Defy the World Tomatoes by Phoebe Conn Page A

to build the kite, remember?”
    “An excellent point.” Giving in, Griffin knelt beside her. “Maybe they didn’t sew this one together correctly at the factory.”
    He was mere inches away and studying the kite’s construction rather than tormenting her. His lashes made shadows on his cheeks, and he was quite appealing when he was in a playful mood, but none of it seemed real to her. It was all just a trick, and he probably wouldn’t stop until he’d convinced her that she actually wanted to move Defy the World clear out of town.
    Then she grew curious. “Why do you need a recording studio if you’ve stopped rehearsing?”
    “Later. Here we are, the slots open on the other side. Hand me the first dowel.”
    Darcy slapped it into his hand. “Tell me.”
    “Let’s get the kite in the air first.” Griffin slid in the dowels, then attached the string. He stood and shook out the kite, then looked up at the cloudless sky.
    “Is there some trick to getting this thing in the air?” he asked.
    “You’ve never flown a kite?” Darcy stood and moved out of his way.
    “I began playing the piano at five and just looked up a couple of months ago. There’s a whole lot I’ve missed, including the art of kite flying.”
    Darcy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she imagined he must have been a very serious little boy indeed. “You need to run while you let out the string, and the wind will carry it aloft for you.”
    Griffin looked around to judge the distance. “If I stay on the terrace, I shouldn’t be in any danger of falling off the bluff.”
    “Go for it,” Darcy encouraged. She watched him cross the terrace in an easy lope and when he turned back into the breeze, the kite bounced upward. “That’s it, just let out the string.”
    Griffin fumbled with the reel, then caught it and laughed when the kite rose steadily into the air. The wind whipped the dragon’s long tail and serrated wings, pushing it higher. “Wow, it looks like a real dragon, doesn’t it?” he shouted.
    “It sure does. Now just move back a little and keep letting out more string.” She raised her hand to shade her eyes, then walked across the terrace to where she could observe Griffin as well as the brightly colored kite.
    She remembered the kids who had played in the high school band as being rather nerdy. Not that she’d been Miss Popularity, but at least she hadn’t always had her nose in a book. With Griffin’s looks, no one would have ever called him a nerd, but it saddened her to think he must have missed out on a lot of the fun of growing up.
    “Is this all there is to it?” he asked.
    “Not really. The wind can shift and send a kite right into the ground, or into a tree. The power lines are buried underground up here, but usually they pose a threat too. Then, if there are others flying kites, your string can become tangled in theirs and send both kites plunging to earth.
    “Depending on the wind conditions, flying a kite can be frustrating, or like today, just plain fun. Let it go up as high as you’d like, but remember you’ll have to rewind all the string when you bring it down.”
    “I’ll keep it in mind. Why don’t you come here and try it?”
    Here we go, Darcy thought, but the prospect of having him wrapped around her wasn’t all that unappealing. She moved to his side and gradually took control of the string. To her infinite dismay, however, he stepped back out of her way.
    “Now, tell me why you need a studio,” she prompted, as much to distract herself as to discover his intentions.
    Griffin moved up behind her and began to rub her shoulders. “You look rather stiff. Does this feel good?”
    His touch was light but sure and incredibly soothing. “Christy Joy said you’d have great hands.”
    “Did she?” Griffin chuckled.
    Darcy hadn’t meant to pay the compliment out loud. “Please don’t tell her I said that.”
    “I’m going to be tempted, but maybe we can work out