Autumn Calling by T. Lynne Tolles Page A

huh?!”
    “Very,” Summer agreed.
    “Course, it would have been much easier to
find out this stuff if my parents had survived. Think of all the
cool stuff they had and did.”
    “But if you had known them, we wouldn’t have
been besties. Not that I don’t wish you had a chance to know
them.”
    “I know. Somehow I think we still would have
met and been friends even if I had them around.”
    “I bet you’re right. Friendships like ours
are written in the stars, or wherever it is they write that kind of
stuff.”
    “Exactly,” Tori said with a giggle.
    “How’s the house hunting going?”
    “Pretty good, I think. The guy that’s
selling the Mausoleum to Nick owns a really cute bungalow that he’s
thinking of renting until he and his wife decide whether this is a
permanent move or a temporary one.”
    “Have you seen the house?”
    “Yes. It’s adorable. Two bedrooms, one bath,
great big kitchen, nice sized living room with a fireplace, lots of
windows, and a really nicely landscaped front and backyard.”
    “That’s great. Are you excited?”
    “I am. Not looking forward to packing, but
the end result will be worth it.”
    “I’m so happy for you. Nick seems to be
pretty excited too, when he’s not giving me the sulky face he’s
been frequenting around me. I don’t even think he knows he does
that. We’ve had conversations about it and he seems to be oblivious
to it. Speaking of Nick and his defensiveness over Jackson, have
you heard from him?”
    “Not even a peep.”
    “That’s so weird. Nick makes it seem like he
talks to him all the time. If he’s talking to Nick why wouldn’t he
be calling you?”
    “I haven’t a clue, but thankfully, I’ve been
a little distracted myself.”
    “Oh?”
    “You can’t tell Nick though.”
    “My lips are sealed.”
    “Daniel’s been coming around.”
    “Oh! Mister hottie dark angel?”
    “Yes, and he’s changed.”
    “Really? How and why would you want him to?”
Tori joked.
    “He seems to have been learning the art of
human conversation. He actually used humor and sarcasm.”
    “Say it isn’t so!” Tori said, imitating an
overacting Southern damsel.
    “It is and we actually even kind of had a
date.”
    “Wow, really?”
    “Yes, and the night we heard about Sister
Mary Louise’s death he stayed with me all night. He just laid
beside me and held me. It was so wonderful. I felt so safe and
wanted.”
    “That’s so sweet. I worried about you, you
know. I had Nick that night and you didn’t have anyone, but I just
didn’t have the strength to check in on you.”
    “I know. I felt the same, but I knew Nick
would take care of you. It really was nice to have someone worrying
about me and wanting to comfort me in my sadness. I’m not sure how
I would have handled it if he hadn’t been there.”
    “So do you think there’s something between
the two of you?”
    “I think he made a huge effort to learn
about humans and human emotions in the last few months. If nothing
else, it says to me he would like to get to know me better.”
    “What about Jackson?”
    “I don’t know. I mean, things can’t continue
the way they are. If he’s communicating with Nick and couldn’t even
find time to offer his sympathies over the sister, then I don’t
think there’s really anything there to begin with.”
    “I’ve got to admit, I’d be pissed if Nick
did that to me. I mean, if he’d been making an effort, it would be
one thing, but he doesn’t seem to be doing that much to show you
he’s still in this relationship.”
    “That’s pretty much how I feel.”
    “And Daniel? How do you feel about him?”
    “You know I adored him before when he spoke
like an emotionless twit.”
    Tori burst out laughing. “You did have a
pretty good crush on him for a while. My only concern is that he
doesn’t disappear again.”
    “I think about that too. But according to
Daniel, he was always here; he was just waiting for me to call for
him. I hadn’t