?”
“Can we not have this conversation now? None of those parents out there know anything. If someone overhears something it will cause problems.”
“Oh, is that what this is all about? Putting on a show for the mundanes?”
“Mother!”
That was my cue. I open the door. “Hey guys, we need more soda!”
“I’ll get it,” says Laurie, not taking her eyes off of her mother. She grabs two two-liter bottles out of the fridge and leaves the kitchen without saying a word.
“You have impeccable timing,” says Darlene.
“I was listening at the door.”
“Not even going to pretend?”
“I like you too much to insult your intelligence.”
“At least one of you does. What happened to my daughter?”
“It was an infestation triggered by Laurie’s stress level.” I lean closer to Darlene and lower my voice. “And you aren’t helping her stress level.”
“All I did was—”
“Act like a mom. I know. My mom isn’t exactly thrilled with this, either. But the more you press, the more she’s going to dig in to her position. The more both of them will dig in.”
“I know. I’m trying, Nancy. I really am. It’s just…hard.”
The kitchen door opens and Darlene’s husband Calvin walks in. “Honey, what did you do to our daughter?” he asks with a knowing look.
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything. But she’s out there and you’re in here with Nancy, so…”
“There was a wisp infestation and Laurie didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, is that what all that residue is out there?” I nod. He pushed the door back open. “Well, that explains that, then. Both of you get out here. We’re getting ready to cut the cake.”
We leave the kitchen just in time to join in with singing “Happy Birthday to You” to Megan. Laurie avoids talking to her mother the rest of the party.
Sometime tells me that Thanksgiving is going to be a long, long day.
New to the series?
Get caught up with Nancy Werlock’s Diary: Season One and Nancy Werlock’s Diary: Season Two , available in digital and print formats at most online retailers.
And visit WitchNet for an arcane glossary, list of characters, episode summaries, and more information about the setting.
Christa Faust, Gabriel Hunt