I caught her elbow when she stumbled, the very thin heels of one of her shoes snapping as the elevator ate it. It justified my caution about the mechanism. Clearly she trusted it more than I did, and look where that trust had gotten her.
When she made it plain that she had no wish to be helped, I tried to dismiss her from my mind. It was unsurprisingly difficult, given her magical potential and lovely figure, but I prided himself on my disciplined mind.
Errant thoughts firmly suppressed, I departed the building. I had precise instructions on how to hire a taxi, which was good, because elsewise I would not have known what to do next. That fact frustrated me to no end.
Next was a trip to a bank where Reynard would transfer property to me. We were friends, but we needed distance to remain friends, and Reynard was paying back a number of old favors with money and property.
I would have saved him from being murdered for his pranks regardless, but this way Reynard felt the weight of debt less.
I would achieve my independence as rapidly as possible in this new world. That was the only way that I could help my people.
3
ANDROMEDA
Never askyourself if a day can get any worse. The answer isalwaysyes.
Henry Mowbry, my most recent ex, and holding the dubious distinction of having been my longest relationship, was waiting for me in the lobby of my condo. He was engaged in flirting with the person manning the reception desk, who didn’t know him well enough to know that he was basically an eel in human form. Maybe even an electric one, because if she held onto him too long, she was bound to get shocked.
Despite my better sense, I still liked him.
"Hi, Andi.” He grinned and touched my arm. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with you lately so I decided to stop by and see if we could talk. Maybe have lunch?"
"It's two in the afternoon." No amount of displeasure could break him of using that nickname. I’d tried. For a very long time, and now either he was too oblivious or too petty to catch my drift.
"And knowing you, you haven’t had any. Making you crabby." He grinned at me, the expression infectious. After a moment I relaxed enough to smile back. He wanted something, of course. But he was usually willing to pay for whatever he wanted with flattering attention. And Henry had more than enough charm to make an hour or two in his company pleasant.
After the discussion with Franklin this morning, I could deal with a little attention and flattery. There wasn’t any risk, since I had no problem shutting him down if he crossed any of my boundaries.
I nodded. “The tea house down the street?”
We’d gone there a lot when we were together, and he liked the afternoon tea. It was a short enough walk, and the weather was nice.
I held myself to his pace as he collected his cane and we proceeded down the street. Traffic was lighter than usual, and the flowers shone bright and cheerful in their planters outside the restaurant.
He dropped into his seat with a sigh of relief at getting off his feet, and we ordered.
A pang of misplaced guilt ran through me at the new lines on his face. We talked about weather and news while we waited. Henry held off until the cake was served to cut to the chase. "So, there's a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in town. I was wondering if you could help me out a little bit and smooth things out for me, get me an introduction with the owner before they decide whether it’ll go back up for auction."
I sighed. Henry was obsessed with his rare book collection, and he’d used my connections before, when we were a couple. Usually it didn't bother me, but today after Ethan not even bothering to put a gloss on trying to use me, it stung a little bit. Even knowing what these guys were up to, hope sprang eternal on some level in me that they would want to be with me because they liked me, rather than because I had something they wanted.
If this was a game, I’d achieved expert level in living with disappointment. I shrugged. "I'll see what I can do." My tone made it clear I wasn't enthusiastic.
He considered me, his sharp but handsome face intent on my expression. His brown eyes met mine, a slow smile appearing on his face. "I can sweeten the deal, if you like." He brushed his thumb over the top of my hand.
Dirty pool. I hadn't had sex in quite some time, and he was actually really good in bed. On the other hand, getting paid with sex also didn't really appeal. I pulled my hand back, trying not to seem stung by the implication I couldn’t get any on my own. Even though I hadn’t for far longer than I cared to admit.
"I said I'd see what I can do. Is there anything else you want?" My tone removed the option of discussion.
He withdrew his hand and signaled for the check. "No. Thanks for listening. I do miss you, Andi. Do you want to try again?"
Ugh. Should've seen that coming. "I miss you too. But given everything, I don’t feel it’s a good idea."
The server returned, sparing him from having to reply. He paid his portion, but I asked for another cup of tea. It was kinder of me to let him walk away, rather than force him to match my pace.
I watched as he limped away. The accident when he’d gotten the knee injury had been when I was at the wheel. We’d been t-boned. Someone had run a red light into the intersection we’d been crossing.
My driving wasn’t at fault, said the police, but Henry had blamed me when he’d woken up in the hospital. His anger and my unreasonable guilt had ended in a shattering quarrel that had driven me away for the rest of the year of physical therapy it had taken for him to walk again. He’d called me a few months later, apologizing, and while our friendship had recovered, it wasn’t the same, and we both knew it.
