Page 8 of Nightmares and Numerology

There wasn’t an inch of her that didn’t look categorically perfect. Skin with a permanently sun-kissed glow? Check. Huge, almond-shaped eyes with lashes that belonged in a mascara ad? Check. Lips that looked downright kissable without any extra makeup? Check, check, and check.

The red dress she wore hugged every contour of her body without ever truly looking indecent. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without some part of me deciding to mutiny. I didn’t have calves of steel from walking on heels my whole life. I sensed that every part of her was just as taut and well-trained, which only made my stomach sink lower.

Even I couldn’t deny that Andrea was beautiful. Rodney had managed to score way out of his league yet again. I wondered if I should pity her for dating him but decided she’d probably have to learn the hard way. Rodney could be very superficially charming if he needed to be.

I glanced sideways, half-expecting Angelo to be staring at her with drool dripping onto the table. Instead, he was scraping the bottom of his ice cream bowl, trying to finish his sundae before it melted. He caught me staring at him, followed my gaze, and shrugged, as though he barely noticed her presence.

“So what does the bastard want?” Angelo drawled, still eating. When he licked his spoon this time, there wasn’t much flourish. How the hell didn’t Andrea rate the sexy spoon routine? She was objectively perfect from her toes to her Pantene-commercial ebony hair.

Andrea half-turned toward him, her expression affronted.“What did you just say?”

Angelo set the bowl and spoon aside after finishing and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his posture completely relaxed. He didn’t seem impressed by her, which utterly baffled me. I wasn’t even into women, let alone dependent on sex to live, and I thought he’d be certifiable not to want her. And yet, there was no hint of interest. At all.

“I asked what the prick wants. Today was yet another entry in a long list of ways he’s dragged the divorce out longer than necessary. So forgive me for not being polite to you, Ms. Reyes. I’m disgusted by the man you’ve decided to hitch your wagon to. Maybe I should be giving you my condolences on your choice of partner.”

Andrea mouthed at him like a landed fish. I did too, for that matter. I’d never heard such naked contempt in his tone before. Sure, he put on a show of being an aloof incubus, but he was fairly easygoing once you got to know him. The only thing he took seriously was feeding, and we were on the same page there. He rarely cared enough to become truly hostile.

Andrea straightened, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her dress as she composed herself. She managed to put on that winning smile again, but this time I wasn’t buying it. I had a customer service grin too; it came with the territory. I could sense the underlying hostility that settled like a stone in her mind. Angelo had just made himself an enemy. Great.

“I came to tell you and the judge that there was a miscommunication about this morning.”

“A miscommunication?” I repeated, frowning.

She nodded as she turned to face me. “Rodney has been under the weather. He intended to show up this morning, I promise you. But at the moment, he’s being seen by a doctor. They’re saying he has severe anemia. As you can probably imagine, I was pretty surprised to learn as much and I… well,I forgot to make the necessary calls. You have my most sincere apologies, Lydia. I know it must have been difficult to have this postponed again.”

And now I felt like a heel. The concern in her eyes when she spoke about Rodney seemed genuine. It took me a minute to dig myself out of the shame and self-recrimination to whisper, “It’s fine. I’m sorry he’s not feeling well.”

I was surprised to find I meant it. To say we were on rocky ground was an understatement, but that didn’t mean I wanted Rodney seriously hurt or dead. Just... mildly miserable.

Andrea’s expression softened, and her smile became a bit more genuine. “I knew you’d understand.”

I looked at her and frowned. “You did?”

She nodded. “I’ve heard good things about you. You’re a kind person. Rodney wouldn’t have loved you if you weren’t.”

I thought about saying that Rodney had used my kindness and good nature, not loved me because of it. But that would probably have started another argument. And I didn’t have the time or patience for that. I was relieved to have a concrete reason that Rodney hadn’t shown up. Yes, I was irritated that our last court date had been postponedagain, but at least he hadn’t done it out of spite.

Andrea reached into the purse hanging from one graceful hand and pulled out a business card, offering it to me. “I have his hospital room phone number here if you want to call. Ignore the top number; it’s for my campaign office.”

“Campaign office?” I repeated.

Andrea’s smile was dazzling. I actually felt my heart give a nervous flutter. Was Andrea some kind of seductress in disguise, and I just wasn’t catching it? The only woman who’d ever made me think this way was Angelo’s sister, and she was a succubus.

“I’m running for mayor. The election is next week. Can I count on your vote?”

Angelo snatched the card before I could, tucking it into his pocket. “We’ll see about the vote. I like to read the fine print before I form an opinion.”

There was an almost amused slant to Andrea’s smile, which made it more compelling, not less. “I like a deep thinker. We should get coffee sometime and discuss politics, Mr. Stedham.”

Had she just asked him out? In front of me? Was it Angelo’s misbehaving pheromones or something he’d done on purpose? I cast him a sideways glance, opening my mouth to say something, but he beat me to the punch.

He pointedly took my hand. “I have a prior arrangement, and you have a sick boyfriend. It wouldn’t work out.”

Something ugly flickered in her eyes before she could disguise it. Then the moment was gone, and she was all business again as she turned to face me once more.

“I’m sorry to dash, but I thought you deserved an explanation, Lydia. I’d want one in your place.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Good luck with your race, I guess.”

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