Page 16 of Save a Wish

“Yeah. You seemed glum all week.” Vanessa came out with a purple sweater on and a pair of black leggings.

“Now that’s your color,” I said. “And the fit is good both on the sweater and the leggings.”

“My body is finally back to pre-birthing-a-tiny-human size.” Vanessa angled one way then the other. “I love Little Ben, but being pregnant takes a toll.”

“And that’s why you deserve a new wardrobe,” I said. “Put both of those in the Definitely Buying pile.”

“Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere.” Vanessa scurried back into the dressing room.

“And I wasn’t glum.”

“Yes, you were!” Vanessa called from behind the closed door. “There was a . . . I don’t know . . . a trudging-like air about the way you moved.”

“I don’t trudge.”

“Normally, you don’t,” she said. “That’s what made it so noticeable.”

I reviewed the week that had just passed while I waited for Vanessa to showcase her next outfit. After thinking I’d found a dead woman in the brush on Sunday—and having my aura insulted by her—I’d gone back to Hartley’s Nest to help my mother, which unfortunately had only taken about an hour. My video game buddies were still unavailable so I’d poked around online, hoping to find a new game to download. A good digital quest would have kept me busy for a while, but nothing had caught my attention, which was odd because new video games always caught my attention.

I’d spent some time planning some marketing stuff for Hartley’s Nest, applying for a grant, and looking over the budget to decide if we could afford to upgrade the fencing around where we kept our horses and llamas.

Then I’d still had hours left in the day. I hadn’t been able to figure out why time was moving so slowly, but damn, I was actually a bit bored.

And I kept thinking back to the dead woman. Who hadn’t been dead at all.

Sadie. The name hadn’t fit her. It was too simple, too casual for a woman who looked like she did. I’d expected something a little more exotic.

I’d also expected to forget all about her and her aura accusations, but both had stuck with me for the rest of that day and into the week. I’d gone jogging on the same trail again on Wednesday and half expected to see a tent erected where I’d found Sadie. I was glad not to find one. That meant she’d moved along and hopefully had acquired proper accommodations.

Then I’d wasted some time wondering where those proper accommodations might be.

Then I’d gotten mad at myself for wondering that.

I’d even gone so far as to hop back onto Cyber Mates and set up a date with an interested girl.

But that date had fizzled the moment she’d announced that animals being used to test cosmetics didn’t bother her. Hadn’t she read my profile at all? Hadn’t she noticed the phrase wildlife rehabilitation center in my bio? Of course I loved animals and would rally to save them.

And clearly, she’d lied in her profile. She’d called herself an animal lover. False. She’d also said she was friendly, but she’d been rude to our waiter several times during our dinner.

On Thursday, I found out that Hartley’s Nest wasn’t awarded a grant I’d thought was a sure thing so that had soured my mood and . . . yeah, okay. Maybe Vanessa was right about me being glum this week.

My sister reappeared wearing a long, flowing skirt in a cranberry color with a short, brown, corduroy blazer over a cream-colored shirt.

“Keep,” I said without hesitation. “That will look nice with the brown boots you bought at the other store.”

“Oh, yeah! Great idea.” Vanessa did a little twirl. “I like the way this skirt moves.” She stopped her spinning to face me. “Hey, you look glum again . . . or maybe you look glum still. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know actually.” I rested my elbows on my knees and regarded my reflection in the mirror behind Vanessa.

Your aura’s a bit off. Sadie’s voice echoed between my ears.

My sister came to sit beside me on the little bench in the dressing room area, her hand resting on my knee. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. It’s nothing physical,” I said.

“Could it be that all your siblings are neatly paired off and you’re not?”

I flicked my gaze up to meet hers. “How did you know that was on my mind?”