Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
If Adam was charming the girls, I didn’t want to interfere. So I slipped into the dining room with a blur spell, then exchanged it for a cover one when I could see the kitchen through the doorway. Adam was leaning against the counter, milk glass in one hand, cookie in the other, crumbs flying as he told a story about our last white-water rafting trip. I noticed he conveniently left out the part where he steered us under a waterfall, trying to get me soaked, and ended up getting drenched himself instead, courtesy of a fast knockback spell.
Planted right in front of him, staring up like a daisy at the sun, was Vee. While he glanced at the other girls as he talked, he kept most of his attention on her. I hadn’t thought to tell him that she’d approached me. He was just damned good at reading people. He’d even tailored the story to her, I realized, as she started asking questions about his gear and his favorite spots, and giving him suggestions.
As Adam talked, he glanced at the dining room doorway enough times for me to wonder whether my cover spell had failed. When I heard Megan’s footsteps in the hall, I stepped forward. Adam glanced up, eyes meeting mine, and he grinned broadly enough to earn me scowls from the girls.
“Sorry to interrupt,” I said. “I’m all done. I’ll head outside. Whenever you’re ready—”
“Right behind you,” he said. Then to the girls, his voice filled with regret, “The boss calls, and I think yours is about to.”
On cue, Megan stepped into the kitchen.
Adam turned his grin on her. “Sorry about that. They’re all yours.”
He thanked them for the cookies. I thanked Megan for letting me speak to Alastair. Then we were off. When we reached the Jeep, I glanced back to see Vee on the porch, watching us go.
“Score,” I murmured.
Adam tossed me the keys, then jogged back across the yard, gaze on the ground, as if he didn’t see Vee there. Near the porch, he reached down, scooping up some imaginary item he’d dropped, then saw her and gave a start.
“Hey, there,” he said. “I was just thinking, I should have asked you about Gray River. Someone mentioned it was great rafting. Ever tried it?”
She came down off the porch to talk to him as I started the Jeep. I revved the engine, in case Vee was worried I’d overhear. They chatted for a while—long enough for me to get warm and put down the top.
“I feel so cheap,” Adam said as he climbed into the passenger side.