I wedged a forkful of pie into my mouth and chewed in thought. The rich tang of butterscotch was sharp, and I ate another bite. Pie for breakfast was one of the perks of a crazy mom. “A stimulant would work better?” I mumbled.

“Guaranteed.”

Confidence emanated from her, but I wasn’t convinced, and I cringed at the thought of what would happen if it didn’t have the desired effect. Besides, it didn’t matter anymore. I was going to be the model roommate and never trigger Ivy’s blood lust again. That is, if she didn’t get mad and leave, ticked at all the time she had wasted on me. But if she stayed, she might someday want a little something to take the edge off….

My mother came to sit across from me, her eyes on her pie. “Throw in a lot of crushed lime. Citrus sends everything deep, and you want to stimulate the complex thought processes, not the surface ones.”

“Okay,” I said, my gaze flicking to my disguise charms. She was the expert. “Thanks.”

Her smile widened, and she became almost teary. “I want to help, honey. I’m sorry if I’ve been so odd in the past that you felt you couldn’t come to me.”

I smiled back, feeling warm inside. “I’m sorry, too.”

She reached out and patted my hand. “Marshal is worried about you. I’m glad you’re being honest with him about how dangerous your life is. More honest than with me, I hope.”

Here we go. More guilt. “I didn’t want you to worry,” I almost whined at my pie. God! I hated it when my voice did that.

Giving my closed fist a sharp tap so that her wedding ring hit my knuckle, she withdrew her hand. “I know how deep in the shit pit you usually are, but tell him before he starts to really like you.”

“Mom!”

She sighed then, following it up with a glum “Sorry.”

I hid behind a bite of pie. “I’m okay,” I mumbled. “We’re doing okay.”

Again she smiled, becoming my usual mother once more. “I know you are.”

We both looked up when the doorbell rang. “That would be Marshal,” she said as she rose and tugged her sweater straight. “I told him I’d have you up and ready for your date by three thirty. You still have time before you have to be back on hallowed ground, and a distraction is just what Dr. Mom ordered.”

I looked at the pie, then picked up the half I had yet to eat. “Mom,” I protested around a full mouth as I followed her down the hall, “I can’t. I have to go home and prep for a run. I’ve got a lead on who might be summoning Al, and I’m going to lean on them tomorrow. Besides, I’m not ready for a boyfriend.”