harass you,” Allie said in her drollest tone.
“Very funny. What for?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“Please, no games. Just tell me what this is about.”
“Someone broke into Allie’s loft and trashed her bedroom,” Daniel said.
Much too dramatic, Glynis clutched a hand to her blouse, ruffling the boa-type feathers. Her fingernails were as red as her lips. “And you think it was me?”
“It seems like a possibility.”
“I wouldn’t waste my time.”
“Wouldn’t you?” he challenged. “Not even for me?”
“No, dear boy. That isn’t my style. But feel free to give my regards to whoever did it.”
“Any idea who that could be?” Cynicism edged his voice. “Besides you?”
“If you’re asking me who else you slept with, I have no idea. You weren’t the type to kiss and tell. Speaking of kisses, why don’t we have a drink?”
He furrowed his brow. Apparently he wasn’t following Glynis’s logic. Allie was, but she remained silent.
He asked, “What do drinks have to do with kisses?”
“Oh, that’s right. You don’t remember. I have a Vampire’s Kiss every day. Sometimes you had one with me. But mostly you preferred Gin and Nothing.”
“I’ll have one of those.” He made a thought-provoking expression, as if he were delving into his own lost mind. “That’s still what I prefer.”
“Then there you go. Some things don’t change.” The dragon lady looked at Allie. “Would you like a drink, too?”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Afraid I’ll poison it?”
Allie coined Daniel from earlier. “It seems like a possibility.”
Glynis rolled her elegantly lined eyes and proceeded to fix the cocktails. For herself, she used a recipe that consisted of vodka, cranberry juice, orange liqueur and fresh lime juice. For Daniel, she poured a jigger of gin over ice and added a twist of lemon peel.
He accepted the drink and made himself at home on the sofa. Allie figured he had a plan, but she wasn’t sure what it was. He patted the spot next to him, silently telling her to join him. She did, even if she wasn’t comfortable staying any longer than necessary.
Glynis sat across from them and sipped her Vampire’s Kiss. Ignoring Allie, she gazed at Daniel. “I can’t get over how different you look. How different you seem.”
The ice in his glass clinked, and he spoke above the Gin and Nothing sound. “Do you like me better this way?”
She crossed her legs, flashing her sexy high heels at him. “Would it matter if I did?”
He shrugged, then looked closely at her. “I think I do remember something about you.”
She squared her shoulders, lifting her bosom a bit higher. “You do?”
“I seem to recall your pretty handwriting.” He paused for effect. “Calligraphy.”
Aha, Allie thought. Daniel was trying to trap Glynis. They hadn’t told her that calligraphy had been used during the vandalism. If she reacted defensively, she would give herself away.
She didn’t get defensive. In fact, she stunned them by saying, “No, no, darling. That’s Margaret. She’s the one with the lovely penmanship.”
“Margaret?”
“My housekeeper.”
The bulldog who protected Glynis? Could she be the vandal? Had she done it for Glynis? Were they in on it together? And if they were, why was Glynis being so open about it?
Allie shot Daniel a quick glance. He seemed to be pondering the same questions.
Glynis popped up and walked over to an antique desk and opened the roll top. She returned with a fancy envelope. “Margaret is going to address these for me and mail them later today. See? She already put my return address in her calligraphy.”
Daniel took the sealed envelope. “What is this?”
“An invitation. I’m having a Christmas party. Oh, here’s a novel idea. Why don’t you come?” She turned to Allie. “You, too. Just think, you can stress all evening about me poisoning you. What fun that will be.”
Hardy har har. Glynis had a twisted sense of humor. Under different circumstances, Allie might have learned to like her.
Or not.
“We’ll think about it,” Allie said, wondering if the party had been arranged for her and Daniel’s benefit.
“Don’t think too long. You’ll need to RSVP.”
“We’ll let you know.” Daniel stood up.
“I do hope you’ll attend, darling boy. It was so very nice to see you.”
Glynis didn’t walk them out and neither did Margaret. Daniel and Allie left on their own, the invitation tucked safely into his pocket.
Daniel opened the truck door for Allie and watched her climb inside the vehicle. They didn’t discuss the situation, not until he got behind the wheel and started the engine.
“What do you think?” she asked.
That was a loaded question. His mind was crowded and confused, his thoughts clinging like cobwebs. “About Glynis? About Margaret’s calligraphy? About whether or not we should go to the party?”
“All of it. But start with Glynis.”
He pulled away from the curb. “I honestly don’t remember her. Nor does she seem like my type.” Which made his confusion that much greater.
“You don’t think she’s attractive?”
“It isn’t that.” Glynis Mitchell had a great body and fascinating sense of style, but she seemed cold and calculating. Not like Allie. He turned away from the windshield to glance at her. “I prefer softer women.”
“Maybe you used to like tough girls. I can be tough sometimes, and you used to like me.”
Daniel tried not to smile, to make light of her admission. She seemed to believe that her supposed toughness had drawn him to her. But he doubted that was the case.
She fumbled to explain. “Even Glynis commented on your attraction to me.”
He decided not to expound on that attraction, to discuss it beyond a few sentences. “I don’t trust Glynis. It was rude the way she flirted with me in front of you. Those
