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men were all creeps and she could easily live without them. Six months later, she was ready to acknowledge that they had a few redeeming qualities.
    Buttoning her coat, she turned to Jeremy. ‘‘I need to settle up. What do I owe you for the computer time and the goodies?’’ Maybe it was her use of the word goodies, or the direction her thoughts had taken when he’d helped her on with her coat. Whatever the reason, she suddenly found herself wondering how Jeremy would be in bed. How totally inappropriate.
    ‘‘It’s on the house.’’ He picked up the carafe again.
    ‘‘No, seriously. Let me pay you.’’
    ‘‘That makes no sense. You just did a story on my café. Like Tony said, that’s free publicity.’’
    ‘‘Which you didn’t ask for. Which you even tried to avoid, as I recall.’’ She really liked looking into those gray eyes. His obvious sexual interest soothed her battered ego.
    ‘‘I’m just not comfortable in the limelight.’’
    ‘‘Yet you’re training to be a magician. There must be an extrovert in there trying to get out.’’ She enjoyed the thought of that. She wouldn’t mind being around for the transformation.
    ‘‘It’s only a hobby.’’
    ‘‘But a fun hobby. Listen, I need to pay you. I’ll be coming in every day to file a new story, so I can’t have you comping me all week. That’s not fair.’’
    ‘‘We could say it’s for old time’s sake.’’
    ‘‘Or I could buy you a drink over at the Big Knobian after you close up shop here.’’
    The invitation obviously surprised him, but it surprised her, too. She must be in serious need of male companionship if she’d hit on the first guy she came across in Big Knob. She’d said it, though, and she couldn’t very well take it back now.
    He looked conflicted. ‘‘Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting someone.’’
    Whoops. ‘‘Of course. I shouldn’t have assumed that—I mean, a terrific guy like you would be seeing someone. My bad.’’
    ‘‘That’s not—’’
    ‘‘No, really, don’t worry about it. I’ve been gone a long time, and I’ve lost track of who’s dating who around here.’’ Clutching her tote, she backed toward the door. ‘‘I’ll get my little sis to give me a cheat sheet so I don’t make those kinds of mistakes again.’’ In fact, she wouldn’t be making any mistakes at all, because she would eliminate all thoughts of men and sex from her mind.
    ‘‘I’m not meeting a woman!’’ Jeremy said it loud enough that all activity in the café stopped and everyone’s attention turned to them.
    ‘‘Oh. Oh. ’’ Annie blushed. She’d always had lousy gaydar, and here was proof. She’d hit on someone who batted for the other team. She’d been so caught up in her own deprivation that she’d imagined sexual interest where there was none. He’d probably been admiring the cut of her cream-colored blouse and trying to guess the designer.
    Tony was the first to comment. ‘‘Hey, I’m cool with that, Jeremy, my man. To each his own, is my motto.’’
    Jeremy groaned. ‘‘That’s not what I meant at all. It’s a . . . a business meeting. I’m not . . . I don’t want you to think that I’m . . .’’
    ‘‘I wasn’t thinking anything,’’ Annie lied.
    ‘‘So what do we have going on here, gayness or straightness?’’ Tony asked. ‘‘Inquiring minds want to know. We’re not here to judge. We’re just curious.’’
    Annie turned toward the kid, who was too precocious for his own good. ‘‘It’s none of our business. Let’s just drop it.’’ And then she hurried out of the café before the situation grew any worse.
    ‘‘So now Annie thinks I’m gay.’’ Jeremy sat on a purple sofa in the Lowells’ parlor, with Megabyte sprawled at his feet in her normal floor-rug pose. Jeremy wished he could be naturally relaxed like his dog. Instead he had to rely on the mug of Irish coffee Ambrose had just handed him. He’d had a rough