That evening was torture for Shanna.
She was pretty certain Simon had intended to kiss her back in the park, and she spent the next hours—as they grabbed dinner, then went to a hotel and got their rooms—flip-flopping between telling herself rejecting him was the right thing to do, andfiguratively hitting herself on the head because that was such a stupid thing to do.
Why did she pull back when it was all she’d ever wanted?
As hours dwindled into the late evening and she and Simon prepared for their respective beds, the scale finally tipped toward her having done the right thing. Simon hadn’t said a word about it or tried anything else, so he must have not regretted the rejection.
That night, it took her two full hours to fall asleep, and she was acutely aware of every little rustle Simon made on the other side of the room.
They’d just gotten ready in the morning, exchanging innocent small talk, when Chris knocked on the door.
“Ready for police lineup, session two,” she said.
Right—she and Simon had to continue trying to find the man who’d ordered Simon’s assassination.
“Go ahead.” Shanna let her into the room, glancing at Simon. “I need some air anyway.”
She closed the door behind her and walked across the small courtyard of the hotel complex to a bench underneath a fluffy palm, about as far as the bond allowed her. Sitting down, she made her daily morning call to Gran.
“How is the best granddaughter in the world?” Gran greeted.
Shanna smiled, Gran’s warm voice instantly filling her with optimism, even though none of the news she had were particularly optimistic. “I’m fine, Gran. How are you? And Jinx?”
“He’s right here. Hold on.” Some rustling and then panting followed.
“Hey, Jinxie! Are you being a good boy?”
Jinx woofed.
“He makes a great assistant, too,” Gran said. “Real talent for spellcraft, he has.”
Probably better not to ask.
“And how are you, dear?” Gran said.
Shanna sighed. “I found where Mom had been in the park, but there were no other tracks. We read there was a gold rush in the late nineteenth century in the mountains to the south. A place there might relate to the next postcard. It’s in the direction of Milford Sound, anyway, so we’ll take a drive down the coast and see if we stumble upon anything.”
“That’s all fine and dandy.” Some clanging came from Gran’s side; must be preparing lunch. “But I asked, how are you?”
Shanna knew she couldn’t run away from her poking, and truth be told, she didn’t want to. Who else could she confide in but Gran?
“Simon tried to kiss me.”
“Oh, no. Don’t say he got into an accident before he could.”
“No, it wasn’t my fault—well, it was. Because I told him not to.”
“Youwhat?”
In the back, Jinx barked disapprovingly.Thanks for the support, buddy.
“You know I can’t do it,” Shanna urgently whispered into the phone, checking her surroundings. Simon was still in the room, occupied with what actually mattered to him. “It’s never going to work. He’s gone through the curse. He can never love me again, if there was ever a seed of it in the first place.”
“Balderdash,” Gran said.
“Hey! Don’t you spell-curse in front of me!”
“You could use a spell or two. Not for him. For yourself. The boy’s trying to kiss you, you want him to kiss you, and you say no?”
