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so many things,” she said.
    My breath hitched. I was at her mercy, but I needed a respite from the dreamwalker campaign. “I told you everything that happened. I need to get some rest so that I feel whole again. Then we can talk about the big picture.”
    A car door closed outside. I turned to the welcome sound. My daughter breezed through the open doorway, her honey-brown braid flying like a kite tail behind her. “Mom, Mom, you all right?”
    Larissa dove into my arms. I hugged her close, needing the physical contact as much as she did. “Now I am.”
    “I felt it when something happened to you,” my daughter said in a rush. “I was sitting in math class, and suddenly you weren’t there.”
    My mouth dropped open. I stammered out an apology. “I’m . . . I’m . . . I’m sorry, love. I never meant for anything to happen to either of us.”
    Larissa’s arms tightened around me. “I’m so glad to see you.”
    My father walked in behind Larissa. He ruffled my hair. “You all right?”
    After Mama’s warning about Daddy’s health, I studied him. His color was off, and his gait was uneven. Had my trouble today done that to him? My skin prickled with guilt. “Fine, Dad.”
    His gentle eyes filled with emotion. “You gave us a scare today.”
    Guilt-laden thoughts clogged my head. My actions had put the whole family at risk and nearly cost me my life. My voice came out at half-volume. “I scared myself.”
    “Wait for me!” My plus-sized friend, reporter Charlotte Ambrose, careened through the door. Her lime-green slacks and green and white polka-dotted blouse added a whimsical zest to the kitchen. Light glinted off her narrow glasses. She’d overdone her makeup again, with her drawn-on eyebrow arches giving her a surprised expression.
    Charlotte’s reporter bag dangled in one hand; keys and a smart-looking purse occupied her other hand. “Don’t start without me!”
    “Char, how’d you find me?” I asked as she hurried to the nearest chair.
    She huffed a few minutes, catching her breath. “You’re kidding, right? The only place you’d go when you’re in trouble is this kitchen. Hell, half the county comes here to heal up when bad things happen. I could fill the newspaper pages with a log of the people who visit this house.”
    My heart sank. White spots danced before my eyes. This was
my
family,
my
sanctuary. We weren’t newspaper fodder.
    What would govern Charlotte’s actions?
    Our years of friendship?
    Or her new ambition to be a big-time reporter?

C HAPTER 7
----
    “But you wouldn’t.” I caught her gaze and held it. The bolt of unease accompanying her words had shaken me. Of all the people in the world I trusted most, Charlotte ranked right up there with my parents. But her loyalty had never been tested like this. I couldn’t predict what she would do, and that uncertainty tied knots in my stomach. “You wouldn’t abuse your welcome here and betray those people, would you?”
    Charlotte waved dismissively. The big frog face on her chunky watch flashed before my eyes. “Oh, you never know what I might do. I’m a woman of mystery and adventure, and I’m dying to hear about your bit of fun this afternoon.” She frowned at me. “Why didn’t you call me?”
    “Hey, Charlotte,” Mama said. “Want some tea?”
    “Love some.” My friend shot Mama a bright smile. “There’s nothing like a cup of your tea. You put some secret ingredient in it, right? I’ve never had anything like it anywhere else.”
    “I blend it myself.” Mama’s mouth tightened.
    Did it finally occur to Mama that Charlotte might bring the wrong sort of attention to her cottage in the woods? For years I’d wondered about my parents’ source of income. They’d evaded any questions I asked point-blank, fueling my concerns that something not-quite-legal was going on here.
    “You could make a fortune if you marketed this brew.” Charlotte eased into a wooden chair. It creaked under her bulk but held. She