“No.”The word rips out of my throat. I angle myself closer to Emery, pushing him back.
He blinks up at me. “Uh, sorry, bro.”
“I’m not your bro.” My voice drops to a level I only use when breaking up fights at the Tipsy Pumpkin on Saturday nights. “And she’s not interested.”
Emery lets out a small, shocked squeak behind me. “Declan.”
The guy fiddles with his camera strap. “I didn’t realize you were…”
“I’m not,” Emery says, stepping past me.
“Listen to your gut and keep moving,” I say to the kid, ignoring the indignation rolling off of Emery.
He backs up so fast, he nearly falls off the curb. “Right. Yeah. Sorry, Emily. Big fan. So stoked I got to meet you.”
He waves and vanishes into the fog with all the grace of someone surprised to be alive at the end of a horror movie.
Emery steps around me, brows lifted to her hairline. “What was that?”
I clamp my jaw shut. There isn’t one thing that would come out of my mouth that wouldn’t sound off-the-rails insane right now.
“Declan?” she demands.
“He got too far up in your personal space,” I mutter. “Plus, he didn’t even know your name.”
Her eyes soften. “He was harmless.”
“He was annoying.”
A smile ghosts over her lips. “It’s important to me to always be kind to my fans.” She blushes and glances down. “I mean, it’s rare that I run into anyone in the wild who recognizes me, but when it happens, I like to make it a positive experience for them. Even if they’re annoying.”
Such a vibrant, articulate woman. With a stunning figure. I can only imagine the sort of weirdos she attracts. I admire her for wanting to be kind even if I could tell the kid made her uncomfortable. Still seems reckless.
“Besides.” Her lashes flutter and her lips curve. “He was way too young for me. I didn’t want to date film bros when Iwasin college. I’m definitely not into them now.”
A burn starts low in my chest. Want, relief, or some other feeling I don’t want to examine too closely.
“You’re way out of his league anyway,” I grumble.
“Is that right?” she teases.
Fuck, yes. But I keep my mouth shut and my feet moving along the sidewalk.
She falls into step beside me, still clutching her notebook.
“Sooo.” She draws out the word, clearly mocking me. “I guess if my channel gets bigger, I’ll have to hireyouas a bodyguard or something.”
I’d do it for free.
“Youshouldhire a handler,” I say. “To keep you out of trouble.”
Instead of kicking the back of my knee, she laughs. “What trouble? Eating my weight in muffins at the Applewood Inn?”
A smile threatens, but I frown, killing it before she notices.
“Anyway, I don’t have time for coffee dates. I have a curse to investigate. Does the name Elenor Vance mean anything to you?”
She never gives up. “No. You know, there arerealHollow mysteries you could investigate while you’re here.”
