Free See No Evil by Gayle Roper Page A

attack of the good fairies. ‘You need to settle down, Gray, and we know just the woman. You’ll love her. She’s wonderful.’ Or beautiful. Or gorgeous. Or my favorite, intelligent.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong with intelligent?” I couldn’t believe this gorgeous man was dumb enough to like dumb women.
    â€œNothing. I like intelligent women. I find them very appealing, and they certainly make for interesting conversation. But if that’s the only adjective used, it’s a sign to stay away.”
    I laughed. “You’re as bad as my brothers.”
    He shrugged, completely unrepentant. “I don’t have time for a woman anyway. My work takes all day every day. I finally moved to Amhearst from Philadelphia three weeks ago, and I’m still taking my clothes out of cardboard boxes every morning. No time to unpack.”
    â€œDo you have furniture?”
    He seemed insulted by the question I had thought appropriate. After all, I’d seen my brothers’ apartments before they got married.
    â€œOf course I’ve got furniture.”
    I raised an eyebrow and waited.
    â€œI’ve got a table and four chairs, a great recliner, a plasma TV, a Bowflex, a first-rate sound system and a bed.”
    I didn’t bother saying that a wall-mounted TV, a sound system and an exercise machine weren’t furniture. I knew thatwas a male/female definition thing. “Does the bed have a headboard, a footboard and a box spring?”
    He became very interested in refilling his glass. “It will. Eventually. When I have time. Like I said, I’m very busy.”
    â€œSo what are you doing drinking lemonade in the middle of the afternoon?”
    â€œGood question.” He looked at me for a long moment, then seemed to choose his words with care. “I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t think you should be alone right now, even here at home.”
    I went all warm and melty inside. He was concerned about me.
    â€œI certainly don’t want you alone on the site. The last thing I need is another murder.”
    Ah, a bucket of realistic cold water. It was Freedom’s Chase that he was really concerned about, not me. “Yeah. Bad for sales.”
    He frowned. “That didn’t sound quite right, what I said. You know I didn’t mean it that way.”
    â€œDon’t worry.” I gave him what I hoped was a frosty smile, though I don’t do frosty well. “I understand just what you meant.”
    He looked at me, clearly exasperated, but he chose not to pursue the issue. “How about your friends?” He nodded toward Lucy’s and Meaghan’s rooms. “Where are they?”
    â€œMeaghan’s at school locking horns with the new principal, and Lucy’s getting food for the final weekend down the shore before school starts. They’re leaving for Seaside tomorrow.”
    â€œAre you going with them?”
    I nodded. “But I probably won’t leave until Friday when I’m finished at the model.”
    â€œHome alone for a night?” He didn’t look happy.
    â€œMaybe I’ll sew quickly and be ready to go with them tomorrow.”
    â€œMuch better. Where do you stay?”
    â€œLucy’s brother James has a house right on the beach at Forty-Second Street.”
    Gray looked surprised. “Does Lucy come from money or something? A house on the beach is worth millions.”
    Trust him to think in terms of real-estate values. “James made millions with a dot-com company of some kind. He sold out just before the bubble burst, and now he’s a novelist who can write exactly what he wants because it doesn’t matter whether he makes money or not.”
    â€œIs he any good?”
    â€œActually he is.”
    â€œHuh.” But clearly Gray’s mind was somewhere else. “So Lucy, Meaghan and James can keep an eye on you down there.”
    Meg and James, maybe. But Lucy? I