Lair of Dreams
“Congratulations,” Mabel muttered.
Theta rolled her eyes. “Congratulations. For a wedding present, I’ll buy you a matched set of common and sense. Not that you’ll ever use it.”
“I’ll choose to overlook that remark.” Evie sniffed.
“Something about this ain’t on the level is all I know,” Theta said.
In the other room, the telephone rang.
“Oh, no! Could one of you be an absolute daaahling and grab that?” Evie said.
“I do so lahhve to be a daaahling,” Theta mimicked, and marched to the phone on Evie’s bedside table with Mabel in tow. “Sweetheart Seer residence. Sorry, but currently the Sweetheart Seer is all wet,” Theta said, and Mabel giggled.
“Theta!” Evie howled from the tub. Theta kicked the bathroom door shut.
“Uh-huh… uh-huh… yeah, sure, I’ll tell Her Radio Highness. Good-bye,” Theta said, hanging up the phone.
Theta put on a hoity-toity accent. “I am to let Miss O’Neill know that her driver has arrived.”
“Driver?” Evie said, eyes wide. The girls rushed to the window. Down on the street, a chauffeur waited beside a shiny green Chrysler.
Mabel gasped. “Holy smokes. It’s like you’re Gloria Swanson or something. Like you’re a movie star.”
“A star,” Evie repeated, eyes flashing.
“Congratulations, Evil. You’ve arrived. I guess we’ll exit stage left, Mabel.”
“If you wait a minute, you can ride with me to the radio show. We could all go together, like real swells!”
“Mabesie?”
For the past two months, Mabel had tried to ignore the changes in Evie. The way she now said eye-ther instead of eee-ther. The way she greeted people she hardly knew with a drawn-out daaah-ling. The way she always seemed to have time for parties and dates and her new glamorous pals, but not for Mabel. But this was too much. Weren’t she and Evie best friends? Shouldn’t a girl share the news of her engagement with her best friend first?
Mabel’s conscience told her that she should go and cheer Evie on. But she was angry and deeply hurt, and she didn’t think she could tolerate being just one of the faceless crowd again.
“Sorry. I’m not available,” Mabel said, turning on her heel. “I’ll get the elevator, Theta.”
“I’ll be right there, kid. I gotta powder my nose first.” Theta waited until Mabel was down the hall, then cornered Evie. “Evil, are you really marrying Sam Lloyd?”
“It’s in all the papers, isn’t it?” Evie said. It wasn’t precisely lying.
Theta’s eyes searched Evie’s for an uncomfortable second. “You break the news to Jericho about your engagement?”
“Why would I?” Evie said, looking away.
“Just a hunch, but I don’t think he’s gonna take it well.”
Theta patted Evie’s face. “Keep telling yourself that.”
When Jericho opened the day’s paper, he had to read the headline four times before it finally sank in: Evie was marrying Sam Lloyd. Sam “A Girl in Every Port” Lloyd. Sam, that grifter who couldn’t be counted on, who only looked out for himself. She’d chosen that jackass over him. When had it happened? Was that why Evie had avoided him, why she didn’t respond to his letters? Was that the reason for her brush-off at the Bennington last night? Sam Lloyd. Did girls really go for fellas like that? Did they truly find bad boys more attractive?
Or did they just want to know that a fella was normal, a man, not a machine?
A few months ago, Jericho had been shot. The pain had been a sharp pop of fire in his chest. Reading the article on Sam and Evie’s romance hurt even worse. He was glad that Will had already left with Sister Walker so that he could bear the sting of it in private.
Off-key singing sounded in the hall, announcing Sam’s arrival, and Jericho cursed his luck.
“Honey, ready my slippers and pipe—I’m home!” Sam shouted as he blew into the library and dropped himself onto the worn brown leather Chesterfield, ruddy-cheeked and smiling. “Freddy, you would not believe the day I’ve had so far. A real roller coaster. But there’s good news: Evie’s on board to host the Diviners exhibit opening.”
“Congratulations. How’d you manage that?” Jericho said evenly.