No matter how much work they are, no matter how early I have to get up every day to take care of them, no matter how many times I’m at Marvelous Marco’s paying vet bills, I love my animals. They have given me peace.

* * *

Aunt Iris made the sign. She nailed it to the big oak at the turnoff.

It said, “Chief Ass Burn: You Are Not Allowed on Our Property.”

That’ll do it, I thought, getting to be quite the cynic. He’ll definitely stay off the property even when he finds out you three are selling pot out of the greenhouse.

I was beginning to feel sick about their “business venture.”

* * *

Jules and I received e-mails that the DNA company had received our vials of spit.

“Pretty fun, huh?” Jules said when she called me that night. “We’ll find out where those ancestors of ours are from.”

“We’re from witch country. Soon we’ll know.”

“I think I’ll get a sexy witch outfit for me and a warlock outfit for Mack. That’d be fun. Not long before I’m Mrs. Motorcycle Rider! Mack is so brave. He’s so confident. When I bring home new sex toys, he’s always game to try them out.”

“That’s very courageous.”

“I know!” She sniffled. “Anything I want to try, he wants to try. He doesn’t make me feel silly or stupid for asking, he just smiles that smile at me when I tell him, well, when I ask him if he wants to play dress up or do role-play or try new games or toys, and he always says, ‘Anything you want to do, Sugar Love Jules, we’ll do, you’re my apple pie.’ And so we do.”

A little too much detail, but okay! “He has an adventurous spirit like you.”

“Yes, he does. He’ll try anything in bed at all. Doesn’t even mind my crazy ideas! He makes me feel sexy.” She burst into tears. “I love him so much! I can’t wait to get married with you as my maid of honor.”

“Stop, stop!” I teared up and blew my nose.

* * *

I drove Torrance’s books out to him again and passed by the battered yellow house that I didn’t want to see. On my way back I pulled into the drive, turned off my car, and let the memories pour over me. There was an air of depression around the sagging, dilapidated house, although maybe that was me personifying it.

Emily Medegna and I were best friends for three years. She was also close to Jules, because whenever Emily came over, Jules was there, too. We also had a bunch of other girlfriends of all ages on the island, the sisters and cousins of our friends.