Dangerous Designs Read online

  ***

  "Storey? Is that you?" Her mother burst into her bedroom. "There you are. I swear I seem to spend half my time looking for you lately."

  "I'm here, Mom. What's up?" Storey hated the coolness in her own tone. Her day hadn't been the best to begin with. She warmed her smile.

  "Oh, Eric didn't come back with you, did he?" Her mother peered around the corner of her room as if looking for signs of him hidden in the closet.

  "No, Mom. He had to go home."

  "Oh." She smiled brightly. "He seems like such a nice boy."

  "Yes, he seems nice." Then looks could be deceiving, as she'd found out.

  "Is he...special?" Her mother's hopeful expression fell as Storey shook her head. "You two looked so great together."

  "Maybe. Unlikely. I don't know. I wouldn't get my hopes up, if I were you." Storey knew her Mom had watched her social life with a wary eye during her relationship with Jeff and immediately afterwards.

  "Well, if it's meant to be and all that." She smiled. "Why don't you come down and have a cup of tea with me?"

  "Who's here?"

  The smile dropped from her mom's face fast. She hesitated. "Do you resent all the company? I never thought." She nibbled on her bottom lip. "We do have a lot of company though, don't we? I'm sorry. It's your home, too."

  Oh, brother. "Mom. Stop. I'm fine with the company. I'm glad you have so many friends. That you're happy with your life and your beliefs." Mostly, anyways, but she wasn't going to open up that discussion. Not now.

  A smile peeped out. "I wish you'd consider joining..."

  "I know. At the moment, I'm not feeling it." Although after what she'd seen today, Wiccan didn't seem as odd or farfetched as it had yesterday. "I'll make my own decision. I just need some time."

  "Then time you shall have." She smiled. "And there is no one downstairs right now. Let's go have a cup of tea and some fresh poppy seed cake."

  "Best offer I've had all day." In a rare moment of concord, the two linked arms and headed for the kitchen.

  Storey could only hope her bedroom would still be empty when she returned. She'd forgotten to consider one tiny problem - how to close the portal she'd created from her side.