Love Potion #9 by Claire Delacroix Page A

must be exactly the same layout as this house. I mean, you’d never believe it, but clearly Lilith has more than one gift...”
    â€œI am not going over there to compare decorating notes!” Mitch abandoned the chair and cast it aside, his annoyance front and center once more as he glowered at Andrea.
    When he continued, his voice was tight and low once more. “Will you please stay on the subject?”
    â€œWell, it was just a suggestion,” Andrea huffed.
    Mitch muttered something that Andrea was glad she hadn’t clearly heard, then propped his hands on his hips. His eyes glinted dangerously, like gold in candlelight, his lips were taut.
    The man could seethe, there was no doubt about it.
    Then, Mitch took another deep breath and when he spoke, his words were even. “Andrea,” he said with careful control, “It’s not unreasonable that I worry about you. Now, I want you to listen to me for just two minutes.”
    He really wanted to make his point. And he was trying not to blow his stack. Andrea supposed that should earn him an audience.
    But she wasn’t going to make it easy on him.
    And she wasn’t going to change her mind.
    Andrea heaved a sigh of apparent reluctance, then perched on a chair, knowing full well what she was going to hear. “Fine. You have to promise not to take any longer than that, because I know what you’re going to say and you could say it in half that time.”
    â€œLook.” Mitch squatted down in front of Andrea, so concerned for her safety and future that her heart wrenched a little. He was such a good son, even if he wasn’t exactly her son.
    Mitch’s voice was intent, his gaze was steady. “Andrea, I want you to really think about what you’re saying here. A fortune teller -“
    â€œNot just any fortune teller!” she corrected. “ Lilith !” Andrea leaned down and patted Mitch on the shoulder. If only he worried half as much about himself as he did about everyone else! She really had to find him a nice young woman who would appreciate him.
    Andrea blinked at the realization that there was one very good candidate right next door. “She seems like a very nice girl, you know, Mitch, and it’s about time you started thinking about dating again. You can’t beat yourself up over Janice forever...”
    â€œ Andrea!” Mitch roared.
    Andrea decided to shut up.
    Mitch took a Herculean breath, stared at the floor for a long moment, then impaled her with a glance. “I get two minutes,” he reminded her.
    Andrea folded her arms across her chest. “Well, time’s wasting.”
    â€œA fortune teller,” Mitch repeated with a stern glance her way “told you to go on a specific cruise at a specific time, that you would meet a specific kind of man there, and that this man - your own true love - would sweep you off your feet.” Mitch arched a brow. “Doesn’t that sound a teeny bit suspicious to you?”
    â€œIt sounds like destiny,” Andrea retorted haughtily. “It sounds like Lilith is reading the future.”
    Mitch snorted. “Come on, Andrea, this is how cons are arranged! Keep in mind that you are in very comfortable financial circumstances.”
    â€œLilith couldn’t know that.”
    â€œ Anyone could know that,” Mitch retorted so crisply that Andrea wondered. “The real estate records show my acquisition of the house, a little digging in the marriage registry and the birth files could come up with my association with you. It’s easy to find people, Andrea, and to find out a lot about them. The Internet is a positive minefield of personal information.”
    He looked so serious that Andrea believed him. She bit her lip. “Really?”
    â€œTrust me, I know. I’m a journalist , Andrea. We dig up stuff on people all the time.”
    â€œOh.”
    Mitch inched closer, his words persuasive. “Of course,