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Authors: Jennifer Echols
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front of other people. In front of Elijah. She couldn’t bear to look in Elijah’s direction. She wished she could disappear.
“So, you assist your dad,” Shane prompted her, ignoring Rob. She was growing very fond of Shane. “Can you do any magic yourself?”
“Her dad’s the magician,” Rob said. “Holly can’t do shit.”
“Rob!” Shane exclaimed.
Holly glanced down at Rob’s hands balling into fists. She was glad he’d taken his gun off.
“Of course she can do magic,” Elijah spoke up. He glanced sideways at Holly.
Holly smiled. “Hold my purse.” She meant this command for any of the three men, but it was Elijah who moved first with his hands out. Whenever her dad had to hold her mom’s purse for a minute while they were out shopping, he grumbled that this was a sign a man truly loved a woman. Holly kept her face neutral as she handed the purse over.
She displayed both sides of her empty hands, splaying her fingers to show she concealed nothing between them. Then she produced a slip of flash paper and a box of matches from her bra. Parlor tricks were all about misdirection, and she’d found through experience that she would always be ahead of her dad, at least in that regard, because she could store small items in her bosom. Indeed, when she slipped a ten-dollar bill from the matchbox into her palm, she could tell it went undetected. The men continued to stare at her chest—until she lit a match.
“I’m allergic to smoke,” Shane said.
“He’s kidding,” Elijah told Holly. “He has a job playing guitar in a bar.”
“Where else am I going to get a job playing guitar?” Shane asked.
Holly crossed her eyes at them. There would be very little smoke. She touched the fire to the flash paper, which flamed large enough to make even Rob step back in surprise. The flash paper had burned away, but it seemed to Holly’s audience to have turned into the ten-dollar bill, which she now unrolled from her palm.
Shrugging the strap of her purse onto his shoulder, Elijah beamed and clapped for her.
“Wow, is that a real ten?” Shane reached out to finger the money.
“You’re supposed to use a hundred so it will look more impressive,” Holly said, “but I went shopping with Kaylee Michaels. Aren’t these cute?” She pulled up her jeans leg and showed them her new shoes.
“They’re adorable!” Elijah exclaimed.
“Thank you! I got them at—” When she realized he was poking fun at her, she shoved him playfully in the chest.
Both of them laughed.
Then both of them self-consciously half looked toward Rob and stopped laughing. Elijah handed her purse back.
Shane filled the silence. “Could you come live with us? If you did that trick a few times a week, we’d have satellite TV paid for.”
Rob asked her matter-of-factly, “You like performing for my roommates? You like turning tricks for my friends?”
She frowned at Rob. Because her job required her to dress provocatively, and had required this of her since she was a high school freshman, she was particularly annoyed by prostitute jokes.
She reminded herself that her parents loved Rob. They’d talked with him for only five minutes last week, but he’d won them over in that short space. They were impressed that he was older than her and employed as a sheriff’s deputy. They viewed him as strong and stable, someone who could take care of her if her MAD flared up.
But maybe she didn’t need a man to take care of her. Mentafixol controlled her MAD. And she’d rather go crazy than be stuck with this prick. If she stayed with him for another second she might just slap him, MAD or no MAD. “Excuse me,” she said icily, turning for the hallway, where she assumed she’d find a bathroom. There she could collect herself and figure out what to do.
As she turned, she glimpsed Elijah’s face. Just for a second. She was too furious and embarrassed to pause and examine his expression. But in that moment, his look wasn’t one of
“So, you assist your dad,” Shane prompted her, ignoring Rob. She was growing very fond of Shane. “Can you do any magic yourself?”
“Her dad’s the magician,” Rob said. “Holly can’t do shit.”
“Rob!” Shane exclaimed.
Holly glanced down at Rob’s hands balling into fists. She was glad he’d taken his gun off.
“Of course she can do magic,” Elijah spoke up. He glanced sideways at Holly.
Holly smiled. “Hold my purse.” She meant this command for any of the three men, but it was Elijah who moved first with his hands out. Whenever her dad had to hold her mom’s purse for a minute while they were out shopping, he grumbled that this was a sign a man truly loved a woman. Holly kept her face neutral as she handed the purse over.
She displayed both sides of her empty hands, splaying her fingers to show she concealed nothing between them. Then she produced a slip of flash paper and a box of matches from her bra. Parlor tricks were all about misdirection, and she’d found through experience that she would always be ahead of her dad, at least in that regard, because she could store small items in her bosom. Indeed, when she slipped a ten-dollar bill from the matchbox into her palm, she could tell it went undetected. The men continued to stare at her chest—until she lit a match.
“I’m allergic to smoke,” Shane said.
“He’s kidding,” Elijah told Holly. “He has a job playing guitar in a bar.”
“Where else am I going to get a job playing guitar?” Shane asked.
Holly crossed her eyes at them. There would be very little smoke. She touched the fire to the flash paper, which flamed large enough to make even Rob step back in surprise. The flash paper had burned away, but it seemed to Holly’s audience to have turned into the ten-dollar bill, which she now unrolled from her palm.
Shrugging the strap of her purse onto his shoulder, Elijah beamed and clapped for her.
“Wow, is that a real ten?” Shane reached out to finger the money.
“You’re supposed to use a hundred so it will look more impressive,” Holly said, “but I went shopping with Kaylee Michaels. Aren’t these cute?” She pulled up her jeans leg and showed them her new shoes.
“They’re adorable!” Elijah exclaimed.
“Thank you! I got them at—” When she realized he was poking fun at her, she shoved him playfully in the chest.
Both of them laughed.
Then both of them self-consciously half looked toward Rob and stopped laughing. Elijah handed her purse back.
Shane filled the silence. “Could you come live with us? If you did that trick a few times a week, we’d have satellite TV paid for.”
Rob asked her matter-of-factly, “You like performing for my roommates? You like turning tricks for my friends?”
She frowned at Rob. Because her job required her to dress provocatively, and had required this of her since she was a high school freshman, she was particularly annoyed by prostitute jokes.
She reminded herself that her parents loved Rob. They’d talked with him for only five minutes last week, but he’d won them over in that short space. They were impressed that he was older than her and employed as a sheriff’s deputy. They viewed him as strong and stable, someone who could take care of her if her MAD flared up.
But maybe she didn’t need a man to take care of her. Mentafixol controlled her MAD. And she’d rather go crazy than be stuck with this prick. If she stayed with him for another second she might just slap him, MAD or no MAD. “Excuse me,” she said icily, turning for the hallway, where she assumed she’d find a bathroom. There she could collect herself and figure out what to do.
As she turned, she glimpsed Elijah’s face. Just for a second. She was too furious and embarrassed to pause and examine his expression. But in that moment, his look wasn’t one of
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