Medium Well (9781101599648) by Meg Benjamin

skirt. Huge hoops dangled from her ears, glittering in the spotlight. Her silvery blond hair feathered around her face, like moonbeams. She looked . . . luscious.
    Danny blew out a breath.
Don’t go there. Oh, don’t go there.
    Biddy was off limits for all kinds of reasons. Her sister. Her job. Her ability to see through him and know when he was lying his head off. Most of all her very real suspicion that something weird was going on at the carriage house. A relationship with Biddy would be a one-way trip to trouble. He really needed to stay off that train.
    The song ended and the crowd went nuts, as usual. Biddy grinned, then swung into another song, this one about a cheating lover who’d be finding himself another girl before long but wouldn’t be taking her heart along with him. She swayed along with the music, acting out the words, confident, saucy.
    Sexy.
    Danny closed his eyes. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. He could deal with the office Biddy a lot better than this stage Biddy. He had a feeling the stage Biddy wouldn’t put up with a lot of crap, not that he wanted to give her any.
    Of course, the office Biddy hadn’t taken much crap from him when he’d behaved like a jerk this afternoon, something he’d admitted to himself five minutes after he’d watched her walk away. He’d better do something about that.
    The band only did two more numbers, ending with the one about traveling that he’d heard before. When they finished, the crowd jumped to its feet, yelling for more. Danny stood and whistled along with everybody else.
    Biddy was back then, smiling into the darkened room. “Here’s an old one for you,” the guitarist said, looking a little nervous as Biddy played a quick arpeggio over the piano line.
    â€œNow here’s the story of Minnie the Moocher,” Biddy growled in a voice that sounded like early Marianne Faithfull. People in the back of the room yelled and whistled. She grinned, playing to the crowd, and the crowd played back, roaring now, on its feet. Danny let loose with another whistle and the people next to him didn’t even put their hands over their ears.
    Behind her the band laughed as they sang the “heidi heidi heidi ho” chorus. Biddy shook her silvery hair as she swung into the final verse. She raised her hand, waving good-bye as the band retreated and the crowd whooped.
    Danny stayed on his feet, staring at the space where Biddy had been standing only seconds before. Around him people stomped their feet, yelling for more, but the next group had already begun to set up.
    Poor bastards! Who’d want to follow Biddy and the boys? The crowd began to subside into their seats again as a jug band combo began to play.
    He moved back to the bar and ordered a beer. He didn’t exactly know why he was sticking around. He had no idea if Biddy would come into the restaurant or not. Hell, she might head home—after a day like today, she might feel like crashing. He should probably feel that way himself.
    But apparently she didn’t. Danny watched as Biddy moved into the room. Shaking hands with one or two people who stopped her, smiling at a little girl who wanted her autograph. He suddenly felt like some star stalker, hovering on the fringes, waiting to pounce on the golden girl.
    And then she saw him. Danny swore he could feel the jolt all the way to his knees, although more relevant parts of his body were more directly involved. Good thing she didn’t look like that at the office, or he’d never be able to sell anything. On the other hand, he might do a lot of buying.
    She raised a tentative hand in a half salute, chewing on her lower lip. Nervous. Danny took a deep calming breath. He was nervous, too, which made no sense at all. Biddy was his assistant. He liked her. He got along with her.
    But maybe not this Biddy. A kid Danny recognized as the guitarist stepped to her elbow,