"You get to work, Mom. I'll clean things up in here."

"Okay, honey."

Lily went into the living room and picked up the necklace she had been working on… it was an intricate interweaving of seashells and straw-colored string and she knew it would bring a good price. Her fingers were just getting into the rhythm of macrame knotting when she heard a car pull up outside.

"Damnit," Lily cursed under her breath. She got to her feet and went to the door, in time to see Cindy Bradley walking up the dirt path to her door. The attractive blonde wore skin-tight blue jeans and a white cotton halter top that barely cove red her generously rounded breasts. She was smiling in a friendly way but in her eyes was something calculating that Lily did not like.

"Hi," Cindy said cheerfully.

"Hello," Lily replied coolly. "Something I can do for you?"

"Well, I just thought I'd drop by to see if Eddie would like to take a little ride around the area with me, see what his new home is like. Carl is off somewhere and I really had nothing else planned…"

"I don't think so, Mrs. Bradley," Lily said. "Eddie…"

"Gee, I'd love to!" Her handsome teenage son's voice sounded behind her. He had heard the car too, and had come out of the kitchen to see who it was. Now he crossed the living room, drying his hands on a dishtowel. He smiled shyly at the beautiful blonde woman, then looked at his mother. "Mom, can I go? It would be fun, and since you're going to be working I won't have anything to do here."

"Well…" Lily hedged. It was just a feeling she had about the Bradleys… nothing she could put a finger on. She just didn't think they were the kind of company she wanted her son to keep. But she couldn't come out with a concrete explanation for Eddie…

"Well, Mom, can I?" Eddie asked her, his eyes dancing. He felt a curious excitement inside at the prospect of sitting beside the beautiful blonde woman in her shiny new foreign car. He didn't know exactly why he was so excited, but he was.