Free Love Potion #9 by Claire Delacroix Page B

him.
    â€œOh, yes! Tarot cards, tea leaves, it doesn’t matter to me.” Andrea giggled, then leaned closer to Lilith. “Can you really predict lovematches?”
    â€œOf course.”
    Mitch stifled his snort of disdain. Of course?
    The women ignored him.
    Andrea bounced with impatience. “Do you think you might have time to do a reading for me this weekend?”
    That was enough.
    â€œAndrea! Cooley has just trashed Lilith’s fence and Jason is moving into her yard.” Mitch threw out his hands in exasperation. “I think we’re wearing out our welcome.”
    But Lilith laughed. Her low laughter coaxed that ember lingering in Mitch’s belly back to a flame. Had he ever met a more attractive woman?
    That thought led naturally to the recollection of their first meet and Mitch had a hard time keeping his thoughts straight after that. It didn’t help that Lilith was watching him as though she knew what he was thinking.
    And smiling that seductive, secretive smile that made his ears feel hot.
    â€œIt wouldn’t be any problem at all,” she conceded. “How about this afternoon?”
    â€œOh! That would be perfect!” Andrea playfully punched Mitch in the shoulder. “See? I told you.” She rolled her eyes and smiled back at Lilith. “He worries so much about everything. I’ll just pop over when the kids have their nap.”
    â€œI’ll look forward to seeing you.”
    A plaintive cry came from the second floor and Mitch suddenly realized that Jen was not only awake but confused.
    He stepped away from the fence, but Andrea was on the porch in record time. “I’ll get her,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have even left her, but I just – well, I just had to meet you.” Andrea beamed. “Well, I’ll see you this afternoon.”
    As Jen began to wail, Andrea ran.
    Mitch had a hard time staying put, even knowing that Andrea could manage. He really didn’t like hearing his little girl cry. He fidgeted and glanced anxiously to the house.
    â€œTwo kids?” Lilith asked softly. She was beside him again, her eyes impossibly wide and dark.
    â€œYeah. Five and three.” Mitch managed to smile. “Busy, busy, busy.”
    Jen stopped crying and Andrea’s dulcet tones carried through the open upstairs window. Mitch felt relief slide through him just as Lilith leaned against the restored fence. “I’ll bet.”
    To Mitch’s relief, she seemed disinterested in the whole sordid story of how he had ended up with kids but no wife. Lilith’s gaze ran over the chunks of fence scattered across his yard, then paused on the banished Cooley.
    She glanced back to Mitch, her eyes dancing. “Am I right to guess your dog finally coaxed these old fence posts to break?”
    â€œOh yeah.” Mitch lined up a final nail and hammered it home, welcoming the change of subject. He tested the fence. The shims around the rotten posts seemed to be holding well enough.
    At least for the short term.
    â€œHe’s like a freight train once he gets moving,” Mitch acknowledged.
    â€œAnd probably just as hard to stop.”
    They looked to the dog in unison, who lifted his head hopefully. “Cooley the wolfhound,” Mitch said by way of introduction. “Seldom bites and never very hard.”
    Lilith chuckled. “He looks very friendly.” Cooley’s tail thumped against the ground.
    â€œYou stay there,” Mitch advised the dog. “You’re still in trouble.”
    â€œIn the doghouse,” Lilith corrected, a smile lurking in her voice.
    Mitch chuckled, met her dancing gaze and was snared for a long hot moment. When he realized what he was doing, he deliberately turned to frown at the remnants of the fence. “Well, I’ve got a buddy who’s a real carpenter. He’s coming up next weekend to help me decide where to start inside, but we’ll