know you’re really pretty, I just think you could look a bit sexier if you wore something other than black T-shirts and black pants all the time. You’ll never get a boyfriend if you don’t make any effort.”
“Well, you know I dress this way for work. The last thing I want is to look sexy here and have every man pawing me and lusting after me.”
“Yeah, we should all be so lucky.”
Gerry walked up behind Addie and leaned in close. “I’ll protect you, sweetheart.”
“What are you doing listening in on our conversation?” Darcy asked.
He laughed. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. It’s quiet in here at the moment.”
Both women shook their heads in exasperation.
Gerry winked. “It’s true enough, though, even if you were to use more makeup and dress differently, it wouldn’t change you in the slightest. You’d still be sexy-beautiful.”
“I guess you’re cursed,” Darcy added.
Addie pursed her lips. She knew her body had its share of ample curves, she just wasn’t keen on the idea of showing them off the way Darcy did, and she certainly wasn’t convinced that wearing a sexy blouse was a good idea even if Gerry were there to help ward off any male prowlers. Of course, she didn’t really need his protection; she was very capable of defending herself, but still, having a man in her life right now might complicate things. The nightmares had something to do with the way her dad died and Addie considered them a presage of her own future. The last thing she needed was a man telling her she was crazy and should get over it—as the cops had implied after her dad’s death. Her Aunt Maia agreed with her, but after the police closed the case, Maia told Addie she needed to move on. She said there wasn’t anything they could do about it, and suggested they move back to Whisper Cape, where she was born, and start a new life.
Addie picked up her bowl, paused, and, not wanting to go anywhere close to the kitchen where Jared was, gave Darcy a pathetic look.
“Someday ...” Darcy mumbled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she grabbed Addie’s empty bowl along with her own and headed toward the kitchen.
Addie strolled around to the other side of the bar and wiped up the place where they'd had their lunch. She liked the way the bar had a relaxed come-sit-for-a-spell feel. As she moved on to wipe the cream spots off the mirror she couldn't help but admire the way it gave the illusion that the bar and dining area were twice as large. At certain times of the day, like now, with the sun glimmering in, it created an illusion of tiny sparkling lights emanating from the bottles lined up in front of it.
Addie continued to speculate over the possibility of whether or not she might have actually killed a man today, which would make her a murderer. Why hadn’t she tried harder to see if he was okay? She reached beside the cash register for the remote to the television to check the news when her blood ran hot again and a jolt of tiny sparks surged from her fingertips.
“Ouch,” she cried in a low whisper, jumping back from the remote. “Damn static electricity,” she grumbled and rubbed her hand on her thigh as the television blasted on. She stared at the undisturbed remote control.
“How did that happen? I didn’t even touch the remote,” she mumbled to herself in a low voice. Her gaze moved from the television to the remote and back again. She looked around to see if anyone else could have used the other remote, but Gerry already left for the bank and Darcy was on the other side of the room singing a song as she cleared away some dirty glasses.
“Hey Darcy, have you experienced any static electricity today?” she asked, trying to control the tremor in her voice.
“Static electricity?” Darcy repeated, giving Addie a puzzled look. “No. Why?”
“I don’t know. I just got shocked and was wondering.”
Darcy returned to her song and clearing the table. Addie grabbed the remote and surfed the