A Steal of a Deal Read Online Free PDF Page A

where the disaster has left a rich stew of disease just under the surface.”
    “So it really is all about you.”
    “No! It’s not all about me. It’s all about Kashmir.”
    “Then why argue with Miss Mona? Why can’t she come with you? The two of you can take a side trip to check out the old mine sites, take some shots for the show, and she’ll be happy. That won’t stop you from doing your Mother Teresa thing.”
    Yuck! “What’s gotten under your skin?”
    He shrugged as he strode out of the building. “Maybe a zing or two from the expert. I do learn, you know. My college four-oh GPA wasn’t a fluke, even though it wasn’t in your vaunted gemology.”
    Ouch! I suppose I deserved that. I really was snotty when he first arrived. And he still sets my teeth on edge every once in a while. Especially when he’s at his most appealing. That’s when he wakes up all my self-preservation instincts. They, in turn, make me revert— Nuh-uh! No way. I refused to examine what that said about me. Or my feelings for Mr. Magnificent.
    All I knew was I really needed a vacation from Max. But I wouldn’t say it out loud even if the Spanish Inquisition’s master torturer got ahold of me.
    I plastered on a cheerful grin. “Gotta move, gotta groove, my man! Go ahead and talk to Danni about your upcoming shows. I’m sure she can’t wait to get you all to herself.”
    The look he gave me as I headed out the door didn’t bear description. Then I went to my meeting.
    Which is turning out to be a minefield of a different kind. I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now. The Daunting Duo are there, wacky minds made up.
    “Of course we’re coming,” Aunt Weeby chirps once we say our amens at the end of our closing prayer.
    “We wouldn’t dream of abandoning the poor folk of Kashmir in their time of need,” Miss Mona echoes.
    “And I’m the real, the one and only Queen Nefertiti!” I counter, waggling a hank of my red hair. “See? It’s jet black.”
    They give me pitying looks—the ones that tell me they’re sure I’ve finally gone off the deep end.
    “Good! You get the picture. That’s how real you two sound. I’m not buying this story you’ve cooked up.”
    They swap guilty glances.
    “Oh, all right.” Aunt Weeby’s pout could’ve caught rain. “I missed out on all the excitement all y’all had in Myanmar. I’m not letting this chance pass me by. Besides, I’m your auntie. I have to look out for you.”
    I snort. “I’m thirty years old, for goodness’ sake. You’d think I’d be able to go around the world on my own when I want to, especially since that’s exactly what I did for my job all those years I worked in New York. Why are you two so determined to tag along? It’s not the easiest trip, you know. You’re no spring—”
    I see the error of my ways and cut off the comment before I plunge into even deeper waters. Good thing too, since arguing won’t get me anywhere. At least not with the Duo.
    “Why?” I ask again.
    Aunt Weeby’s eyes shoot off sparks. “For the adventure, of course. And see?” She raises her chartreuse-trousered leg. “It’s not in a cast anymore. I’m not grounded, sugarplum. Plus I graduated from that there physical therapy two and a half months ago.”
    “Why, Andie!” Miss Mona clutches her chest. “You know me better than to question me.” She points to Aunt Weeby. “I can’t let Livvy go off to Asia . . . is it Major or Minor? Oh well, it doesn’t matter, does it? What matters is I can’t let my dearest friend here hare off to the back of beyond without a sensible soul to look out for her. I have to come along. Besides, you and I are business partners, of sorts. Oh, and in adventure too.”
    Of course, her outrageous statements detonate a disagreement of monumental proportions. And it ends with the predetermined conclusion. I don’t know who argues more strenuously, Aunt Weeby against the idea of a cross-continental babysitter or me against any more