Veronica Chase owned the property all along this block, and Tiny Paws was the day care at the other end. Veronica had conflicts with a lot of the businesses she leased to, but Tiny Paws was the only one she accused of being acult.
Gil’s dad didn’t look like he was a witch. Warlock? Wizard? His beard and mustache were neatly trimmed, and he looked more like a dad than a demon.Singledad? Clarice shouldn’t even be wondering.
Hewaskind of magical feeling, but Clarice was pretty sure that was just because he was socute. He looked like a cross between Pedro Pascal and a young Antonio Banderas and would definitely not be out of place playing Zorro on a big screen. Was he Mexican? Spanish? South American? He had the slightest drawl, but Clarice would have said it was Texan.
He was flipping pages slowly, and Clarice busied herself tidying the pencils in the sunflower vase next to her keyboard.
“Oh.” He paused at one of the pages and Clarice had to look to see which one had caught his eye.
“That’s such a pretty place,” Clarice said wistfully. “It’s a higher price than others in its class because the owner doesn’t really want to sell, and I totally understand why. Oh, I shouldn’t have said that!” Veronica was always grilling her for being too honest with potential buyers.You don’t have to lie, she would scold,but you don’t have to tell them everything, either. Save it for bargaining points.
The man met her eyes with an unexpected smile. “Iappreciatethe honesty,” he said.
Clarice flushed. He was definitely not flirting with her, she told herself.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, lookedat the screen, and returned it with a frown. “Can I get copies of a few of these?”
“Of course!” Clarice sat down in her chair with an embarrassing squeak of the hydraulics and pulled up the listing from memory. “Which others did you want?”
He read her several addresses and Clarice sent them to the printer. She picked a few of her other favorites on a whim and sent them also. She pulled out one of Veronica’s branded folders and tucked her own business card into the tabs.
She gathered the sheets off the printer and tapped them into the folder pocket, turning to find the man doing the same gaze-and-glance-away that he had before. Still not flirting. Shy and friendly just happened to be a devastating combination. She’d had guys think she was flirting with them for less.
She slid the folder over the counter. “If you have any questions or want to see any of them, just call and make an appointment. I’d be happy to show them.”
“Thank you, Clarice.”
Hearing her name in his voice was really nice and it reminded Clarice that she didn’t know his name. Veronica would have gotten his name the moment he set foot in the office, as well as his phone number so she could follow up. Was it too late to ask? Would it look too much like she was flirting withhim?Indecision paralyzed her.
He looked like he wanted to say something else, then took the folder, gave it a little flourish, and left.
The office was even quieter when he was gone.
7
BRUNO
While he was killing the last few minutes before he had to pick up Gil, Bruno flipped through the houses that Clarice had printed for him, lingering over each one, waiting for a sizzle of instinct or a flow of rightness. He liked the places she’d added to his choices, but none of them suggested an unmistakableyes,ornow.
Magic could be a very useful tool, or completely unhelpful, and it was clearly the latter now.
Don’t rely on unreliable tools, Bruno reminded himself. Something had led him into that office at that moment, but maybe it wasn’t a place he was looking for. Maybe it was a person.
Bruno waited for defensive prickles that didn’t come. Was he actually ready for a new relationship? He recognized his own baggage and knew he’d been keeping people—particularly romantic prospects—at arm’s length. What was it about Clarice that undermined that armor?
She seemed easy-going enough, with a ready smile and aself-conscious blush. But she’d also been trying to sell property to him, which would make anyone more agreeable. She hadn’t been pushy, but he guessed she was a people-pleaser by nature. Had her little slip about the property value been sincere, or was it a deliberate act to lower his defenses?
You’re overthinking this, his armadillo scolded.She’s nice and we can trust her. She brought back our pup.
His armadillo was probably right. Bruno tended to overthinkeverything.
Still, he couldn’t help but ask Alan about her when he came to get Gil, “Do you know anything about Veronica Chase’s assistant? Clarice?” He liked the way her name sounded in his mouth.
Alan handed him Gil’s paper lunch bag (Bruno hadn’t replaced the damaged lunch box yet) as Gil scrambled over the gate without opening it and ended up on his face on the floor. “I’M OKAY!”
“I know a bit,” Alan admitted. Neither of them made a move to help Gil up, and when he realized that, he scrambled to his feet and went to find his boots.
“Asecret agentbit, or anI’m buying a house from herbit?” Bruno asked, keeping an eye on Gil.
