Truth or Demon nov-5

by Kathy Love

  And Daisy had to get that crazy notion out of her head. She considered telling her little sister just that. No. She didn’t want to hurt or embarrass her sister. But she did need to nip this cockamamie idea in the bud.

  Then the obvious solution came to her. Poppy would help Killian find a girlfriend.

  If he was involved with someone else, Daisy would give up this silly plot. And Poppy would stop having dreams like she’d had today. After all, she was not going to be interested in an attached man.

  So that was it. She’d play matchmaker herself.

  Feeling better and more in control, she found a comfy T-shirt and jeans to put on and, as she dressed, she found herself smiling. Still she supposed it was rather flattering that Daisy thought Killian could be interested in her. But she ignored the warm tingle that idea sent through her.

  “Well, we have one good thing here,” Madison reported to Daisy, when they had assembled in the basement laundry room, a place they often went if all the authority figures were home. “Killian is not in the least bit interested in your sister. I asked him outright, and he acted like it was the craziest thing he’d ever heard.”

  Daisy lifted herself up onto one of the top-load washers, and nodded her head. “Yeah, Poppy isn’t at all into Killian either. She acts like she barely notices him. So that is one thing we don’t have to worry about.”

  “But I don’t think we’re making any headway on this boyfriend thing either,” Madison said.

  “No, Poppy sounded like the whole outing was pretty dull. Not that I think she’d tell me right away if she met someone. But I’m sure I would know.”

  “You would,” Emma agreed. “She’d have a sparkle in her eyes. Or a secret little smile that only she understood.”

  “You gotta lay off the romance novels, babe,” Madison said.

  Emma made a face.

  “No, I agree with her,” Daisy said, referring to Emma. Although Emma did read an abundance of romance novels. Usually ones lifted from her mother’s bedroom bookshelves.

  Still, Emma gave Madison a so-there look, then said, “I think Killian has a point. He can’t rush something like this. You don’t want Poppy just dating any old guy. He has to be special. Isn’t that the point?”

  Daisy nodded. “Definitely.”

  She wanted her sister to find her soul mate, if that was possible. Could a demon find that for her? He did deal in souls, right? Of course, not exactly like this.

  “Maybe we need to help him out,” Emma suggested. “You know, tell him places where men she might like would hang out.”

  “That is a good idea,” Daisy said.

  Even Madison nodded.

  Apparently, this wasn’t going to be as simple as the Jenny Bell book made it sound. Their demon clearly needed a little direction.

  CHAPTER 17

  “What are you doing?”

  Daisy peered over Poppy’s shoulder, surprised. She wasn’t surprised that Poppy was already up. Or reading the newspaper while sipping her morning coffee. Her older sister did that every morning.

  It was the section of the paper that had Daisy taken aback.

  Poppy was reading the “Things To Do” section of the Boston Globe. Even that wouldn’t be terribly stunning, except instead of reading the family-related events—her usual points of interest—she was reading the “Nightlife” and “Singles” sections.

  That implied that she might be planning to do something a normal single woman might do—like go out. Weird.

  Maybe they wouldn’t need to direct Killian, after all. Maybe Poppy was finally seeing she did need to get a life outside her little sister, her work and this apartment.

  Daisy grabbed a box of Mini-Wheats, along with a bowl and a spoon, and seated herself beside Poppy so she could sneak peeks at what she was reading.

  “I’m just seeing what’s going on in the singles world,” Poppy said with a smile.

  This was amazing. Poppy was actually admitting she needed to go someplace where real, live, single men were? Maybe this spell was working differently from how Daisy had expected.

  Maybe Killian was just supposed to nudge her in some way so that she decided she herself wanted to date. Which, when Daisy thought about it, was probably a far better idea than letting a demon choose a boyfriend for her.

  Daisy finished pouring her cereal and added milk.

  “I’ve decided to help Killian find a romantic interest.”

  A little milk sloshed over the edge of her bowl as Daisy looked at her sister. Poppy’s attention remained on the newspaper.

  So that was it. She’d decided to help Killian with his earlier claim that he wanted to settle down. A wave of disappointment splashed over Daisy like the milk on the tabletop.

  Oh, well. What was that old saying about spilled milk? If Poppy’s matchmaking plan got her out—and meeting people too—then it worked for Daisy.

  Poppy picked up one of the red pencils she used for editing and circled an event. Leave it to Poppy to be all systematic about her matchmaking. No wild schemes like conjuring a demon for her big sis.

  “So what do you see?” Daisy asked, her mouth full of cereal.

  “Well, there are a few interesting singles events this weekend. One is a speed-dating thing on Friday. And there’s a singles dance on Saturday.”

  Daisy leaned in to look closer. “What about for tonight?”

  Poppy searched. “There’s a ladies’ night at O’Malley’s. That’s just down the street. Oh, and there is a mixer at the Roger Klein Gallery Thursday night. From six p.m. to nine p.m. That might be good.”

  She circled both.

  “You should go to those,” Daisy said.

  Poppy nodded. “The art gallery would probably be a good place for him to meet the type of women he’s interested in.”

  “And you love art too,” Daisy pointed out.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go.” She laughed as if the idea was the most preposterous thing she’d ever heard.

  “Why not?”

  “Well, for one thing, it’s a school night.”

  “Not for you.”

  Poppy laughed. “True. But for you. And I don’t go out while you’re here at home, alone.”

  Daisy’s hopes sank. Poppy was searching for events for Killian to attend. Without her.

  Really, Poppy? Did you have to make everything so darned difficult?

  “He won’t go alone,” Daisy said with total authority.

  Poppy frowned at her sister. How could she be so certain of that? What did Daisy know about Killian anyway?

  But she still found herself asking, “Why not?”

  Daisy shrugged. “He just doesn’t seem like the type.”

  What type was that? But instead of asking, Poppy said, “Well, then Ginger can go with him.”

  “You know Madison’s mom. If she has a night off, she doesn’t like to go out.”

  That was true. Ginger worked so much she didn’t like to miss any free time she did have with Madison.

  “Well, then you can understand how I feel about leaving you alone.”

  “You’re with me all the time.”

  Poppy reached over and tugged Daisy’s ponytail. “I like being with you.”

  Daisy smiled. “I like it too. But—”

  Here came another of her sister’s speeches on Poppy’s ending up an old maid. And frankly, Poppy did not want to hear it. Not this morning, while she was imagining Killian with a stunning, interesting girlfriend. The image of Poppy old and alone was too easy to visualize at the moment.

  “You know, I’ll just give him this section of the paper,” she said, cutting Daisy off with a smile, “and if he sees something he wants to check out, I’m sure he will.”

  Daisy looked like she wanted to argue, but she turned her attention back to her cereal.

  “In fact,” Poppy said, circling another event, “I’ll walk down with you and give this to him.”

  “Walk down with me?”

  “Sure, you are going to
meet Madison, right?” Daisy always did.

  “Yes. But—but I doubt Killian will be up yet. He’s a night owl. You know, because of being a paranormal investigator.”

  “Was he investigating last night?”

  Daisy nodded.

  Poppy was surprised by that idea, which made no sense. He was here to do research, and he hardly had to report his goings-on to her.

  “Well, I can always give it to Ginger.”

  “She might be sleeping too.”

  Poppy regarded her sister for a moment, realizing Daisy must be throwing out all these reasons why Poppy couldn’t possibly give Killian this paper because she still harbored hopes of matchmaking the two of them.

  Poppy offered her sister an indulgent smile, but said, “I’ll walk down with you anyway. Just to see.”

  Daisy looked like she still wanted to argue, but then nodded. “Okay, but I’ve got to get some stuff together before we go down there.”

  She was immediately on her feet and practically dashing through the apartment to her bedroom.

  Poppy frowned, puzzled by her sister’s abrupt departure. She shrugged it off. Teens were nothing if not confusing.

  A noise stirred Killian. A faint, repeated tapping. He ignored the sound, telling himself it was probably the pipes rattling … or the radiators knocking somewhere in the building.

  Then he heard another noise. A faint voice. At least he thought it was a voice. He levered himself up on his elbows to look at the bedroom door. It was still closed.

  Then he heard the sounds again. A hesitant knock followed by a weak, “Mr. Killian.”

  He got up and reached for his jeans, tugging them on. Then he strode across the room, yanking the door open.

  Emma squeaked in surprise, backing away several steps. Killian glowered at her. Did these girls just have a thing for waking him up?

  Clearly, his disgruntled expression didn’t help Emma’s nerves. She gasped for breath like a beached fish. Great, all he needed was a hyperventilating teen on his hands.

  “What is it, Emma?” He kept his voice low and calm. He also stopped glaring—well, as best as he could.

  His demeanor seemed to help. After several more deep breaths, she managed to say, “Sorry to wake you up. But Daisy just texted me. Poppy’s going with her to Madison’s.”

  Killian shook his head, not following.

  Then words started tumbling from the girl like a verbal flash flood.

  “She’s going to Madison’s. Your pretend cousin’s apartment. So you should be there. But you can’t be there because Madison’s mother is home this morning. And you’re not really her cousin. But Poppy can’t know that. So you have to cut her off. Somehow. But I’m not sure—”

  Killian raised a hand to stop her. The poor girl was a mess—and in serious threat of brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

  “I’ll get dressed.”

  Emma nodded, her expression thankful that he’d somehow followed her panicked explanation.

  He rushed back to the bedroom, pulling out one of the shirts from yesterday’s shopping trip. Without fully unbuttoning it, he tugged it on over his head, then strode back to Emma.

  They needed to hurry. If Poppy discovered he wasn’t really Madison’s cousin, then he might very well be stuck in this place for good. If Poppy found out everything she’d been told thus far was an elaborate lie, she’d likely never talk to him again.

  As he followed Emma, he didn’t allow himself to ponder why the second of those concerns seemed to bother him more than the first.

  “Wait. I’ve got something in my shoe.”

  Poppy turned to see Daisy drop to the hallway floor and pull off her black oxford.

  “Come on, Daisy. You are going to be late if you don’t get moving.”

  “I know,” her sister said, but continued to fiddle with the insole of her shoe. She tried it on, then shook her head and off it came again.

  Since they’d left the apartment, this was Daisy’s third stop. First she’d decided she’d forgotten her apartment key. That holdup hadn’t seemed out of the ordinary, though. Daisy did forget her key a lot. But after taking everything out of her book bag, she’d realized the key was around her neck, on a cord Poppy had bought her for just that reason.

  Next, she’d had to stop because her shoe was untied, which for some unknown reason required her to almost totally unlace her shoe, so it could be relaced and finally tied.

  And now this problem.

  Poppy tapped the folded newspaper against her leg, watching as Daisy continued to fiddle with the shoe.

  But before she could hurry her along, a chime sounded from Daisy’s backpack, announcing an incoming text message. Daisy dropped the shoe and fumbled in the side pocket of her bag for her phone. Funny, she could always find that.

  “Daisy! You don’t have time—”

  Her sister lifted a finger, silently telling her to wait just a second as she read the text.

  “It’s just Madison checking to see where I am.”

  Poppy smacked the paper impatiently against her leg again. “I wouldn’t wonder.”

  Daisy, the girl who’d done nothing but dawdle this morning, shoved her foot back into her shoe, grabbed her backpack, rose and then practically speed-walked toward Madison’s apartment.

  Poppy followed, shaking her head, totally not understanding what her little sister was doing this morning.

  When they reached Madison’s apartment, both she and Emma waited outside.

  “There you are,” Madison called much louder than necessary.

  “Yes, I’m finally here,” Daisy said, her voice just as loud.

  But before Poppy could ask them why on earth they were talking that way, the door behind Madison opened, and Killian appeared. He was barefoot, clad in a pair of the jeans he’d purchased yesterday and a pale blue shirt with the same cut as the white one. Half the buttons had been left undone, revealing a glimpse of muscular chest. His hair was unruly from sleep, and a night’s worth of facial hair darkened his chin. He’d clearly just tumbled out of bed.

  Poppy swallowed, willing her gaze elsewhere, then forcing herself not to recall her erotic dream.

  “I thought I heard someone out here,” he said, glancing over his shoulder, then shutting the door firmly behind him.

  “I think most of this floor heard someone out here,” Poppy said, giving the girls a searching look.

  “Sorry,” Daisy said, keeping her voice to a near whisper now. “See you tonight.”

  Without waiting for an answer, the girls hurried toward the elevators.

  Poppy frowned, watching them scamper away, still feeling like something had gone on here that she didn’t understand.

  “Come on,” Killian said, gesturing down the hallway toward her apartment. “Gin … ger is still asleep, and I don’t want to wake her.”

  “I think you might be too late,” she said, but followed him down the hall. He smiled over his shoulder at her, and she tried not to give any credence to the strange flutter in her chest.

  It’s nothing. Nothing.

  Once around the corner from Ginger’s place, he stopped and pointed to her hand. “What’s that?”

  Poppy glanced down, confused. Then she saw the reason she’d come here in the first place.

  “Oh, this is for you.” She handed the paper to him. “It’s a list of singles events going on in the area. I thought, since you are interested in meeting someone, this might be a good idea for you.”

  He scanned the ads, then nodded. “This is a good idea.”

  She smiled, although the gesture felt forced, and she couldn’t understand why. Wasn’t this her plan? Didn’t she want him to be involved with someone so she could get her silly attraction to him under control?

  “There’s one tonight.” He glanced up from the paper. Her eyes met his and held. As if to make a point—a point she could have done without—her body reacted. His golden gaze was like a physical touch, reaching out, stroking her skin. Making he
r body hum with awareness. With longing.

  She managed a nod. “Yes, I saw that.”

  Duh, she was the one who circled it, after all.

  “Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Killian started walking away, hoping it was going to be that easy. No such luck.

  “Wait,” she said, before he was even a few steps away. “What? Seven?”

  He turned back to her, and she shook her head. “I’m not going with you.”

  He returned to stand in front of her again. “You’ve got to go with me.”

  “Why?”

  He frowned as if the answer should be totally obvious. Not that he expected the look to sway her. But he needed to buy himself a moment, because he didn’t have an answer to that one either.

  Finally, after another I-should-think-this-would-be-evident look, he said, “If I go alone, then I’m that creepy guy, hanging at the bar, sipping the same watered-down drink, watching women. Making them uncomfortable.”

  “I doubt any woman would feel that way about you,” she said, although her expression didn’t indicate whether that was a compliment or not.

  “Really?”

  If he was hoping for an outright compliment—which he was—she wasn’t biting.

  “Why don’t you ask Ginger? I’m sure she’d go with you.”

  “You know Ginger,” he said, hoping that was vague enough to make sense to her. Since he didn’t know Ginger at all.

  Poppy sighed. “Yeah, I know she doesn’t like to go out when she has time with Madison.”

  “Exactly.”

  Poppy looked down at the floor, tracing the carpet design with a sock-covered toe. Finally, she said, “I don’t see how having another woman with you is going to help you meet women.”

  Well, that wouldn’t be his strategy if he was really looking to meet women, but he wasn’t, so … “The women will see me hanging with a female friend and just assume I must be a good guy,” he said.

  Poppy’s eyebrows drew together. “How will they know I’m only a friend?”

  “They just will.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized they were pretty insulting. But did that matter? She wasn’t going to be with him. She was going to meet someone herself. That was the goal.