That was Melissa’s talent.
She could steal your shoes and somehow make you feel guilty for needing to walk.
PART 2
For Complete Cooking STEPS Please Head On I slipped the pearl necklace back into the pouch and hurried to the garage before Melissa reached the porch.
I unlocked the tall cabinet and tucked the pouch behind the spare sprinkler heads. The lock clicked when I turned the key, though the old latch had been loose for months.
I tugged on it anyway.
It held.
At least, I thought it did.
When I turned around, Melissa was standing at the garage entrance.
“Good grief,” I said, pressing a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry!” she chirped. “I came to help the perfect hostess.”
Ryan appeared behind her.
“She means hello.”
Melissa shot him a sharp look.
I slipped the keys into my pocket.
“You’re early.”
“I know. Isn’t that nice?” Her eyes drifted over the shelves behind me. “Need chairs? Ice? Tablecloths?”
“We’re good.”
“Bug spray?”
“On the patio.”
Her smile tightened.
Ryan cleared his throat.
“Mel, she said she’s good.”
I almost laughed, but Melissa turned back to me.
“Gaia knows I mean well.” She tilted her head. “Don’t you?”
There it was.
The hook hidden under the sugar.
I smiled the way I smiled when I refused to start a fight.
“Come on,” I said. “You can help Elaine with dessert. She’s making pie from scratch.”
For the next hour, Melissa performed kindness like she was auditioning for sainthood.
She carried napkins outside, came back for cups we did not need, and complimented my lemonade twice.
William leaned close while I arranged corn on a platter.
“Is it just me, or is Melissa being nice?”
“It’s not just you.”
“Fake nice?”
“Medium-level fake.”
He smiled and reached for the platter.
That was when I heard Elaine speaking in the front room.
“I’m giving it to Gaia tonight,” she told George. “She has earned it.”
I froze with cherry juice on my fingers.
So did Melissa.
She stood by the counter with her hand hovering over the napkins.
Her face changed.
She did not look sad.
She did not look confused.
She looked furious.
Then she noticed me watching.
“Napkins,” she said loudly, grabbing them. “Found them.”
“They were right next to you,” I said.
“Silly me.” Her laugh had sharp edges. “You really do get everything, don’t you?”
I dried my hands.
“Say what you mean.”
She stepped closer.
“Mom talks about you like you’re the daughter she always wanted.”
“Melissa, not today.”
“I’m not doing anything.” She lifted the napkins. “I’m helping.”
“No,” I said quietly. “You’re circling.”
Her smile slipped.
Before she could answer, Mason ran into the kitchen, dripping water.
“Mom, Maisie says I can’t be firework captain.”
“Nobody is firework captain,” I said. “Go outside.”
Melissa’s eyes flicked toward the hallway.
For Complete Cooking STEPS Please Head On Over To Next Page Or Open button (>) and don’t forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.As soon as she left, I crossed the driveway and checked the garage cabinet.
The pouch was still there.
I told myself to breathe.
The party continued.
George guarded his grill tongs like sacred tools. Elaine squeezed my arm whenever she passed. The twins ran wild. Guests laughed. Firework smoke began drifting over the lake.
That was what I wanted to protect.
Peace.
At sunset, William frowned.
“Where are the sparklers?”
“Garage. Top shelf.”
