females chattering about a book and who's sleeping with who, who shouldn't be. Besides, I haven't had my dinner."
"Cafe's open another ten minutes," Lulu told her. "Split pea and ham soup was good today. And it'll do you good to spend some time with females. Explore your inner woman."
Ripley snorted. But the idea of the soup-in fact, any food that she wasn't obliged to fix herself-held tremendous appeal. "My inner woman doesn't need any exploration. She's lean and mean. But I'll check out the soup."
She sauntered toward the steps. "I might stay for the first twenty minutes," she called back. "But if I do, I want first crack at that gingerbread."
"Lulu?" Nell arranged star-shaped cookies on a glass plate.
"What?"
"I'll call you a bitch if it'll help bring us closer as people willing to explore our inner woman."
Lulu gave a snort of her own. "You've got a quick mouth on you when you want to. You carry your weight and you keep your word. That goes a way with me."
"I also make superior gingerbread."
Lulu walked over, picked up a slice. "I'll be the judge of that. See that you read October's book before the next discussion."
Nell's dimples flickered. "I will."
***
Upstairs, Ripley annoyed Peg by demanding a bowl of soup minutes before closing.
"I've got a date, so if you don't finish this before my time's up, you'll just have to wash the bowl yourself."
"I can dump it in the sink the same as you would, for Nell to deal with in the morning. Give me a hot chocolate to go with it. Are you still stepping out with Mick Burmingham?"
"That's right. We're snugging in and having a video festival. We're watching Scream One, Two, and Three."
"Very sexy. If you want to take off, I won't snitch to Mia."
Peg didn't hesitate. "Thanks." She whipped off her apron. "I'm gone."
Appreciating the fact that the cafe was empty, Ripley settled down to enjoy her soup in blissful solitude. Nothing could have spoiled her pleasure more quickly than hearing the click of Mia's heels on the floor barely one minute later.
"Where's Peg?"
"I cut her loose. Hot date."
"I don't appreciate you giving my employees permission to leave early. The cafe doesn't close for another four minutes, and it's part of her job description to clean the case, counters, and kitchen after that time."
"Well, I booted her along, so you can kick my ass instead of hers." Intrigued, Ripley continued to spoon up soup as she studied Mia.
It was a rare event to see the cool Ms. Devlin heated up, and jittery. She was twisting the chain of the amulet she wore around her neck, continued to worry it as she strode over to the display counter and hissed.
"There are health regulations about cleanliness in food services. Since you were so generous to Peg, you can damn well scrub this up yourself."
"In a pig's eye," Ripley muttered, but felt a tug of guilt that threatened to spoil her appetite. "What bug crawled up your butt?"
"I have a business to run here, and it takes more than stalking around the village looking cocky, which is your specialty."
"Oh, get fucked, Mia. It'll improve your humor."
Mia rounded back. "Unlike you, fucking isn't my answer to every whim and itch."
"You want to play the ice maiden because Sam Logan dumped you, that's your..." Ripley trailed off, despising herself even as the hot color in Mia's face drained. "Sorry. Out of line. Way out of line."
"Forget it."
"When I sucker punch somebody, I apologize. Even if you did come in here looking for a fight. In fact, I'll not only apologize, I'll ask you what's wrong."
"What the hell do you care?"
"Normally, I don't. But normally I don't see you spooked. What's the deal?"
They'd been friends once, and good ones. As close as any sisters. Because of that it was harder for Mia to sit, to open up, than it would have been if Ripley had been a stranger.
But the matter was more important than feuds or grudges. She sat across from Ripley, leveled her gaze. "There's blood on the moon."
"Oh, for-"
Before Ripley could finish, Mia's hand shot out, gripped her wrist. "Trouble, bad trouble is coming. A dark force. You know me well enough to be sure I wouldn't say it, wouldn't tell you, of all people, unless I was sure."
"And you know me well enough to know what I think of portents and omens." But there was a cold chill working up her spine.
"It's coming, after the leaves finish dying, before the first