Page 52 of Last Call at the Doghouse

“What does it mean?” Mary asked.

Sonny shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything.”

“We shouldn’t have burned the book,” she said as he threw back the covers and stood. “There could be an explanation in those pages.” Pages that were gone for good.

“Maybe,” he said as he walked toward the closet. “But there were also answers that would allow Armi to find a way to rebuild the barrier without sacrificing herself.”

Sacrifice. He’d mentioned that last night, but she hadn’t taken him literally. There were different kinds of sacrifice. Had she been so eager to please him that she’d allowed the reality of that word to slip past her? She knew Sonny and Armi were on different sides of this thing, and she didn’t have any qualms about hurting her friend to save her love. But sacrifice… Maybe that was a metaphor.

She didn’t think so.

Sonny rifled around in the closet much as she had, then turned to her and frowned. “You’re wearing my favorite robe.” He twitched a couple of fingers in her direction, a wordless order to take it off and hand it over. She did. Once he had the robe on—she was shivering in the cold—he reached in and grabbed another, tossing it to her as he walked away.

This robe was thin, silky, and a putrid yellowish color. Still, it was better than nothing.

Something unwanted slipped into her mind. Sonny didn’t love her, not even a little. He didn’t even care enough to let her wear his warm robe on a cold morning. He’d been using her. This was all about Armi, about winning, about sacrifice.

Those unpleasant thoughts slipped away, and again she was left with the fantasy of his promises, the overwhelming sensation of love and obsession wiping away every doubt.

He was hers. They would have a life together when all this unpleasantness was behind them.

No matter who had to be sacrificed.

CHAPTER 17

The little cabin in the woods was perfect. It was just what Armi wanted and needed. She hadn’t thought much about Mystic Springs since moving away years ago, and when she had those thoughts hadn’t been flattering. Maybe the small town was far from perfect, maybe the people were imperfect as well, but when it came to taking care of one another, they did a fine job.

Silas Hollister knew a guy who’d built this cabin years ago, but had rarely used it. There had been a divorce and a need to escape while staying within the town limits. The owner had moved on last year after the barriers fell.

If she could rebuild that barrier, would he return? Didn’t matter to her because she wouldn’t be here.

There wasn’t much for her to do before 8:04 p.m. Saturday. Felicity and Bria were hard at work trying to remove the pall Sonny had cast over the town. Helen and her friends were exploring alternative solutions. Would they find one? Armi wasn’t confident about that. The last thing she needed now was false hope.

She sat on the small back deck in a surprisingly comfortable but hard chair to call Ryan, then James. She told them she was just checking in and worked very hard to keep the tears in her eyes out of her voice. Like everyone else on the planet, she had some regrets. There were none where her boys were concerned. They were fine young men who’d have good lives with or without her. She did wish she could be here to see them mature and learn and have babies of their own. Her friends who were grandmothers did go on and on about how wonderful it was.

James accepted her call without question, but Ryan was much too curious about his mother’s mid-week phone call out of the blue. Ryan had always been the intuitive one in the family. Maybe he was a bit of a Springer after all.

That done, she turned off her cell. There was no one else she needed to talk to. With a little luck she might get some sleep, which she wouldn’t do if she kept expecting the phone to ring.

Seeing that she’d ended her calls, Mitch joined her on the deck. “We can go back to the library,” he said without preamble. “There have to be other books that can help. There has to be another way.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, strangely accepting of what was coming. “Aunt Helen would know if there was, and she didn’t seem hopeful.”

“They’re working on it,” Mitch said.

“I doubt there’s anything to be done.” Her thoughts weren’t filled with possible fixes, but on preparing for the inevitable. She needed to draw up a will. Everything she possessed would go to the boys, with the exception of The Doghouse and the nameless motel, which they would not want. Stella could have the bar and motel. She’d make a good living there and would do a better job than Armi could’ve hoped to do on her own.

Until then…

“I want to catch a couple hours of sleep,” she said. “Not too much, I don’t want to sleep what’s left of my life away, but I need some rest. After that…” Sex. Kissing. Ice cream and chocolate. A walk in the woods. She was tempted to call Stella, who she loved like a sister, but that was a conversation she couldn’t have. Stella would not be as accepting as Ryan and James had been. She’d end up in Mystic Springs and put herself in the middle of everything. She might get hurt.

Armi loved Mary like a sister, too. At the moment Mary wasn’t the woman Armi had known for so many years. Would constructing the barrier over Mystic Springs break Sonny’s spell? If so, that was just another reason to see it done, no matter the cost.

She loved Mitch, too, but she wouldn’t tell him so. A dying confession of love wouldn’t do him any good. It might even be devastating. Who would pick up the pieces of Mitch Duncan’s shattered heart? If she was into torturing herself, she might send him on his way here and now, but… she needed him. She was making enough sacrifices this week without forcing herself to do it all alone.

Armi pushed herself to her feet. “How about we fool around, sleep a couple of hours, then go for a long walk.”

“A walk?”