Page 270 of The Spider Queen
“Have a good night, Stella. Thank you for the snow globe.” As an afterthought, she added, “And thank you for your advice.”
The doors closed and only then did I allow myself to smile.
Chapter 4
The next morning, I was glaring at the Garden of Eden music box when Herron blew in like a tornado, dressed in a pale pink A-line dress and nude heels.
“Bagel with a side of what’s wrong with you?” she demanded, setting the foil-wrapped sandwich in front of me.
I gestured to the snow globe. “I can’t get the damn thing to work.”
Every spare moment I had the previous few days had been spent fiddling with the music box.
“I can’t even get it to warble a few notes before going silent. Nothing. It just won’t work.”
“But you can fix any music box,” Herron said, her eyebrows rising nearly to her hairline. “It really is gorgeous.” She bent her tall, willowy frame over to peer at the Garden of Eden scene.
I ran my hand down the glass and swore I saw it ripple.
Again.
No doubt I was about to crash from exhaustion.
“Still no note saying who dropped it off?” Herron asked, unwrapping her own sandwich.
I shook my head. “Nope. None.”
“You don’t think it’s a tad creepy that someone managed to get into the shop while it was locked? And you didn’t hear them?” She gave a dramatic shiver.
“I was probably just tired,” I lied. “And you know when you’re tired you think you do something but you actually don’t?”
She stared at me, her sandwich halfway to her red-lipsticked mouth. “Why are you lying to me?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Stella. I know your tells. You’ve got a good poker face, but Iknowyou.”
“You only think you know me.” I reached over and plucked a piece of bacon from her sandwich and popped it into my mouth. “How’s the dragon-in-law?”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “As dramatic as ever. The charity luncheon went off without a hitch, no thanks to me. Blaze hired her a private nurse. Hence why I was able to come back to work.”
“Hence, he was determined to save your marriage.” I laughed.
Herron chuckled. “My husband is well aware of my inability to be in the same space as his mother for longer than two hours without a steady supply of gin.”
“He’s good like that.”
We munched on our food and then she asked, “What did Campbell think of the gift?”
“He loved it. The wife loved it.” I frowned, thinking about Barrett.
“What?” Herron wondered.
I forgot to school my features when I was around her. Armor needed to be in place with everyone else, but not with Herron.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, not wanting to discuss Barrett’s emotions with my friend.
“It’s not nothing. You’ve got something written all over you face. So?”
