Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

word everyone in the immediate vicinity tel s the truth about everything.”
    “It worries me that we al felt the same disturbance,” Kate said. “Hannah saw a dark shadow in the mosaic. You said something you would never have normal y said, and a crack opened up nearly at my feet and ran al the way up the embankment.”
    Hannah gasped. “You didn’t tel me that. Kate, it could have been an attack on you. You’re the most…” She broke off, looking at Abbey.
    Kate lifted her chin. “I’m the most what?”
    Hannah shrugged. “You’re the best of us. You don’t have a mean bone in your body. You just don’t, Katie. I’m sorry, I know you hate our saying that, but you don’t even know how to dislike someone. You’re just so…”
    “Don’t say perfect,” Kate warned. “I’m not perfect. And I think that’s why Matthew’s brothers always laugh at me. They think I want to be perfect and fal short.”
    Hannah and Abbey exchanged a long, worried look. “I think we should cal the others,” Hannah said. “Sarah wil want to know about this. She must have felt the earthquake too. We can ask her if anything strange happened to her. And we should cal Joley, Libby, and El e. Something’s wrong, Kate, I just feel it. It’s as if the earthquake unleashed a malicious force. I’m afraid it could be directed at you.”
    Kate took a long sip of tea. The taste was as soothing as the aroma. “Go ahead, it can’t hurt to see what the others have to say. I’m not going to worry about it. I didn’t feel a direct threat. I’m not cal ing Sarah though. She and Damon are probably twined around one another. You can feel the heat right through the telephone line.”
    “I can go to the captain’s walk and signal her,” Hannah said wickedly. “Their bedroom window faces us, and for some utterly mysterious reason the curtain keeps opening in that particular room.”
    “Hannah!” Kate tried not to laugh. “You’re impossible.”
    Hannah did laugh. “And you are perfect whether you want to acknowledge it or not. At least to me.”
    “And me,” Abigail said.
    Kate smiled at them. “I’m not al that perfect. I’d like to give Sylvia Fredrickson a piece of mind. She had no right hitting you, Abbey. Even in high school she was nasty.”
    “I’l take care of Sylvia,” Hannah said. “Don’t worry, Abbey. She’l spend a long time thinking about how stupid it was to hit you.”
    “Hannah!” Kate and Abbey chorused her name in protest.
    Hannah burst out laughing. “I get the message, Kate. You’l talk to Sylvia, but you don’t want me casting in her direction.”
    Kate grinned. “I should have known you were baiting me.”
    “Who said I didn’t mean it? Sylvia gives women a bad name.”
    Kate shook her head. “Hannah Drake, you’re becoming a bloodthirsty little witch. I think Jonas is having a bad influence on you.” She touched Abbey’s cheek gently. “Even for this we can’t use our gifts for anything other than good.”

    Hannah made a face. “It’s good for Jonas to have to chase his hat. It keeps him from becoming too arrogant and bossy. And who knows what great lesson Sylvia Fredrickson would learn if I tweaked her just a little bit.” Before either sister could say anything, she laughed softly. “I’m not going to do anything horrible to her, I just love to see you both get that ‘there-goes-Hannah-look’ on your faces.”
    Kate nudged Abbey, ignoring Hannah’s mischievous grin. “Guess what I’l be doing tomorrow? Matthew Granite agreed to look over the mil with me tomorrow. I’m hoping none of his brothers wil be around to laugh at me, and maybe he’l notice I’m a grown woman, not a gawky teenager. You’d think the fact that I’ve traveled al over the world and that I’m a successful author would impress him, but he just looks at me exactly the same way he did when I was in high school.”
    Hannah and Abbey exchanged a quick, apprehensive look. “Kate, you’re going to spend the afternoon with him? Do you real y want to do that?”
    Abigail asked.
    Kate nodded. “I like to be with him. Don’t ask me why, I just do.”
    “Kate, you haven’t been home in ages. Matthew has a certain reputation,” Abigail said hesitantly. “He’s always been easygoing with you, and he’s very charming, but he’s…” She trailed off and looked to Hannah for direction.
    “What? A ladies’ man? I would presume a man his age has dated.” Kate walked across the room to touch