Page 20 of Mr. Dangerous

"I don't believe in a family curse, and you know that. I don't believe in magic at all." It had been Grandmother, after all, that had once threatened me with no more Christmas presents if I let my brothers in on the Santa secret. She knew I'd given up believing in magic before I was even in firstgrade.

I’d stopped believing in magic when my motherdisappeared.

"That we were cursed by a witch? No. That we were cursed by that wreck? You absolutely do believe that,Robert."

"That wreck. Such a way of putting it." I shook my head. "So passive. Likemistakesweremade."

“Mistakes certainly were,” she said back to me tartly. “But Rob, you deserve tofindlove.”

“Then you should leave me to find it. Not club it over the head and drag it into thehouse.”

She stared back at me, her chin rising slightly. “I just want what’s bestforyou.”

“I know,”Isaid.

“You can’t hate me for being meddlesome. It’s only because Iloveyou.”

“I don’t hate you,” I said. “You know I love you. Don’t usethatasaclub.”

“You’re mixing your metaphors, darling.” She pushed back her chair. “You have to commit to one or theother.”

“Where are you going?” Iasked.

“It’s too hot for May,” she said. “I’mmelting.”

“I though you only melted when there was a little girl with ruby slippersinvolved.”

She shook her head at me. “I’ll see youtonight,Rob.”

“No more surprisedates?”

She walked inside without answering. I knew damn well what thatmeant.

I waited until she'd disappeared back inside, the French doors latching behind her, before I calledNaomi.

I wandered down the hill towards the water, past the tennis court and the hot tub, as I listened to thephonering.

"What is it, Rob?" Naomi answered, with a smile in her voice that defused her words. "I knew I shouldn't give you mynumber."

"Amy gave it to me within fifteen seconds, and you made me work for it. What's upwiththat?"

"Amy was hoping to be yourbootycall."

"Right, where did I put her number,anyway?"

"I thought you didn't likeblondes."

"It's not that I don't like blondes. I just adorebrunettes."

"Really?"

"Especially the stand-offishones."

"Well, good thing your grandmother is helpfully supplying brunettes for you." There was a light tone in her voice that soundedfalse.

"She wants me tosettledown."

"Oh."

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