“He didnt do it alone.” Dana pulled the champagne out of the bucket, arched her eyebrows at the label. “This has Brads fingerprints all over it. Not just champagne but stupendous champagne.”

Zoefrowned over the label. “Thats expensive, isnt it?”

“Not only, but very classy. Only time I ever had it was when Brad gave me a bottle for my twenty-first birthday. He always had style.”

“The three of them did this together, for us.” With a long sigh, Malory danced her fingers over petals. “Id say all three of them have style.”

“Lets not disappoint them.” Dana popped the cork, poured champagne into the three flutes set on the table.

“We need to have a toast.”Zoe picked up the flutes, passed them out.

“Lets not do one that makes us cry.” Malory took a steadying breath. “The flowers have me half started already.”

“Ive got it.” Dana raised her glass. “To Indulgence.”

They clinked glasses, sipped. And cried a little anyway.

“Ive got something I want to show you.” Malory set down her glass, picked up her briefcase. “Just something I was playing with. I dont want you to feel obligated. You wont hurt my feelings if you dont like the concept. Its just… just an idea.”

“Stop killing us with suspense.” Dana picked up a cookie. “Give.”

“Okay. I was thinking about a logo, you know something that incorporates all three businesses. Of course, we might all want separate ones anyway, but we could use one logo for letterhead, business cards, the Web page.”

“Web page.” Pursing her lips, Dana nodded. “Youre way ahead of me.”

“Pays to plan. You rememberTod .”

“Sure. Really cute guy you worked with at The Gallery,” Dana supplied.

“Right. Hes a good friend, too, and hes great at computer design. We could ask him to fiddle with looks and features for a Web page. Actually, Im hoping to be able to offer him a job here. Down the road a little, but being optimistic, Im going to need help. We all will.”

“I havent thought that far ahead,” Dana admitted. “But yeah, Ill need at least one part-time bookseller who can handle brewing tea, serving wine. I guess I might need two people, realistically.”

“Ive got feelers out for a stylist, a nail consultant. Some others.”Zoe pressed a hand to her jumpy stomach. “Jeez. Were going to have employees.”

“I like that part.” Dana lifted her champagne glass again. “Its good to be boss.”

“Were also going to need a tax consultant, office equipment, signage, an advertising budget, phone systems… I have lists,” Malory finished.

Dana laughed. “I bet you do. Now what else is in the briefcase?”

“Okay. For the logo. This is just something I did from an idea I had.”

She pulled out a folder, opened it, then set the drawing on the table.

The figure of a woman sat in a salon chair, tipped back in a pose of easy relaxation. A book was open in her hands, a glass of wine and a single rose in a bud vase on the table beside her. All this was inside an ornate border that framed it like a stylized portrait.

Above the border was the single word: INDULGENCE.

Below the name, it read FOR THE BODY, THE MIND, AND THE SPIRIT.

“Wow.” Managing only the single word,Zoe put a hand on Malorys shoulder. “Its just a thought,” Malory said quickly. “Something to unify what were all doing. Since were using the one name for everything. Then we could have this sort of thing on our individual cards, letterheads, invoices, whatever, with something like—I dont know—„Indulgence. For Beauty. Indulgence. For Books. Indulgence. For Art. And that would differentiate each aspect while keeping it under one umbrella.”

“Its wonderful,”Zoe exclaimed. “Its just wonderful. Dana?”

“Its perfect. Absolutely perfect, Mal.”

“Really? You like it? I dont want to box you in just because—”

“Lets make a pact,” Dana interrupted. “Any time any of us feels boxed in, she just says so. Were girls, but were not weenies. Okay?”

“Thats a deal. I can give this toTod ,” Malory went on. “He could make up a sample letterhead. Hed do it as a favor. Hes better at the desktop-publishing stuff than I am.”

“I cant wait!”Zoe let out a hoot and did a little dance around the room. “First thing in the morning, were going to start some serious work around here.”

“Hold on.” Dana spread her arms to indicate the walls. “What do you call all this painting weve been doing?”

“The tip of the iceberg.” Still dancing,Zoe grabbed her champagne.

* * *

DANA had never considered herself a slacker. She was willing to work hard, insisted on pulling her weight, and she got the job done. Anything less was unacceptable.

Shed always viewed herself as a woman with high personal standards—both personally and professionally, and she tended to sneer at those who skimmed over work, who complained that the job theyd agreed to take on turned out to be too hard, too involved, too much trouble.

But compared toZoe , Dana decided as she dashed into the market to pick up a few supplies, she was a malingerer. She was a wimpy-assed crybaby. The woman had worn her out in the first twenty-four hours.

Paint, wallpaper, trim samples, light fixtures, hardware, windows, floor coverings—and the budget for all that and more. And it wasnt just the thinking and deciding, Dana realized as she pondered a bunch of bananas, that was enough to make your head explode. It was the labor as well.

Scraping, hauling, stacking,unstacking , drilling, screwing, hammering. Well, there was no doubt about it, she mused as she picked through the oranges. When it came to the organization, delegation, and implementation of labor,Zoe McCourt was in charge.

Between the work, the decisions, the worrying search for the key, and her struggle to keep her head above her heart regarding Jordan, she was completely worn out.

But could she just go home, fall on the bed, and sleep for ten hours? Oh, no, she thought with a hiss as she moved on to the dairy aisle. No, indeed. She had to attend a big meeting at Brads place on the river.

She really needed about two solid hours of absolute solitude and quiet, but shed had to trade a portion of that for groceries if she didnt want to starve to death in the coming week.

On top of that, she no longer had any confidence that she would find the answer to the key in the stacks of books shed accumulated. Shed read and read, followed every lead, but she didnt seem to be any closer to a concrete theory, much less a solution.

And if she failed, what then? Not only would she let down her friends, her brother, her lover. Not only would she disappoint Rowena andPitte , but her inadequacy would doom the Daughters of Glass until the next triad was chosen.

How could she live with that? Depressed now, she tossed a quart of milk in her basket. Shed seen the Box of Souls with her own eyes, ached to watch those blue lights battering frantically at their prison walls.

If she couldnt find the key, slide it into the lock as Malory had done with the first, everything theyd done would be for nothing.

And Kane would win.

“Over my dead body,” she declared, then jolted when someone touched her arm.

“Sorry.” The woman laughed. “Sorry. It looked like you were arguing with yourself. I usually dont get to that point until I hit the frozen dessert section.”

“Well, you know. Whole milk, low fat, two percent? Its a jungle in here.”

Then the woman angled her cart so another shopper could get through.

Pretty, brunette, late thirties, Dana observed, trying to place her. “Sorry. I know you, dont I? I just cant place it.”

“You helped me and my son a couple of weeks ago in the library.” She reached for a gallon of milk. “He had a report due the next day for American history class.”

“Oh right, right.” Dana made the effort to tuck her dark thoughts away and answer the smile. “U.S. history report, Mrs.Janesburg , seventh grade.”

“Thats the one. Im Joanne Reardon.” She offered her hand. “And the life you saved was my son, Matts. I stopped back in the library last week to thank you again, but I was told you werent there anymore.”

“Yeah.” That brought some of the dark thoughts back into play. “You could say I retired abruptly from library service.”

“Im sorry to hear that. You were terrific with Matt. And you made a big difference. He got an A. Well, an A-minus, but anything with Matts name on it that includes an A is cause for wild celebration in our house.”

“Thats great.” And particularly good to hear at the end of a long day. “He mustve done a good job. Mrs.Janesburg doesnt pass out the As like doughnuts.”

“He did, which he wouldnt have done if you hadnt pointed him in the right direction. More, if you hadnt found the right key to turn in his head. Im glad I got the chance to tell you.”

“So am I. You picked up my day considerably.”

“Im sorry about whatever happened with the job. Its none of my business, but if you ever need a personal reference, you can sure have mine.”

“Thanks. I mean that. Actually, some friends and I are starting our own business. Im going to be opening a bookstore in a month or so. Probably a little more „or so, but were putting it all together.”

“A bookstore?” Joannes hazel eyes sharpened with interest. “In town?”

“Yeah. A combination thing. A bookstore, an arts and crafts gallery, and a beauty salon. Were fixing up a house over on Oak Leaf.”

“That sounds fabulous. What an idea. All that in one place, and in town. I only live about a mile and a half from there. I can promise to be one of your regular customers.”