Red Lily

told Mitch. “Different tonal quality, you could say. And the accent was pure Memphis. Not a trace of Arkansas in it. And her eyes, I don’t know how to explain it exactly. They were older. Colder.”
    Everything inside Hayley sank and shivered. “It’s not possible.”
    “You know it is. You know it happened.”
    “All right.” Roz sat beside Hayley. “What did happen, Hayley, from your point of view?”
    “I wasn’t feeling quite right—the heat. Then Harper and I got into an argument. He just pushed my buttons, that’s all, and I slapped back. I said things. I said . . .”
    Her hand shook, groped for Roz’s. “Oh God, oh God. I felt—away, detached. I don’t know how to say it. And at the same time, I was filled with all this rage. I didn’t know what I was saying. It was like I stopped saying anything. Then he was saying my name, and I was irritated. For a minute I couldn’t remember. My—my brain felt a little dull, like it does when you first wake up from a nap. And I felt a little queasy.”
    “Hayley.” Mitch spoke gently. “Has this happened before?”
    “No. I don’t know. Maybe.” She closed her eyes a moment. “I’ve been having these thoughts, these moods, thatdon’t seem like me. A lot of bitchiness, but it just seemed like I was feeling bitchy, that’s all. God, what am I going to do?”
    “Stay calm,” Harper advised. “And we’ll figure it out.”
    “Easy for you to say,” she shot back. “You’re not possessed by a psychopathic ghost.”

seven
    “A LITTLE LIKE old times,” Stella commented as she settled down in the upstairs sitting room with Roz and Hayley. And a bottle of cool white wine.
    “I should be getting Lily her supper.”
    Roz poured the wine, then chose one of the sugared green grapes from the platter David had put together. “Hayley, you not only know she’ll be fed, but that she’ll handle all those men just fine.”
    “And it’s good practice for Logan. We’re thinking maybe we’ll try to have a baby.”
    “Really?” For the first time in hours Hayley felt pure pleasure. “I think that’s great. You’ll make a beautiful baby, and Gavin and Luke would just love having another brother or a sister.”
    “Still in the talking stage, but we’re leaning toward the acting on it stage.”

    “Feeling better?” Roz asked Hayley.
    “Yeah. A lot. Sorry I cracked on you.”
    “I think we can make allowances. And give you some leeway. You didn’t want to talk about what Mitch called the trigger—what you and Harper were arguing about. You needed your panic time and your weepy time, and you’ve had them.”
    “And then some. Nothing clears men out of the room faster than female hysterics.”
    “Which, I believe, was something you wanted anyway.” Roz raised her brows and popped another grape. “You didn’t want to discuss this with Mitch. Not what you argued about, or what you said to Harper—or rather what Amelia said.”
    Rather than meet Roz’s eyes, Hayley kept hers fixed on the platter as if the cure for cancer was coded in among the glossy grapes and strawberry flowers. “I don’t see what’s important about what was said. The important thing is it happened. I think we should all—”
    “That’s enough nonsense.” Roz’s voice was mild as May. “Everything’s important, every detail. I haven’t pushed Harper on this, but I will. I’d prefer to hear it from you and it’s been each one of us most intimately involved with this thing. So suck up your pride or whatever it is, Hayley, and spill it.”
    “I’m sorry. I took advantage of you.”
    “And how did you do that?”
    Hayley took a bracing gulp of wine. “I hit on Harper.”
    “And?”
    “And?” That stumped her for a minute. “You took me into your home, me and Lily. You treat us like family. More than. You—”
    “And don’t make me regret it by putting strings around it that I never tied on. Harper’s a grown man, and makeshis own decisions about a number of things, including the women in his life. If you hit on him I have no doubt he knew how to block or hit back.”
    As Hayley remained silent, Roz settled back with her wine, tucked her legs up, sipped. “And unless I don’t know or understand my son as well as I think, I’d bet on the latter.”
    “It happened in the kitchen. I made it happen. Just kissing,” Hayley said quickly when she realized how it sounded. “I mean Lily was right there and it was the first