Handsome Flirt

by Lori Wilde

  “Nana, why didn't you tell me you wanted tea?” Dani asked. “I would have gotten it for us.”

  “I'm not dead yet, so stop making me useless,” her grandmother said. With a look at her daughter-in-law, she asked, “You want to stay and help with the plan?”

  Dani's mother looked as if Freda had suggested she dance around the room in a chicken suit. With a loud “Ha,” she left, disapproval trailing behind her.

  “I love these special bonding moments with your mother,” Freda quipped, sitting on the large white sofa. She looked at Travis. “Has Dani told you what I need?”

  He nodded. “You want me to track down other people you've cursed and show that what you said didn't happen.”

  “First, they're not curses. I know Dani calls them that, but they are romantic suggestions. And second, of course they worked. Why would I give people romantic suggestions if they didn't work?” She gave Travis a look that made it fairly clear she wasn't too sure about him.

  “I guess you wouldn't,” Travis said. “Be a waste of time.”

  “Exactly. Now I'd like some tea,” Freda said. “With four sugars.”

  Travis frowned. “Four? Isn't that a—”

  “Interested in trying out one of my romantic suggestions yourself? We could see firsthand if it works.”

  Dani bit back a smile. Poor Trav. The women in her family weren't treating him very well. Her mother didn't like him, and her grandmother was talking to him as if he were a fairly dim lightbulb.

  Moreover, even she had treated him a little harshly. Because of her own wayward thoughts, she'd overreacted to the look he'd given her. She shouldn't have gotten so mad at him when in actuality she was mad at herself.

  “I'll help,” she said, crossing the room to where Travis had placed the cart. Dani was all set to pour the tea, but by the time she got there, Travis was done.

  “Nice,” she commented.

  “One of the advantages to living all over the world is that you become pretty adept at doing things. For your information, pouring tea into a cup is something I've mastered.”

  Dani smiled at his nonsense. Behind her, she heard her grandmother make a huffing-grunting noise, which was her way of laughing without letting anyone know she was laughing.

  Dani glanced at Travis to see if he'd noticed, and he had a deep frown on his face.

  “Is she choking?” he asked softly.

  “No. Trying to mask her laughter.”

  Travis’ frown deepened. “Sure sounds like a near-death noise to me.”

  “What are you two whispering about? If it has to do with this silly lawsuit, then I need to hear it, too,” Freda insisted.

  Dani was going to take the teacup to her grandmother, but Travis beat her to it. He carried it across the room and placed it next to the elderly woman.

  “We weren't talking about the case,” he said. “You made an odd noise, and I was asking Dani if you were okay.”

  Wow, talk about direct. Dani waited to see what her grandmother would do. Freda might look sweet and kind, but she had a temper.

  For a second or two, it seemed as though her temper was going to get the better of her. Then, surprisingly, Freda laughed. Not the muffled huffing-grunting noise she'd used before, but a good, old-fashioned belly laugh.

  “You're something else,” Freda told Travis.

  “But you're just not sure what that something else is,” he countered.

  Freda laughed again, and Dani smiled. Travis had broken through to the older woman in record time. Most people never impressed Freda to the point where she'd relax around them.

  But she sure seemed to like Travis.

  “You're funny,” Freda said. “And I have a good feeling about you. I bet you can help me with this case.”

  “I think I can.” Travis sat down next to Dani's grandmother. “Why don't you tell me about these curses?”

  “Romantic suggestions,” Freda corrected.

  “Right. Romantic suggestions. Why do you do it?”

  Freda leaned toward him, her expression intense as she said, “People should be nicer. And when they're not, I know it's because something is wrong with their love life. So I help them have a better love life, which in turn makes them nicer to people like me.”

  Travis nodded. “I see. And you're convinced these work.”

  “I know they work.” She looked at Dani. “And don't start with that whole power-of-suggestion thing again. My suggestions work because I have a power.”

  “A power?” Travis glanced at Dani and raised one eyebrow. Before she could say anything in her grandmother's defense, the older woman tapped him on the arm.

  “Yes, a power. Not something like the ability to see through walls or run as fast as cars. No, my power is much more profound than that. I can make people have a happy love life, and there's no more potent power in the whole world.”

  Her grandmother leaned back against the sofa and gave Travis a pointed look. “Too many people dismiss the power of love, but it is all that truly matters in this world.”

  Dani had heard her grandmother's philosophy many times while growing up. She knew Nana Freda did it to temper the other message that was constantly sent by her parents—that what mattered was success, and success was measured by the size of a paycheck. Her father certainly didn't believe in love despite growing up with a mother who was interested only in love. And with each passing year, her mother became more and more obsessed with image and status.

  “Nana, you're a romantic,” Dani said.

  “Love is everything,” her grandmother pronounced.

  “Sure is important,” Travis agreed. “Keeps the population growing.”

  “Poo.” Freda waved one hand and made her bracelets jangle. “That's not love. That's monkey business. I'm talking about love, which is something a young man like you probably tries to avoid.”

  “I've dodged it so far.” Travis flashed Freda a grin, and Dani watched as her grandmother fell under the spell of that grin. She'd give Travis that, he did have a way with women.

  “You should try it. Love makes you happy,” Freda repeated.

  “I'm not really the settle-down kind.” Travis looked at Dani. “What about you?”

  Dani laughed and admitted, “Love is the last thing I'm interested in at the moment. It's taken me too long to get where I am to lose focus now.”

  “You two are sad,” Freda said. “Really sad.” Then brightening, she added, “Perhaps I could use my power to help you—”

  “No, Nana.”

  “Don't.”

  Dani looked at Travis, who'd spoken at the same time she had. “Guess we both believe in your spells just a little.”

  “Hey, I'm not taking any chances,” Travis said. He pulled his phone from his shirt pocket and started typing. “Back to the case and people who weren't as fortunate as Dani and me. Do you remember the names of anyone you cursed?”

  “They are not curses,” Freda said emphatically.

  “Okay, people you've given romantic suggestions to,” he said. “Do you remember them?”

  Freda fumbled in the pocket of her dress, then pulled out a large roll of paper with three rubber bands around it. “Here are the names.”

  Travis took the roll. “Big list,” he said dryly.

  “Nana Freda, you've cursed that many people?” Dani stared at the roll. It was huge.

  “They are not curses,” her grandmother said. “But yes, I have helped many people find love.”

  Travis glanced at Dani, and she could tell he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Based on the size of this list, her grandmother was lucky no one had sued her before now.

  “I'll take this back to the ranch and start tracking down some of these people,” Travis said.

  “You're going to find them happy.” Her grandmother had a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile on her face. “Carl Whitley would have been happy, too, if he hadn't misinterpreted my romantic suggestion. He was dense, which is why I'm not giving him a dime
of my money.”

  “How did he react when you made your romantic suggestion?” Travis asked. He glanced at Dani, then back at her grandmother. “What was it? That love would overwhelm him?”

  “Yes. That's what I said.” She straightened her shawl around her shoulders. “He was being very nasty to everyone, so I knew he was having problems with his love life.”

  “He's seventy-two,” Dani said.

  “So? That doesn't mean he's too old for a love life. I'm seventy-one, and I still have a love life.”

  Travis looked downright skeptical, and Dani bit back a laugh. Her grandmother had gone on one date two years ago. That hardly qualified as a love life.

  Although come to think of it, Dani couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date either.

  Travis obviously decided to avoid the topic. Instead, he asked, “So what did he say when you made your romantic suggestion?”

  “He laughed at me,” Freda admitted, smiling. “I thought that was cute, that he would laugh like that. I knew he didn't believe me, but at least it made him happy. And I knew that soon he would believe.”

  Travis wrote something down. “Why did you choose that particular suggestion?”

  She leaned forward and said slowly, “Because he needed a lot of love.”

  “I see. And when you made this romantic suggestion, did you just say it, or did you do something else?”

  Freda frowned at him. “What? Like a dance or something?”

  Travis shot a quick, conspiratorial look at Dani, then he asked, “Did you point one finger at him?”

  Dani opened her mouth to say of course her grandmother hadn't when Nana Freda said, “Naturally.”

  Dani frowned. “You did?”

  “Of course.”

  “So you do point at people and then say the romantic suggestion.” Travis shook his head. “I've got to tell you, Freda, it sure does sound like a curse.”

  “I have to point so the suggestion lands on the right person,” her grandmother reasoned. “If I didn't, it might hit someone else by mistake.”

  Dani was half afraid to ask the question that suddenly occurred to her, but she had no choice. “Tell me you don't squint or make some sort of evil face, too.”

  Nana Freda tipped her chin and looked hurt. “I would never squint at someone. I look at them intensely and speak very clearly, that's all.”

  “While pointing,” Travis added.

  “Yes. While pointing.” Her grandmother smiled. “See, there's nothing remotely curse-like about it.”

  Dani couldn't believe it. All those poor people. Surely they'd felt as if they'd been cursed by a crazy woman.

  She looked at Travis and saw he was fighting not to laugh. She needed to get him out of here now.

  ”Thanks for the information, Nana. I'm sure Travis will be able to find several people to talk to in the next couple of days.”

  “Carl should have used his brain,” her grandmother said. “He shouldn't have taken up with that floozy. She only wanted his money. She didn't truly love him.”

  “Do you think he truly loved her?” Dani asked.

  Her grandmother shook her head. “No. She was not the one I meant the suggestion for. Carl just misunderstood.”

  Regardless of whom her grandmother had meant Carl Whitley to fall for, Dani knew they were going to have a tough battle on their hands. The lawyer Carl had hired was good. The only glimmer of hope Dani had was that Carl's lawyer had suggested they talk before an actual suit was filed. Dani had jumped at the chance, and she hoped that when they had this meeting, she'd have some strong evidence to back her side up.

  Travis stood. “I'll start tracking down some of these people.”

  “I want Dani to go with you when you talk to them,” her grandmother said, folding her hands in her lap. “Family should be there.”

  Oh, no. No, no. This wouldn't work at all. “I can't. I have to get ready to move to New York, Nana, remember?” Dani asked. “Besides, Travis can talk to these people on the phone.”

  Her grandmother frowned. “You said you would help me.”

  “I am helping. I've hired Travis.” Dani looked at Travis for backing. “He doesn't need me.”

  “I can take care of this,” Travis assured the older woman.

  Although her grandmother was small, she suddenly didn't seem like it. She straightened and then looked Dani dead in the eyes. It was an intense look. An unnerving look.

  “I want my granddaughter to meet these people. I want a member of my family to see that I have done these people no harm. No talking to them on the phone. The two of you must go in person.”

  Dani considered arguing, but she wasn't that brave—or that foolish. She could tell how much this meant to her grandmother. She looked at Travis, who shrugged. Reluctantly, she said, “Fine. I'll go with Travis and meet the people.”

  Immediately, Nana Freda's expression changed. She grinned and clapped her hands. “Perfect. The two of you doing this together will be perfect.”

  Dani looked at Travis, who shrugged again, and then she looked back at her grandmother, who seemed way too happy. Dani didn't like that smile on her grandmother's face one bit. The woman was up to something.

  No doubt about it.

  Chapter Three

  Travis glanced over at Dani in the passenger seat of his truck, then quickly refocused on the road. Man, she looked terrific today. The dark jeans and pale-blue T-shirt she had on made it difficult—no make that almost impossible—for him to keep his attention on the road. Where was a cold shower when you really needed one?

  The second he'd seen her this afternoon, he'd known he was in deep trouble, but what could he do? He couldn't refuse to let her come with him. For starters, her grandmother had insisted. Then, there was the fact that she'd cheerfully met him at the ranch at one, just as she'd promised. As she'd stood there, smiling at him, looking so sexy he'd started to sweat, he'd tried to come up with a single reasonable excuse why she shouldn't come with him.

  And promptly drawn a blank.

  So now, ten minutes later, they were on the road, off to meet their first curse recipient, Peggy Lawrence, a friend from high school. At least this meeting should be easy. Peggy had said on the phone that not only did she not remember the curse, she only vaguely remembered Dani's grandmother.

  Maybe they could wrap this up quickly. The sooner he put this case behind him, the happier he'd be. This attraction thing with Dani bugged him. He'd been hoping that when he saw her today the sizzle dancing between them would be gone.

  But no such luck. Right now, lust was coiled around him like a serpent.

  This was not good. Dani was a friend. At the moment, Dani was a client. She wasn't supposed to be the object of lust.

  But looking at her now, the sun making her dark hair shine, the faint scent of her perfume filling his lungs, he had to admit the blatantly obvious...

  His old friend from high school turned him on big-time.

  “How's your brother doing?” Dani asked.

  Travis welcomed the excuse to think about anything but how sexy she looked.

  “Max is good. Got married a few weeks ago, so at the moment, he's basking in the joy of new love and on his honeymoon.”

  “Um, mind if I point out that you sound a tad cynical there, old friend,” she said, humor tainting her voice. “Why? Is it love in general you don't like or is it the woman Max married?”

  Travis shrugged. “I think Paige is great. She's perfect for Max. And he's perfect for her,” he admitted. “Max is the type who is suited to being married, so the two of them probably will be blissfully happy. But for the most part, I think people expect too much from something that's really just chemistry.”

  “Interesting theory,” she said. “How so?”

  He couldn't tell if Dani was simply humoring him or if she sincerely wanted to hear his opinion. As much to himself as to her, he explained, “Let's face it—people wrap emotions around what is actually only sexual attraction and
expect it to last forever. It's all a big marketing ploy to get people to spend their money. You need to buy cards and flowers and gifts for this person. You need to go to expensive, romantic restaurants with this person. You spend a fortune marrying this person. It's just sex. Sure, for a while, it can be amazing. But eventually, it fades and what are you left with? A big, fat credit card bill.”

  He hadn't meant to be so vehement, but he'd warmed to his topic. He knew she was going to argue with him. She couldn't possibly agree with everything he'd just said. Honestly, he didn't really agree with absolutely everything he'd just said either. He'd gotten caught up in his subject and taken it a little further than he'd meant to.

  But basically, he believed most of what he'd said, so he waited for her reaction. He looked over at Dani, who had a thoughtful, almost pensive, expression on her face as if she were seriously considering his side.

  Finally, she slowly nodded. “Good point. Romance is hooey. Sex rules. People should have sex a few times, and when it gets boring, move on. Life would be so much simpler if you could have some fun, and then when you needed to move on, just say, 'It was great, but I'm out of here' without the other person getting hurt.”

  Travis stared at her, stunned. “That's not quite what I meant. Do you really feel that way?” he finally managed to ask.

  “Sure. Why not? I've never given it a lot of thought before, but you make a valid point. Look at the man suing my grandmother. If Carl hadn't gotten so blinded by what he thought was love, his business wouldn't have suffered, and my grandmother wouldn't have gotten into trouble. See, life would have been simpler. The man made his mistake by thinking it was love and that love lasts forever.”

  Not to play devil's advocate since she was on his side, but Travis couldn't help but point out, “For most people it doesn't last, but I guess there are some people who stay together forever.”

  Dani shook her head. “Don't water down your theory. Let's face it, if they stay together, it's probably not because they're wildly in love. They probably stay together because of the kids, or the finances, or because it's a nice routine. My parents have been married for over thirty years, and I can guarantee you, love has nothing to do with them still being together.”