shame you have to leave,” Melinda said.

“Tell my boss to give me more vacation days,” Mom said.

“Are you looking forward to getting back to the big city?”

“In some ways.It’s too quiet here.But Baltimore isn’t a big city at all compared to New York or Chicago.”

“It’s all one big city out East,” Melinda said.“I don’t know how you stand it.”

“It’s just a pin on a map,” my mother said.“I’ve lived all over.The place doesn’t really matter, as long as you have the people you love.”

Ghosts of anxiety passed over Melinda’s expression.“I hope that’s true.”

I wondered if she was thinking about what would happen to her sons without her.Jasper had said that when the Alpha changed, her close family and team were usually ousted from their roles.Where would the Moreaus go?I swallowed hard.It tasted like frustration.Why couldn’t we figure out what was wrong with Melinda?

Melinda’s haunted look faded, replaced by a predatory smile.“And make sure you tell your friends all about your trip to Twisted Pines.We’ll give you a hundred dollars in credit for every referral you send our way.I’m sure you know some rich doctors who have cowboy fantasies.”

“Oh, I’m going to show these pictures to everyone who will sit still long enough,” my mother said with a laugh.“Look, I made this one my phone screen.”

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