Free Mind Tricks by Adrianne Wood Page A

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business owner had been replaced by a man, she realized, whom she’d like to
spend more time with.
    “I’m glad to hear that.” He saluted
her with his iced tea. “Here’s to having good taste in friends.”
    They clinked glasses and drank.
     
    • •
     
    Who would have believed that calm,
cool, and collected Emma Draper could be such a spitfire when defending
someone? Jake watched her as she patted a dog and then laughed at something the
mutt’s owner said. As she rejoined him by the car in the Waterview’s parking
lot, she said, “That was Mildred.”
    “And what’s the dog’s name?”
    She grinned. “Sorry. The dog’s name
is Mildred. I didn’t catch Mildred’s mom’s name.”
    “I wonder if dogs call themselves
Mildred or Fluffy or Brownie, or if they call themselves Cat Terror or Sonic
Boom or Prince.”
    It was a jokey, throwaway question,
but she answered it seriously.
    “They call themselves by what their
owners call them. They associate the sound of their name with themselves,
anyway.”
    Why couldn’t she have just joked
back? He’d managed to forget during the lunch that she conned people into
believing she was a pet psychic—or believed that she herself really was one—and
he’d laughed more easily than he had in days. Weeks, even. A pretty girl with a
sharp sense of humor and, apparently, a belief in him…A rare find. So of course
she had to possess a major flaw: the whole psychic healing business.
    “How much of your income comes from
the kennels and how much from…the other stuff?” he asked. “Percentage-wise.”
    She wrinkled her nose, looking so
adorable that Jake had to force himself to not step toward her. “Ten percent
and ninety, maybe.”
    Damn. The psychic percentage was
much higher than he’d hoped.
    “Wait, no, it’s the other way
around. Ninety and ten. Pet readings basically pay for gas money and groceries.
If I expand to another location, it will be only the kennels that expand. Ian
isn’t gifted with animal empathy.” She grimaced. “Or cursed.”
    “Cursed?” That sounded extreme. “Do
you mean you’d give up that part of your business if you could?” Maybe by
helping her with her business plans, he could help her live fewer lies.
    “I hadn’t thought about it…but I
don’t think so. I get a personal joy in seeing animals leave my house happier
or in less pain than when they arrived.”
    “So why call yourself cursed?”
    She suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“Just being dramatic, I guess.” She turned away.
    Being dramatic? That didn’t ring
true. Even when she was giving Rosie an earful, she hadn’t been dramatic.
    Anyway, that was irrelevant.
Perhaps he could convince her that if her kennel expansion went well, she could
still do her readings, but do it for free.
    That wouldn’t be so bad, right? At
least not harmful. Probably.
    The phone in his hip pocket began to
shudder. Jake looked at the readout. His parents. “Hello?”
    “Jake,” his dad boomed, and Jake
moved the phone a few inches away from his ear. “How are you?”
    “Pretty good. Looking forward to
seeing you next week.” He’d finally broken down this morning and agreed to let
them come up, but he’d insisted that they wait a week. Hopefully everything
would be cleared up by then, and he could simply enjoy their company. To have
them hanging around while the police eyeballed him would make him nuts.
    “That’s great.” A slight pause.
“What’s this I hear about my company having cash-flow problems?”
    He ground his teeth. Couldn’t he
have been given a few days to concentrate on clearing his name without having
to deal with this as well? “It’s just rumors, Dad.” Rumors that Ginny had made
up and spread for reasons he still didn’t understand. “Don’t worry about it.”
    Emma took a few steps away to give
him some privacy, moving over to a wooden walkway that edged the harbor.
    “But rumors don’t spring up out of
nowhere,” his dad persisted.