The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2)

Page 53



“Lucy said she’d been in their yard. It’s fenced, but she could climb it. She knows when she’s got it good. And around here, she’ll have it more than good.”

“All right then.” Sonya gave the cat another dubious glance, but went back to work.

When she heard Cleo coming up the stairs, cooing to the cat, she relaxed.

“She peed!”

Amused, Sonya gave her friend a thumbs-up.

Yoda didn’t prance up the stairs, but in a few minutes, Sonya heard the bounce of the ball and his running feet.

She thought: All’s well in the manor.

Chapter Eight

By late afternoon, Sonya dug herself so deep into the work she didn’t notice Cleo going downstairs. Just after five, she surfaced with a jolt at the bong of the doorbell.

“I’ve got it!” Cleo called up.

Shortly after, Cleo and Owen stopped at the library doors. Yoda raced out to greet Jones. Jones responded with a dignified wag, and pointedly ignored the cat, who slunk behind them.

“We’re going up to the studio. If you’re not done when we’re done up there, don’t worry about it. I can draft Owen as sous chef.”

“I’m about ready to shut down. Brain’s starting to fizzle.”

“I’ll just dump my gear in the room first,” Owen said.

When he walked down the hall, Cleo gestured. “Look at that. She’s following him just like the dogs. When he came in the house, she went right to him, started winding around his legs.”

“Hussy.”

“I know, right? She and his dog didn’t even acknowledge each other. But when Owen reached down to give Pye a stroke, Jones looked away. It was disgust, Son, I swear it. And Pye? She purred. Orgasmically.”

“I think you’re jealous.”

“Maybe. A little bit.” She shrugged it off, and when Owen walked back, trailed by the cat and two dogs, told Sonya, “We shouldn’t be long.”

“Take your time. I’ll be ready when you are.”

Cleo started up the stairs. “I didn’t figure you for a cat person.”

Owen glanced at her. “Why not?”

“Eye-patch dog.”

“Dogs, cats. Whatever. Animals are usually easier to deal with than a lot of people. Dead or alive. Did she show up last night to take her dive?”

“Can’t say, but we have stories to tell. Let’s do this first.”

On the third floor, he looked down toward the Gold Room.

“Quiet now.”

“She rumbled a little this afternoon.”

“And yet you spend a lot of time up here.”

“No way in hell she’s robbing me of my studio.”


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.