Her lips thinned, vanished. “They made you hunt down a bear? Please tell me you were sitting in a vehicle with a very bigpistola.”
Igrimaced.
She clapped a hand over her heart. “Asunlobo?” shewhispered.
“Yes.”
“I believe even the dye I put on my hair will turnwhite.”
I grinned, but then realized she wasn’t joking, so I swallowed back my smile. “Evelyn, I completely forgot to tell you this, but I ran into a woman at the bank the other day. She asked me if you were looking forwork.”
“I do not think I have the energy toclean—”
“Not a housekeeping job. She asked if you’d be interested in becoming the chef in her son’srestaurant.”
Evelyn’s dark eyes grew wider, rounder. “A chef? Me? I am nochef.”
“Are you kidding? You’re the best cook Iknow.”
A smile played on her red lips. “Do you know many cooks,querida?”
“I know enough of them to appreciate how talented youare.”
Her hand rose to my face and cupped my cheekaffectionately.
“Will you at least interview forthem?”
“Perhaps.” She lowered her hand. “I will talk about it with Frank. What is the name of therestaurant?”
After I gave her all the details, I steeled my spine and said, “Oh, and I need to talk to you about something else.” I eyed the bedroom door that Frank had closed behind him. “It’s nothing dangerous or worrisome. I just need advice. Aboutboys.”
“Oh.” Surprise drove the fear off her face, and then her reddened lips bent into a smile. “What would you like to know about boys?” she asked, settling against one of the flowered throwpillows.
“I, um . . . I don’t know if you heard but, uh . . .” I loosed a deep breath. “Our kind sometimes develop something called a matinglink.”
When the smile drifted off her lips, I understood Frank hadn’t touched upon thesubject.
I dragged my hands through my hair. “It’s basically some sort of link that pushes two people to be together. For the continuation of our . . . species.” Her slowly thinning gaze made me suck in a breath. “It doesn’t mean the two people end up together. Mom had one, but she resisted its pull until it vanished. Anyway, I have a link, which will vanish after the Winter Solstice as long as I don’t act uponit.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Act uponit?”
My face became exceedingly warm. “Have sex with theperson.”
Her neck seemed to grow a little longer. “Goon.”
I dragged a pillow into my lap and hugged it to me as though it could somehow prevent my navel from pulsing. Because, God, was it pulsing. Was August on his way here? Or was he angry I hadn’t returned his call yet? Or was it just nerves from discussing boys withEvelyn?
“Who are you linkedto?”
“AugustWatt.”
“Isobel’s son?” Her voice went a little high-pitched.
I clutched the pillowtighter.
“But he is almostthirty.”
“Twenty-seven,” I blurtedout.
