Page 66 of Nefarious
“Good. Now scram.”
Morty took a few steps backward, then turned and climbed back into his car. Dane waited until his headlights disappeared down the lane and around the corner before making his way back to his own car. Then he made a U-turn and followed another nondescript lane, deeper into the country than Dane usually ventured. It amazed him how quickly the city fell away, leaving nothing but fields.
He pulled in the drive and skipped up the front steps, double checking that nobody waited in the evening shadows to take his picture. This wasn’t something he wanted passed around for speculation.
He rang the bell, trying to overlook the peeling paint and the spiderweb cracks in the panes of glass. The door creaked open, and Rosamund’s eyes opened wide before she doubled over and began to cough heavily. She recovered enough to say, “Dane, what are you doing here?”
“I heard you’re not feeling well. Everything okay?”
“Just the crud. Nothing to worry about.”
“I thought you might like something warm and a little company?” He held up the bag he’d carried out of the Chinese restaurant. “It’s not chicken soup, but close enough. Wantons in broth?”
“You’ve always been too good to me.” She opened the door and let him in. “Come in.”
He stepped into the foyer, nodding in approval at the improvements he could discern from that vantage point. “How’s the water, Rose?”
“I haven’t had any problems since you had the well pump replaced. Thank you, again.” She headed down the hall to the kitchen where she pulled out a couple of mugs from a hutch. “Tea?”
He sat at the table and produced a deck of cards. “Fancy a game?”
She smiled and slid open a drawer. She dropped a pad of paper covered with penciled tabulations in front of him. “We never finished the last game. I was winning.”
Dane glanced at the date scrawled at the top, wincing with guilt at how long it had been since he’d last paid a visit. “What were we playing for? Your hand in marriage, was it?”
Rosamund ladled the soup into a bowl and carried it to the table. She pulled her bathrobe tight as she dropped into a chair. “Now, you know I’d lose on purpose if that were on the table.”
“Yes, well. That would indeed be your loss.”
She leaned in. “Don’t let them tell you who you are.”
Dane chuckled. “Who’sthem?”
“Everyone. The press. The gossips.” She dipped her spoon into the greasy liquid and blew to cool it before slurping it up. “Mmm. That’s good.”
“I know who I am, Rose. At least I think I do. The press gets it right even when they get it wrong.”
“I know you, Dane. You’ve got a heart of gold.”
Dane shook his head. His heart was black as tar. “You only think that because you’re the great love of my life, sweetheart.”
She snorted, then reached over and laid a twisted hand on his. “Whoever ends up with your affections will be one lucky lady.”
“Whoever ends up with my affections is likely to burn them to the ground. That’s why you’re the girl for me.”
Rosamund’s eyes narrowed. “Now you listen to me, boy. You need to stop playing around and decide what you want. Your problem is you take nothing seriously.”
Dane didn’t dispute her. How could she understand that the things he wanted were mutually exclusive. She was right though. He’d need to make a decision. If he didn’t, Val would make it for him.
He shuffled the cards and began to deal. “I think we were playing for a new front door?”
Dane straightened his tie and knocked. He was enjoying the anticipation of finding out exactly what magic Margaret had pulled off. Selena opened the door with a radiant smile.
“Look!” She spun around and showed off a navy knee-length gown with a neckline that left little to the imagination. Margaret had dressed her up to show her off. “They came by earlier with a couple of choices. OH! And look at the shoes!” She stepped back so he could take in her full length. High heels matched the dress perfectly and brought out the muscles in Selena’s calves. She had gorgeous legs, and he thought of a half a dozen things he wanted to do to her right there in the doorway.
“You look beautiful. I knew a cocktail dress would look stunning on you.”
She curtsied and then reached up to tug at his tie. “And you, sir, look devilishly handsome.”
