Don't Die Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton Page A

Jane next to Stormy so I’m giving her a make over.”
    “But Stormy is a horse.”
    “Shhh!” Nona gave me a critical look. “Daphne has enough self-esteem issues to deal with. Dominic explained it all to me. He’s very knowledgeable about animals.”
    “He told you to paint flowers on a cow?”
    “Of course not.” Nona laughed. “He suggested I weave ribbons in her tail. The flowers were my idea. And I’m using natural washable paints that have vitamins and a skin softener mixed in. My own creation.”
    “She’s a cow, not a cover model. And Penny-Love will be here soon. How am I going to explained a flowered cow?”
    “Tell her it’s the latest in modern art.”
    I spread out my arms in frustration. “Why can’t you be an ordinary grandmother who works in a garden or bakes homemade cookies?”
    “There’s a whole plate of homemade carob chip and asparagus cookies in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
    “Someone needs help,” I muttered.
    Daphne turned to moo at me, and I had a feeling I was being chastised.
    Amazingly, when Penny-Love arrived, she didn’t even notice the cow. But she didn’t miss a muscle on Dominic’s tanned, hard body.
    “He’s so hot!” Penny-Love pressed her face up against the window in my attic bedroom, peering down at Dominic as he repaired a broken fence board. “Do you have any binoculars?”
    “No.” I tugged on her arm. “Get away from the window, and I’ll help you with your homework.”
    “He’s wiping sweat off his brow. Now he’s hammering again. Oops! He dropped a nail and is reaching for a new one. Thank you, gravity!”
    “Pen, stop it.”
    “He’s saying something to that wild bird perched on a fence post.”
    “Dominic calls the falcon Dagger.”
    “How sweet! I adore guys who like animals. It shows a deep sensitivity. Now he’s petting the falcon. What a fantastic animal.”
    “The falcon or Dominic?” I couldn’t resist asking. What was the big deal about Dominic anyway? Sure, he was good-looking if you went for the rugged, sweaty type. But he was also annoying and arrogant. Why couldn’t Nona have mentored someone civilized, like Josh?
    “Look!” Penny-Love said with her nose pressed against the window. “He’s taking off his shirt. Have mercy! What a great set of abs! I’m in six-pack heaven! He’s in way better shape than my last boyfriend. Let’s go out and talk to him.”
    I shut my calculus book. “I want nothing to do with him.”
    “Anyone who looks that good can’t be bad.”
    “Worse than bad. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    Penny-Love glanced in the mirror over my dresser and smoothed her curly red hair, then flew out the door.
    Sinking on my bed, I sighed. Then I reached out for a dish filled with lumpy, fresh-baked cookies and bit into an asparagus and carob chip cookie.
    * * *
    As I predicted, Dominic barely said one word to Penny before rudely striding off to the barn. But did that deter my boy-crazy friend? Not a bit. She invited herself to dinner and spent the whole time quizzing Nona about Dominic: Where was he from? What was his family like? Did he have a girlfriend?
    “He’s an excellent employee,” Nona said evasively. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask him.”
    But even though Penny-Love lingered after dinner, drying dishes while I washed, Dominic did not appear. We finished our homework, listened to CDs, and played computer games. Penny-Love kept glancing at the door while I kept a close watch on the clock. By nine-thirty, I was stressed completely. How could I tell my best friend to leave so I could rendezvous with Manny and Thorn?
    Fortunately Penny-Love’s cell phone rang at 9:35. I knew it was her mother before she answered. Her mother’s angry voice came across loudly, “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t going to be home for dinner? Why didn’t you let me know where you were? I’m coming to get you, now!”
    A subdued Penny-Love said goodbye, then hurried outside. I waited