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"I don’t think Bill is part of the deal," I said "I’ht where he is She just wants Eric"

I’d loved two vampires Bill had broken

"Will Eric go with her to Oklahoirlfriend would you be then?"

"I don’t know if he’ll go or not," I said "I’ to worry about ould take his place I don’t have to be anyone’s girlfriend I do okay byBubba the truth

Chapter 9

An hour after Bubba left, and just after I’d finally gone to sleep, ht?" Eric’s voice sounded strange; hoarse, almost

"Yes," I said "She was very rational"

"Shethat’s what she told ht"

So he’d talked to Freyda, presumably in person And he’d taken Bubba’s secondhand word that I was fine; so therefore, he hadn’t been as quick to call me as he would have been if there’d been doubt in his mind A lot of inforreed "No violence" I’d lain alone in the darkness,time I’d been sure Eric would arrive at any moment, desperate tomyself with my last bit of self-respect

"She won’t win," Eric said He sounded confident, passionate- everything I

"You’re sure?" I asked

"Yes, my lover I’ up very gently

He didn’t call back

I slept between three and six, I think, and woke up to a su beautiful The downpour had washed everything, cooled the air, and renewed the green of the grass and the trees The delicate pink of the old crepeThe cannas would be open soon

I felt like Hell hungover

While the coffeepot did its work, I slumped at the kitchen table,into a dark depression when I understood that Bill, my first-ever boyfriend and lover, had left me

This was not quite as bad; that had been the first time, this was the second I’d had other kinds of losses during the same time period Loved ones, friends, acquaintances had been er to loss and to change, and these experiences had taught h, and I could think of nothing to look forward to

Somehow I had to pull out of this state of unhappiness I couldn’t struggle throughin anticipation, I had already put my hand on the phone to call his dad before I realized what a cri Hunter over would be The child was a telepath like me, and he would read my misery like a booka terrible situation for Hunter

I tried to think of another good thing to anticipate Tara would be co home from the hospital today, and I should cook a y to plan that, but I ca Okay, save that for later I cast around for other pleasant ideas, but nothing took a grip on my black mood to loosen its hold onon ht I should focus on the death that had precipitated the current crisis, at least in part I checked the news on the computer, but no arrest had been made in Kym Rowe’s murder Detective Ambroselli said, "The police are not close to an arrest, but we’re pursuing several leads Meanwhile, if anyone saw anything in the Clearwater Cove area that night, please call our hotline" So, it would be interesting to hear if Bill and Heidi had found out anything, and it would be interesting- around with the Rowes I’d had the feeling he was a cut or two above what he see, self-destructive stripper

It felt good to have a couple of projects inritual The lockers for the employee area were supposed to come today on the truck That would be fun If you had a very lioaded and prodded myself into preparation and went in the back door of Merlotte’s full of grim determination As I tied on my apron, I felt my mouth curve up in nals all over the place It had been a long time since I’d worn that particular smile

I made a round of ain Another man asn’t there when I needed hione to Arkansas to get a e license I stopped dead inon my heel, I shot out the back door of Merlotte’s Sam’s truck wasn’t at his trailer In thelot I clappeds, Sa unhappy, Sam should be here, too Weren’t we sort-of partners?

"I took another day off," he said, now clued in aboutto be casual

"Seriously, Sam, where are you?"

"Yeah, you sound pretty dary hi on his honey fun while Eric made me miserable-was sinized that my reactions to current events were out of the stratosphere (rip of h for me to rein in the inappropriateness

But not today

"Sookie, ould you think that?" Saoing to ask you She told him she wanted me to help her surprise youbut I wouldn’t do it"

Sah all those pronouns

"I’ outside her house," he said finally "Jannalynn volunteered us to help Brenda get Splendide back in order after the break-in I did think I’d get back to Bon Temps sooner than I am But I’et that way"