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“To help you.” The concern on his face was a welcome difference. He looked like he wanted to know what my problem was. I almost wanted to tell him.
Almost.
Instead, I let out a derisive laugh. Leaning away from the fence, I held on with one arm and swung back and forth slightly, like I’d done on the poles that held up my swing set when I was a little girl. “‘To help you.’ That line is so tired.”
“How many times have you heard it?”
“Let’s see, there were the two sisters who claimed they could see into my past and my future. Apparently I’m a descendant of Mata Hari, who is somehow next in line for the Finnish throne.”
“There’s not a—”
“I know.”
“Ouch.” A sympathetic crease formed between his eyebrows.
“I made Thomas give me the refund on that one—and his credit card—so I could go for some shopping therapy. I tried really hard to bankrupt him.” I grinned at the semihappy memory, and Michael smiled with me. It almost made me forget what I was saying. “Um … then there was the shaman who thought I needed to be exorcised. That one was fabulous; he claimed he could do it with pickle juice and ashes.”
Michael shook his head in disbelief. “Where does your brother find these people? He’s clearly a shrewd businessman—why would he hire such obvious frauds?”
“Desperation? My boarding school was in Sedona. No shortage of ‘spiritual healers’ there. I guess the news that a concerned brother was throwing around a surplus of cash to help his loopy sister spread pretty fast. And none of the people using traditional methods could help me. They all wanted to drug me into a vegetative state or commit me.” I let go of the iron bar and bit down hard on my bottom lip, stopping short of telling him they succeeded, angry with myself for being so honest. If he was a fake like all the others, maybe he would feel guilty and go away before inflicting any damage.
“I’m sorry,” Michael said. No pity, just empathy. His expression was easy to read, or he was a really good actor. He reminded me of old Hollywood, very Cary Grant–ish, except for the slightly shaggy hair.
“So what’s different about you?” I asked, growing weary of the conversation. Already anticipating the disappointment. “What kind of promises are you going to make?”
“None that I can’t keep.” The set of his jaw was resolute, his voice full of certainty.
“What are your qualifications? Did you climb a mountain and meet with a guru?” I asked, baiting him. Wanting a reaction. “Did you have an out-of-body experience, and now people speak to you through mirrors and mud puddles?”
“Listen, I can understand why you don’t have a lot of faith”—he kept his voice low and even, but I suspected a hint of temper—“but what if I can help you? Why wouldn’t you let me?”
“What if I don’t think anything’s wrong with me?” Not anything I expected him to be able to fix, anyway.
“I didn’t say there was.”
“Offering to help me implies I’m in distress. I’m not currently.”
“What about ten minutes ago when you tried to put your drink on a piano that wasn’t there?”
“That wasn’t distress. That was …” I sucked wind.
He saw the piano.
Chapter 5
I punched him in the stomach. Hello six-pack. Even with the protective layer of muscle, he let out a rush of air and bent over, wrapping his arms around his middle.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I apologized, shaking the feeling back into my tingling hand. The streetlights seemed to flicker, and I wondered fleetingly if we were in for another storm. “I needed to make sure you were really here.”
“And there wasn’t a better way to do it?” Michael groaned. He was lucky I aimed high. I’d considered kicking him, but remembered my lethal shoes at the last moment.
“Stress reaction.” I shrugged and stepped out of my high-heeled weapons before I had the urge to do any more damage, appreciating the feel of the cool concrete beneath my feet.
Michael straightened, looking down at me and sizing me up. I couldn’t tell if he liked what he saw. Was surprised to find that it mattered.
“Why were you worried about whether or not I was real? You wouldn’t shake my hand a few minutes ago, even though your brother saw me.”
“It’s been a different kind of day. My world’s been turned upside down and sideways.”
