The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2)

And Anna’s response popped up.

One’s great. Just tell me where! I need an infusion of women.

Smiling, Sonya glanced up as Cleo stopped at her door, flexed.

“Does it show?”

“Holy shit, you’re ripped!”

“Liar, but I’ll take it.”

“How about lunch in the village tomorrow with Anna? After my hair experiment. One?”

“I’m there. Where?”

“I’m going to let the pregnant woman decide.”

“I’m there, wherever. Going to switch to work mode.”

Cleo’s in. Your pick of venue.

Waterside. It’s the casual restaurant at the hotel. And I have a connection that’ll get us a good table. Girl lunch! Yippee.

Sonya sent aYippeeback.

Then, like Cleo, switched to work mode.

She didn’t break, even though Clover played “A Hard Day’s Night,” loudly, until Yoda whined and wiggled.

“Okay, sorry. You want to go out. And I got the hint, Clover, but when you’re rolling, you’re rolling.”

When she rose, Yoda ran to the top of the stairs, whined, wiggled, and actually danced in place.

“I’m coming.”

She saved her work, started out in time to see Pye streak past her and downstairs with Yoda chasing after. She paused when she saw Cleo coming down from the third floor.

“I’ll let them out,” Sonya told her. “Yoda’s a little desperate, and I need a Coke.”

“I want one myself. She must’ve known you were letting him out. One minute she’s on the windowsill looking out, the next she’s flying out of the studio.”

“Ears like a cat. It was rolling for me, so he waited longer than he should’ve. How about you?”

“I already peed, thanks.” Cleo opened the door for the pets. “Oh, you meant the work. It’s going so well, I’m going with you to Boston next month. I’ll be done, and not only will I serve as your assistant for the presentation, but I get to hang with Winter. And if my editor needs to meet with me, I can do that.”

“Cleo!” Sonya threw her arms around her friend and bounced. “This is everything. Feel my nerves about the presentation effectively cut in half.”

“Son, you could’ve asked me.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to go to Boston and be my emotional support. Especially when you’re working on a major project.”

“Which will be done.” Lifting her arms, Cleo turned a self-congratulatory circle. “Then I’m taking a break—which I can afford to do, thanks to you—and using that time to work on painting, for my own wants and needs.”

“This is turning into a really good day. Mom’s going to be thrilled.”

“I texted her right before Pye ran out, and she is.”

Deciding she wanted more than a Coke, Cleo grabbed a yogurt.