"Charlaine Harris - Sookie Stackhouse 04 - Dead to the World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harris Charlaine)

up?"

"Hell, no," I said promptly, chiding myself for not guarding my expression better. It was just that I

was so tired. "It'll be this year, for sure, Arlene." I smiled at Bon Temp's only black female police officer.

"You have to have a wish for the New Year, Kenya. Or a resolution."
 "I always wish for peace between men and women," Kenya said. "Make my job a lot easier.

And my resolution is to bench-press one-forty."

"Wow," said Arlene. Her dyed red hair contrasted violently with Sam's natural curly red-gold as

she gave him a quick hug. He wasn't much taller than ArleneтАФthough she's at least five foot eight, two

inches taller than I. "I'm going to lose ten pounds, that's my resolution." We all laughed. That had been

Arlene's resolution for the past four years. "What about you, Sam? Wishes and resolutions?" she asked.

"I have everything I need," he said, and I felt the blue wave of sincerity coming from him. "I

resolve to stay on this course. The bar is doing great, I like living in my double-wide, and the people here

are as good as people anywhere."

I turned to conceal my smile. That had been a pretty ambiguous statement. The people of Bon

Temps were, indeed, as good as people anywhere.

"And you, Sookie?" he asked. Arlene, Kenya, and Sam were all looking at me. I hugged Arlene

again, because I like to. I'm ten years youngerтАФmaybe more, since though Arlene says she's thirty-six, I

have my doubtsтАФbut we've been friends ever since we started working at Merlotte's together after Sam

bought the bar, maybe five years now.

"Come on," Arlene said, coaxing me. Sam put his arm around me. Kenya smiled, but drifted

away into the kitchen to have a few words with Tack.

Acting on impulse, I shared my wish. "I just hope to not be beaten up," I said, my weariness and

the hour combining in an ill-timed burst of honesty. "I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't want to see

a doctor." I didn't want to have to ingest any vampire blood, either, which would cure you in a hurry but

had various side effects. "So my resolution is to stay out of trouble," I said firmly.

Arlene looked pretty startled, and Sam lookedтАФwell, I couldn't tell about Sam. But since I'd