Tales of the Djinn: The Guardian by Emma Holly

Elyse could have
caught his interest instead would seem ridiculous to her.
    Cara took a second to find her voice. “Your
new tenant, Arcadius?”
    “I don’t know any other men by that
name.”
    “But . . . you barely know him. And David’s
only been gone two months.”
    “It’s not a serious date,” Elyse said.
Probably it wasn’t, she being who she was.
    “What about the sidekick?”
    In spite of her qualms, Elyse pulled the red
dress out and looked at it. “As far as I know, Joseph’s not
invited.”
    “As far as you know.”
    Frowning, she hung the red dress back up and
pulled out her trusty LBD. The dress’s cut flattered her slim
curves but showed zero cleavage. She held it up to herself,
confirming it didn’t expose too much leg either. Would wearing
black count as reminding Arcadius she was in mourning? And if it
did, was that a bad thing?
    “Elyse!” Cara said.
    “What?” Elyse asked, startled by her
exasperated tone. She guessed she’d been zoning out.
    “You need to be a little careful. Don’t get
all—” she pulled a comic face “—like you did with David.”
    “All what?” she asked, not understanding the
semaphore.
    “Don’t throw your judgment out the window
just because this man pays you more attention than you’re used
to.”
    “My judgment was fine when it came to
David.”
    Cara pulled the face again.
    “It was!” Exasperated now herself, Elyse
plunked her hands on her hips. “You never gave David a fair shake.
You were always running him down, rolling your eyes at the nice
things he did and said. You only introduced him by accident when he
came to visit with that ex of yours. From the start, he treated me
like I mattered, like I wasn’t a two-year-old. I would have loved
him for that alone.”
    “Jeez,” Cara said. “Sorry for ruffling your
feathers.”
    Elyse knew she was supposed to say she was
sorry too. Rather than give in to the urge, she pressed her lips
together stubbornly.
    Cara heaved a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Consider
the subject dropped. I’ll tell Dad you made other plans for
tonight.” Her cousin’s anger was already fading. She smiled at
Elyse indulgently. “Wear the red,” she advised, wagging her finger
playfully. “Recent widow or not, you need to show that man what
Solomon women are made of.”
    ~
    Against her better judgment, Elyse wriggled
into the shoulder-baring deep red dress. Her reflection in the
closet mirror told her Cara was right. She looked sexy, and the
dress did throw color into her cheeks. Pinning her hair up hid how
much it needed a cut and style. Her flatiron might have
helped, but if she weren’t careful, the straightener just made her
hair more insane. Cara was luckier on that front. She’d inherited
Aunt June’s hair. Elyse put on a necklace, then took it off. Ditto
for a delicate diamond tennis bracelet David had given her on her
birthday. She’d have gone without makeup except the shadows under
her eyes needed concealing. She pulled on hose, not stockings, and
slid into a pair of taller than usual black heels.
    Her heart clenched a little when she surveyed
the end result. Within their frame of mascaraed lashes, her eyes
sparkled. She looked like a woman who was excited to see a man.
    Maybe she shouldn’t have put on real
lipstick?
    Her phone rang before she could wipe it
off.
    “Solomon Property Management,” she answered,
per usual.
    “Elyse,” Arcadius responded in his sexy
baritone. “I’m in front with the vehicle. If you’re ready, I’ll
come up and knock.”
    He was calling to see if he could come up and
knock? Then the light bulb went off. “You bought yourself a cell
phone.”
    “It is bright blue with an ocean wave
pattern! I can surf the net on it.” He wasn’t quite crowing, but he
was close.
    Elyse smiled to herself. He’d wanted to use
his toy. “I look forward to admiring it.”
    “Are you ready then?” he asked in a more
moderate tone.
    She glanced at her reflection,