Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)(69)
Author: Charlaine Harris

Sam held me so tight I thought I’d quit breathing, and I thumped him on his shoulder. "You creep," I said in his ear. "Missing cases of beer! I like that!"

"You should have heard your voice," he said, laughing. "Jannalynn said to tell you she was sorry she couldn’t make it. She had to open at Hair of the Dog."

Sure, I believed she was really unhappy at not being here. I turned away so Sam wouldn’t see my face.

Halleigh apologized for Andy’s absence, too; he was on duty. Danny and Kennedy gave me a kind of group hug, and Jane Bodehouse gave me a highly alcoholic kiss on the cheek. Michele held my hand for a moment and said, "I hope you have a wonderful year this year. Will you be my bridesmaid?" I grinned wide enough to split my face and told her I’d be proud to stand up with her. Jason wrapped one arm around me and handed me a beribboned box.

"I didn’t expect presents. I’m too old for a present party," I protested.

"Never too old for presents," Sam said.

My eyes were so full of tears I had a hard time unwrapping Jason’s gift. He’d given me a bracelet my grandmother used to wear, a little gold chain with pearls set at intervals. I was shocked to see it. "Where was this?" I asked.

"I was cleaning the pie-crust table I got out of the attic, and it was pushed way in the back of that shallow drawer, caught on a splinter," he said. "All I could think of was Gran, and I knew you’d wear it."

I let the tears run out, then. "That’s the sweetest thing," I said. "The nicest thing you’ve ever done."

"Here," said Jane, as eagerly as a child. She put a little gift bag in my hand. I smiled and dug my hand in. Jane had given me five "get a free car wash" coupons from the place her son worked. I was able to thank her sincerely. "I’ll use every one," I promised her.

Hoyt and Holly had gotten me a bottle of wine, Danny and Kennedy had gotten me an electric knife sharpener, and JB and Tara had regifted me with one of the five slow cookers they’d gotten when they got married. I was glad to get it.

Sam handed me a heavy envelope. "You open that later," he said gruffly. I gave him a narrow-eyed look. "All right," I said. "If that’s what you want."

"Yeah," he said. "It’s what I want."

Halleigh had made her version of Caroline Bellefleur’s chocolate cake, and I cut it so everyone could have a piece, Dairy Queen Blizzard be damned. It was marvelous. "I think that’s better than Miss Caroline’s," I said, which was close to heresy in Bon Temps.

"I put a pinch of cinnamon in," she whispered.

After the party I went out the front to get birthday hugs from India, now on duty, and Danielle, who was working in my place.

Halleigh wanted me to come over to her house to see the nursery, which was completely ready for its expected occupant. I was so glad to be with a happy person who had no agenda. The visit was a real treat.

After that, I had a quick supper with my grandmother’s friend. Maxine, Hoyt’s mom, had been a couple of decades younger than Gran, but they’d been tight. Maxine was so happy about Hoyt’s wedding that I was feeling really cheerful after this visit; plus, Maxine had told me some funny stories about Gran. It was nice to remember that side of Gran, the familiar side, instead of thinking of her affair with Fintan. Dang, that had knocked me for a loop. Thanks to Maxine, I had a nice hour remembering the Gran I’d always thought I knew.

It grew dark as I drove home. Today was so much better than yesterday. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have such good friends. The warm night seemed benevolent instead of scorching. I had a good time singing along with the radio since there was no one to hear my awful voice.

I’d hoped to at least get some phone messages from my vampire friends-of course, I’d been hoping to hear from Eric most of all. But my cell phone didn’t chirp on the drive back to my place. I stopped briefly at the end of the driveway to collect my local newspaper, and then I drove up to the house.

It wasn’t a total surprise-but it was a total relief-to find that they were waiting for me. Pam’s car was parked at the back of the house, and Bill, Eric, and Pam were sitting in lawn chairs in my backyard. Pam was wearing a low-cut flowered T-shirt and white cropped pants as a nod to the season-not that the temperature made any difference to her. Her high cork sandals were a great finishing touch.

"Hi, you-all!" I said, gathering all my gifts up out of the backseat. I gave Pam a special nod to acknowledge her ensemble. "What’s up at Fangtasia?"

"We came to wish you a happy day," Eric said. "And I suppose, as usual, Bill will want to express his undying love that surpasses my love, as he’ll tell you-and Pam will want to say something sarcastic and nearly painful, while reminding you that she loves you, too."

Bill and Pam looked decidedly miffed at Eric’s preemptive strike, but I wasn’t going to let anything dim my mood.

"And what about you, Eric?" I asked on counterattack. "Are you going to tell me that you love me just as much as Bill, but in a practical way, while finding some way to subtly threaten me and simultaneously remind me that you may be leaving with Freyda?" I bared my teeth at him in a ferocious smile as I trotted by the trio on my way up my back steps. I unlocked the screen door, crossed the porch, unlocked the kitchen door, and went inside with my armful.

After dumping the presents on the kitchen table, I stepped back out onto the porch and opened the screen door. "Any of you have anything new to say?" I looked from one to the other. "Or shall I just consider all this as said?" Pam was looking away to hide her grin.

"Just that he was right," Bill said, smiling openly. "I do love you more than Eric does. Have a great night, Sookie. Here is a gift for you." He held out a little box with a bow on it, and I extended my arm to take it.

"Thank you, Mr. Compton," I said, returning his smile, and he strode off into the woods. At the edge, he turned to blow me a kiss.

Pam said, "Sookie, I brought you something, too. I never thought I’d want to spend time with a human, but you’re more tolerable than most. I hope no one hurts you on your birthday." As birthday wishes went, that kind of sucked, but it was genuine Pam. I stepped down off the porch to give her a hug. She returned it, which made me smile. You never knew with Pam. Her touch was cold and she smelled of vampire. I was very fond of her. She produced a small box, highly decorated, and pressed it into my hand.

She stepped back and looked from me to Eric. "I’ll leave you two to whatever talk you want to have," she said, her voice neutral. Eric was her maker, and there was a limit to the verbal abuse she could deal out. In a moment she was gone.