Charmed to death: an Ophelia and Abby mystery by Shirley Damsgaard

closely. "You don't know me well enough to introduce me to your grandmother."
    It wasn't a question. It was a statement—and he'd described exactly what I was feeling.
    My eyes flew wide in surprise. "That's astute, Charles. How did you know?"
    "I noticed at the meeting how protective you are of her. Comes with my job, I guess. Noticing things," he said shyly. "A freelance photographer is trained to look for subtle nuances and sometimes it's hard for me to shut the radar off."
    Boy, could I identify with his statement. I'd spent my life trying to shut my radar off, not allowing my sensitivity to others to intrude into my life. I had never considered others might have the same problem, but in a different way.
    "It's not that I don't think you're a nice person—"
    He held up his hand, stopping me. "I understand. But I would like to talk with you more. May I call you?"
    "My number's not listed," I said abruptly.
    "Oh," he said, his voice full of regret.
    A sharp jab in my ribs from Darci showed how closely she had been paying attention.
    It was my turn to blush. I felt the heat spread up my neck and into my cheeks. I slid my eyes over to Darci.
    She lifted her eyebrows as if to say: Give him your number, dummy. Thanks, Darci , I thought and looked back at Charles.
    "Ahh, well, ahh, I suppose I could give you the number," I stuttered. Slipping out a piece of paper from under the counter, I scribbled my cell phone number and handed the paper to him.
    "Thank you, Ophelia," he said, taking my hand again. He looked over at Darci, but still held on to my hand. "It was nice meeting you again."
    "You too, Charles."
    "I'll look forward to talking to you soon," he said, his eyes meeting mine. He gave my hand another quick squeeze, pivoted on his heel, and left the library.
    Darci was the first one to break the silence. "Boy, I thought for a minute there, he was going to kiss your hand."
    "Darci did you—"
    She held up her hand, stopping me. "Want to go out with him? Nope. He's not my type. He's cute, but too aesthetic for me. You, on the other hand—"
    "Hold it. I'm only going to talk to him," I said, picking up the library cards to be filed. "That is— if he calls."
    She chuckled. "Oh, he'll call. And I bet you wind up having dinner with him too."
    "So," I answered with a shrug, "it would only be dinner."
    "But who knows?" Darci tapped her chin. "Ned doesn't trip your trigger, but Charles might. That's why I told him about the demonstration and suggested you introduce him to Abby."
    I dropped the cards. "The idea of introducing him to Abby wasn't spur of the moment? It was a setup?"
    "Sure. I knew you wouldn't introduce a stranger to Abby without checking him out first. I'd hoped, after you said, 'No,' Charles would follow through and ask for your phone number." Darci fluffed her hair and gave me a satisfied look. "But you almost spoiled my plan when you didn't give it to him right away."
    I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, you are the biggest manipulator."
    "You bet I am. If you're not going to take care of your love life, somebody has to," she said with a smirk.
    And to think, I once had typecast Darci as a dumb blonde. Boy, was I wrong.
    Looking down at my watch, I said, "Dang, look at the time. I have to work on those files in my office. I told Claire I'd have them done before I left for the demonstration."
    "She didn't care you're taking today off?"
    "No," I said, sticking the books Darci had checked in under the counter. "I called her last night to ask if the Library Board would have a problem with my participation. She said since most of the board agrees with Abby, it shouldn't be an issue."
    "Speaking of Abby, what did she say last night when you saw her? Did she say anything else about Brian's murder?"
    "Not really. She's as frustrated as I am." I snorted. "Nevertheless, she is convinced I've met Brian's killer."
    Darci arched an eyebrow. "Maybe you have?"
    "I've been over this with Abby. The only dark man I met in Iowa City was