Jennifer Crusie - The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes

Dee felt as confused as Maxine. Did Danny really mean to protect her? Maybe she could at least listen to what he had to say.

‘Well, that’s just great,’ Maxine said, still sounding bewildered. ‘So you’re like in love and everything?’

Dee damn near spilled her Martini. ‘We’re in what?’

Danny gave her a conspiratorial look. ‘Give us time, Maxine.’

‘Give me another Martini, Maxine,’ Dee said, in a tone that said, Get out of here, Maxine, and Maxine, evidently realizing her tip was in jeopardy, made tracks back to where the rest of the waitresses waited.

Dee faced Danny James. ‘Why did you do that? You could have outed me like Rock Hudson.’

He lifted an eyebrow. ‘You’re not escaped felons. I figure you have your own reasons for protecting yourselves. And while I’d dearly love to know why, that’s not why I’m here. Okay?’

She found she could breathe again. At least for now. ‘Thank you.’

He picked up his longneck. ‘No thanks necessary. Maxine was right, though. I wasn’t being a gentleman. I’m sorry. It just seems such a long way from that “Delightful Dee-Dee” on the show who always sang in her pretty pink dresses.’

So that quickly he was back on the hunt. Dee went after her Martini. ‘I’ll have you know crinoline itches like a bitch.’ So did wool, but he didn’t need to know that. ‘What else itched?’

Dee stared. He’d just done it again. ‘What?’

He leaned closer to her and kept his voice down. ‘You and your sisters disappeared twenty-four hours after your parents’ death, and haven’t been heard from since. What have you been hiding from?’

‘Nosy researchers.’

‘I thought you might like to tell your side of the story. Did you really go to Butler University?’

‘If we wanted to tell our story, we probably would have done it anytime during the last twelve years.’ She reached for her purse, trying to force an end to this nonsense. ‘There is no story.’

He didn’t move. ‘It’s not just that you’ve never even gone back to your parents’ commune – who would all like to hear from you, by the way. You’re living in seclusion half a continent away under an assumed name. Why?’

She stopped again and faced him with a semblance of calm, even as her pulse skittered around like a pea in a hot skillet. ‘Who wants to live in a commune of psychics? Everybody knows your business.’

‘And now nobody does.’

‘And oddly enough, they don’t seem to mind.’

‘What about your sisters?’

‘They don’t mind, either.’

‘Even the name change?’

She was getting frustrated. ‘You don’t like O’Brien? It was my grandmother’s name.’

He jotted something down, although Dee couldn’t figure out what it could have been. She hadn’t said anything yet.

‘Your parents,’ he said, his posture still comfortable. They were both gifted?’

He looked so objective. Too bad Dee had already heard his opinion on the matter.

‘You really want to know?’

He looked up, surprised. ‘Of course. If anybody knew, it would be you.’

‘And you’ll believe me.’

He offered a wry grin. ‘You seem a trustworthy sort.’ She wanted to shake her head. This was going to be such a waste of time. ‘Yes. They believed they were gifted.’

‘And you?’

‘Me what?’ Are you gifted?’

‘Why, yes, thank you. I can knit and tap-dance a little, and I’m a whiz with a block of ice and a chain saw.’

‘What about…?’ He let his hands drift through the air, the universal sign language for ‘woo-woo.’

‘Looking for somebody to entertain at parties?’

‘Looking for the truth about your parents.’

‘No you’re not.’ She shoved her drink away and sat back. ‘You’re trying to prove they were frauds. I mean, they must have been, mustn’t they? After all, they were convicted of it. They were convicted because they are fairly credulous and believed the wrong financial advisors.’ And Xan, who had known better. ‘I’m not going to help you vilify them further.’

‘And what makes you think I’m going to do that?’

Dee gave him the benefit of sincerely considering her answer. ‘You don’t believe it’s real, do you?’ she asked.

He never hesitated. He didn’t even smile. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I don’t.’

Dee almost laughed. She should have known. He was a psychophobe with a pile of psychic magazines in his bedroom. ‘Not ghosties nor ghoulies nor even things that go bump in the night?’

‘Swamp gas and overheated imaginations.’

Lord, was she tempted to show him. It would be so easy. All she had to do was reach across the table, grab him by the ears, and kiss him. Really lip-lock in on him so that she sucked on his tongue like a Popsicle and he suddenly looked up to see his mother sitting in front of him. Wouldn’t he be surprised?

‘Would you mind talking about the show?’ he asked. ‘I mean, nobody was closer than you three.’

Dee reached for her Martini again. It would be such a good moment to shift. It didn’t have to be his mother. Just something startling and very mobile. ‘We weren’t involved at all,’ she said. ‘Just trotted out on special occasions. Other than that, we had nannies.’

And Xan. Always there, whispering in her ear, dripping uncertainty like acid. Especially, inevitably, around her twelfth birthday, the day her world changed.

‘Why don’t you just tell me about the book?’ she asked. ‘Why is Mr Delaney so interested in psychics all of a sudden?’

Danny James eased back in his seat. ‘Not all of a sudden, really. It’s a subject he’s been fascinated by for a while. Especially… shall we say, “professional psychics.”‘

‘Ah.’ Dee took a sip of her drink. ‘I recognize that tone of voice. The “all psychics are frauds or delusional” tone. Cops and fundamentalists are particularly fond of it.’

‘Well, were they? Frauds, I mean.’

‘You obviously think so. Who am I to argue?’

He should have looked piqued. He laughed. ‘Oh, I do love a challenge. I don’t suppose you’d like dinner after all, would you?’

Of course she’d like dinner. Who was he kidding? But she couldn’t risk it on so many levels.

Then he reached across the table. ‘Please,’ he said. ‘I don’t bite. I promise.’

He did even worse than that. He touched her. Laid his hand over hers and squeezed. Lightning burst behind Dee’s eyes. A shock of heat shot up her arm and scorched her. That dusty image blossomed again, paint and sunlight and Danny James. Worse, this time it brought with it the sound of laughter. The sense of joy.

Dee gasped, stunned to silence. She looked up to see that Danny had lost color. His pupils were suddenly the size of dimes. Oh, God. He could see it, too. He could hear it.

Dee yanked her hand away, fully intending to turn him down. To climb regally to her feet and walk purposefully out the door.

She took in a breath, all set to shake her head. ‘Actually,’ she said instead, ‘I’d love to.’

Lizzie stared up at Elric, into his dark, fathomless eyes, and she knew he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to. She was fascinated by his mouth, by his cool voice, by his eyes and the long elegant hands. She was fascinated by him, and half terrified.

She still wanted him to kiss her. She could feel the power pulsing between them, threading through her body so that she could feel him everywhere, and the sensation was so terrifyingly wonderful that she wanted to feel his mouth as well, everywhere, and see what kind of colors it brought.

But then he dropped his hand, stepping back, away from her, and the connection was broken, and she felt suddenly drained. Thankfully unkissed. Damnably unkissed.