gorgeous thing
breathing on earth, and what a manipulative witch."
"We just didn't have the same concept of a life well lived,"
Matt said, wondering why in the hell he should suddenly defend even
his ex-wife. Simple fact, Lavinia had been a bitch. Rich, spoiled,
and heedless of anyone around her.
"We're all missing the point here," old Anthony Larkin suddenly
pointed out. "Mae, seems to me the world has changed a lot since I
was a young man. Hell, yes, these young people should find out if
they're going to make it in an affair before tying the knot.
Divorces are too easy these days, and they're still hard as hell on
people. Especially on their kids!"
"Well, thankfully, Matt and Lavinia didn't have kids. A devil's
tail might have shown up on one of them,'' Clint said. "I think
Lavinia's had plastic surgery to get rid of hers, but genetically,
it would have still been there."
"Lavinia is gone, and it's over," Matt said flatly.
"That Sibel, Shana, or Sheila girl Clint was dating wasn't a
bitch," Mae said with a sniff. "Opinionated, and intelligent, and
ready to take care of herself. But she wasn't a bitch."
Clint offered an exaggerated sigh. "Mae, her name was Sasha.
Sasha Bennett. And the problem with our great affair was that
she wanted me to move to Texas! And wait a minute-we're getting off
the subject here."
Anthony shook his white head in a way that made his beard rake
back and forth over his chest. "All right, here's my opinion from
an old geezer, Matt. Let's forget about past
transgressions-committed by the lot of you. Every woman isn't a
potential affair. This one seems darned regal and intelligent. She
was sent here to work. Matt, you're having trouble up at your
place. You told me yourself, you called your grandfather's old
friend Harrison after you received his letter. Key concept
here-
you
called
him.
So- just why were you such a
jerk to that girl?"
"She looks too much like Lavinia," Clint said.
"No, she doesn't," Carter argued. "She has the walk, the
movement...kind of like a natural grace. That's all that's the
same."
Matt scowled at them both. "Hey, looks have nothing to do with
anything, gentlemen."
"Gentlemen?" Mae said with a sniff.
"I'm unhappy about the whole thing, I suppose. And yes, I called
Adam after I got the letter, but that's the point-I expected Adam
Harrison himself," Matt admitted ruefully. "And then again, maybe
it all did have something to do with her appearance." He glared at
Clint and Carter. "Not that she resembles Lavinia in any way."
"She doesn't. She's really much prettier," Mae put in.
"But," Matt continued. "She doesn't look like any hard-core
investigator, does she?"
"Looks can be deceiving," Carter said.
"Hey, they say you're going to let Liz do a seance," Anthony
Larkin reminded him. "How hard-core would that be?"
"Liz was close with Gramps, too," Matt said. "A really great
nurse to him toward the end. I owe her." He shrugged. "She begged
when I told her that I had people coming down who were supposedly
ghost experts. She wanted first crack at a seance, before any
out-of-towners took over. She also holds her Women's Town Meeting
in the house once a month, and it's a big event that makes the
house a good income."
Anthony shrugged. "Figured it had to be something like that. I
ran into her down at the drugstore. She said that she'd been
pleading with you, just for herself, since she's so sure she feels
all that cold stuff, especially in the upstairs bedroom. And
she said that the writer could come in, and the new guy from the
Chamber of Commerce. So...it's a crock if you're keeping out that
pretty girl because she's more about ghosts than finding out
if something natural is going bump in the middle of the
night."
"And damn, but she is good-looking," Clint supplied.
Matt nodded slowly. They were all right-and he had been one hell
of an ass to the woman. She had just hit a raw nerve with him, he
supposed, looking as if she had just stepped off a fashion page,
heels
breathing on earth, and what a manipulative witch."
"We just didn't have the same concept of a life well lived,"
Matt said, wondering why in the hell he should suddenly defend even
his ex-wife. Simple fact, Lavinia had been a bitch. Rich, spoiled,
and heedless of anyone around her.
"We're all missing the point here," old Anthony Larkin suddenly
pointed out. "Mae, seems to me the world has changed a lot since I
was a young man. Hell, yes, these young people should find out if
they're going to make it in an affair before tying the knot.
Divorces are too easy these days, and they're still hard as hell on
people. Especially on their kids!"
"Well, thankfully, Matt and Lavinia didn't have kids. A devil's
tail might have shown up on one of them,'' Clint said. "I think
Lavinia's had plastic surgery to get rid of hers, but genetically,
it would have still been there."
"Lavinia is gone, and it's over," Matt said flatly.
"That Sibel, Shana, or Sheila girl Clint was dating wasn't a
bitch," Mae said with a sniff. "Opinionated, and intelligent, and
ready to take care of herself. But she wasn't a bitch."
Clint offered an exaggerated sigh. "Mae, her name was Sasha.
Sasha Bennett. And the problem with our great affair was that
she wanted me to move to Texas! And wait a minute-we're getting off
the subject here."
Anthony shook his white head in a way that made his beard rake
back and forth over his chest. "All right, here's my opinion from
an old geezer, Matt. Let's forget about past
transgressions-committed by the lot of you. Every woman isn't a
potential affair. This one seems darned regal and intelligent. She
was sent here to work. Matt, you're having trouble up at your
place. You told me yourself, you called your grandfather's old
friend Harrison after you received his letter. Key concept
here-
you
called
him.
So- just why were you such a
jerk to that girl?"
"She looks too much like Lavinia," Clint said.
"No, she doesn't," Carter argued. "She has the walk, the
movement...kind of like a natural grace. That's all that's the
same."
Matt scowled at them both. "Hey, looks have nothing to do with
anything, gentlemen."
"Gentlemen?" Mae said with a sniff.
"I'm unhappy about the whole thing, I suppose. And yes, I called
Adam after I got the letter, but that's the point-I expected Adam
Harrison himself," Matt admitted ruefully. "And then again, maybe
it all did have something to do with her appearance." He glared at
Clint and Carter. "Not that she resembles Lavinia in any way."
"She doesn't. She's really much prettier," Mae put in.
"But," Matt continued. "She doesn't look like any hard-core
investigator, does she?"
"Looks can be deceiving," Carter said.
"Hey, they say you're going to let Liz do a seance," Anthony
Larkin reminded him. "How hard-core would that be?"
"Liz was close with Gramps, too," Matt said. "A really great
nurse to him toward the end. I owe her." He shrugged. "She begged
when I told her that I had people coming down who were supposedly
ghost experts. She wanted first crack at a seance, before any
out-of-towners took over. She also holds her Women's Town Meeting
in the house once a month, and it's a big event that makes the
house a good income."
Anthony shrugged. "Figured it had to be something like that. I
ran into her down at the drugstore. She said that she'd been
pleading with you, just for herself, since she's so sure she feels
all that cold stuff, especially in the upstairs bedroom. And
she said that the writer could come in, and the new guy from the
Chamber of Commerce. So...it's a crock if you're keeping out that
pretty girl because she's more about ghosts than finding out
if something natural is going bump in the middle of the
night."
"And damn, but she is good-looking," Clint supplied.
Matt nodded slowly. They were all right-and he had been one hell
of an ass to the woman. She had just hit a raw nerve with him, he
supposed, looking as if she had just stepped off a fashion page,
heels
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