Page 94 of The House on Prytania

She elbowed me under the covers, catching me in my rib cage.

“What was the other thing you wanted to tell me?”

“Did you notice when you were talking with Mrs. Sabatier about the people who built the house, Paulette and An—”

I pressed my hand over her mouth. “Don’t say that name out loud, okay? Angelina told me it’s how to summon him. And I can tell you that I’ve met him up close and personal and it’s not an experience that I am interested in repeating. Ever.”

Sarah nodded, and I lifted my hand. “What about it?”

“The cicadas stopped singing.” The room became eerily silent as Jolene and I looked at each other and then back at Sarah. “Actually, now that I think of it, all of the sound stopped. No birds or crickets. Nothing. But the cicadas had been the loudest, so that’s what I noticed the most.”

“Well, then,” I said. “It looks like we should watch what we sayuntil we leave. And when we get back, too. At least until I can figure out how to get rid of him who shall not be named.”

“I can help,” Sarah said, her voice wobbling just a little.

I smoothed the hair off her forehead like I’d done when she was a little girl. “No. Not this time, anyway. When you’re older and more experienced, maybe. But not now.”

She smiled with relief. “I won’t tell Mom, either.”

“Smart girl,” I said, scratching her behind the ear as if she were Porgy or Bess and making her squirm away from my hand. “I guess it runs in the family.”

Jolene glanced at the bedside clock. “My carriage is about to turn into a pumpkin, so I’m going to bed to get my beauty sleep.” She paused at the door. “If I hear the baby crying again, would it be all right if I brought my pillow and blanket and slept on your floor?”

“Of course. Just leave the Barbie head in your room, okay? That’s the last thing I want to see when I open my eyes in the morning.”

•••

As we prepared to leave the next day, Michael found me sitting alone by the pool in the backyard, watching leaves and pine needles drift into the water. He sat on the lounger next to me, leaning his forearms on his knees. His olive skin was still tanned from the summer, his dark hair glossy, with sun-lightened strands.

“Have you enjoyed yourself?” he asked.

“Very much. I really like your aunt and uncle.”

“Me, too. They’re good people. I’m glad you could see that. I’m hoping you can convince Beau and Mimi.”

“All I can do is tell them what I think and share your aunt’s story. Then it’s up to them.”

He nodded, looking away toward the pool. “That’s a start.” When he turned back to me, his face was contemplative. “Do you think now that we—you and me, that is—could be friends?”

I couldn’t help but recall the moment when I’d first discovered his betrayal and he’d ghosted me with no explanation. That came later,only after I’d confronted him. It wasn’t a feeling that I ever wanted to experience again. Or remember.

“Maybe. After some more time has passed, I think.”

He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. “That’s fair. And honestly, more than I expected.”

I nodded. “We can never be more than friends.” I said it with a conviction I didn’t quite feel.

He tried to smile, but it faltered. “I understand. I wish that weren’t the case, and I’m not going to lie and say that it doesn’t hurt. But I understand.”

He stood, then leaned down to kiss me gently on the cheek, leaving me alone to watch the leaves fall soundlessly into the still pool.

•••

When we returned to our apartment in the early afternoon, Cooper was waiting on the doorstep with Mardi. I felt a reassuring warmth at seeing the two of them together, and it was unclear which one I was happier to see.

“Carly called Jaxson and said she was going to be staying a couple of extra days because the resort was so nice, and she asked Jaxson if he’d join her. He called me figuring since I was new in town I wouldn’t have any plans, and he was right.” Cooper grinned. “But I was happy to do it. Mardi and I have become good buddies, haven’t we?” He held up his hand and I watched as Mardi high-fived him.

Mardi was dressed in a hunter green sweater—one of his best colors, according to Jolene, who had “done his colors”—and it made me smile to imagine Cooper dressing the dog to make us happy. Well, Jolene at least. I just went along with it.