Silver Sparks Read Online Free PDF Page B

them Cal’s name. And the way they used hers all the time was beginning to bother her, like they actually thought she might mistake them for friends. “I never saw that man before, and I haven’t seen him since.”
    One man chuckled. “Aw, come on, Maggie, everyone saw you run out of there with him. Who is he?”
    She shrugged helplessly. “Sorry, I don’t know him, and he didn’t stick around, so I can’t tell you anything about him.” There, that ought to satisfy Cal. He might be overbearing and arrogant, but she owed him something for helping her out of a jam. Maybe now the press would forget about him, and he could go back to shadowing Rafe. Cal’s theory about murdered girls might be far-fetched, but he could probably find several lesser offenses to charge Rafe with. She wished him luck.
    “Maggie!”
    Cool air swirled into the store as a new reporter opened the door and pushed his way inside. He stood on tiptoe, stretching a tiny recorder over the heads in front of him. “Can I get a quote on your relationship with Rafe De Luca?”
    Responding to the new competition, the other four abandoned their brief fling with order. Questions tumbled over each other, getting louder with each second. She held up both hands, waving them like semaphores above her head.
    “Stop! No more questions.” A flash made her blink back spots. Another one followed, stretching her patience to the limit. “Out!” Rather than wait for them to obey, she shoved past them and held the door wide until they all followed her onto the sidewalk. Like a pack of preschoolers, they continued badgering her with questions about Rafe, his TV show, his costars, and her dating history.
    Sticking two fingers in her mouth, Maggie blew a shrill whistle. The babble faded. “We’re done!” she ordered.
    “Just a photo!” someone insisted. She turned to find the ponytailed reporter giving her an encouraging grin. “Come on, a nice shot of you in front of your store. It’ll be good for business.”
    Damn, he might be right. And a posed shot had to be better than any pictures they’d taken so far. Obediently, she stood beneath the dark green awning with the white letters reading, “Fortune’s Folly.” Cameras clicked.
    “Okay, that’s it,” she said.
    “One more! How about—”
    Obviously, they’d never be satisfied. She turned away, leaving them on the sidewalk. Before closing the front door, she reminded them, “I answered your questions. I expect you to leave me alone during business hours.”
    She locked the doors again, then lurked near the checkout counter to see what happened. Within seconds, they dispersed.
    Maggie smiled. For her first encounter with the press, she thought she’d handled it pretty well. They were pushy, but she’d kept them at bay. Cal had made it sound like she’d be mobbed by unruly hordes that would rip her to shreds. If he showed up, he’d have to eat his words.
    It was nearly three o’clock the next day when Cal walked through the front door. The paparazzi had been shooed away by the police, so they weren’t there to spot their mystery man. They’d missed her, too, when she’d stayed at Zoe’s last night instead of going home. Another day or two of this and maybe they’d get tired of stalking someone they couldn’t find.
    The day had started out cold, but heated up to seventy degrees with a high blue sky. Both doors were propped open, letting the warm breeze play against the wind chimes just inside the door. Cal didn’t appear to appreciate the tinkling sound as he passed by. In fact, he didn’t seem to appreciate any part of the beautiful spring day as he zeroed in on her behind the display cases in the center of the store. It was too bad, because he really had an interesting face and she was betting it would look even better with a big, strong grin. Looked like she’d just have to imagine it, because he seemed incapable of smiling around her.
    Maggie replaced a ring in the glass case and