Hot Spell

“It’s Ms. Davis.”

What a huge surprise, Jacob thought dryly.

“Ms. Davis,” Amanda repeated, and then smiled warmly at the unpleasant woman. “But we did get here as soon as we could. This location is a fair drive for us.”

“That’s no excuse.”

Jacob was surprised that Amanda’s smile held. Hell, if he’d given her this much of a problem she’d be giving him the death glare by now.

Her death glare was kind of cute.

Amanda’s smile, though, did weaken a bit at the edges as she juggled her papers. She loved paperwork. He knew that. However, he hadn’t been aware that some of the paperwork she’d handled had to do with him and his past. It had made him more than a little uncomfortable when she’d brought up the subject of his ex-fiancée.

Served him right. She’d only been giving him a very big sign to stay away from her personal issues. It was only fair.

Best to keep things just business between them. No personal issues need apply.

Still, it bothered him. He would have rather kept up the facade of an unrepentant ladies’ man than some fool still nursing a broken heart.

Besides, he wasn’t nursing that broken heart anymore. He’d thrown it away. That’s what you did with broken things. You got rid of them so they didn’t cause unnecessary clutter.

A few pages from Amanda’s stack came loose and fluttered to the ground. She grabbed at them as Ms. Davis raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s move this along, dear. I don’t have all night.”

Amanda’s face flushed. Jacob leaned over and picked up some of the fallen pages and handed them back to her. She looked frustrated.

It was okay. He’d handle this.

“Ms. Davis,” he said out loud, turning toward the short redhead and giving her one of his very best smiles. He extended his hand to her. “I’m Jacob Caine.”

She hesitated for a brief moment, and then shook his hand.

That was all he needed. The skin-to-skin contact helped him get an empathic read on her. She obviously had no psychic abilities. Since joining PARA, he’d found that some psychics, such as Amanda, were a blank page to him. This woman on the other hand was wide open. He got the immediate impression she was equal parts lonely and needy.

He could totally work with that.

He squeezed her hand before letting it go. “What I want to know is why a beautiful woman like yourself would want to live in such a dreary house like this. I see you in a high-rise condo in a big city. Very cosmopolitan.”

Her thin eyebrows raised. “You’re a very good psychic. I actually have an offer in on a new complex in Chicago as we speak.”

“The perfect city,” he said. “I’m actually from Chicago originally myself. I moved away from there two years ago.”

“Really?”

He nodded. Well, to be quite honest, he was from Seattle, but that wouldn’t help at all at the moment. White lies for the right reasons were totally acceptable.

“This is Amanda LaGrange.” He nodded toward the beautiful brunette next to him who regarded him with a bemused expression as he worked his own personal kind of magic. A magic he liked to call natural charm. “She already has the details of your case, but I think it would be best if we hear it from you in your own words.”

His attention returned to Ms. Davis, whose expression had changed to a very pleased one. She liked him. A smile, a few complimentary words, and he was in.

Between the two women in his current company, Ms. Davis wouldn’t be his first choice, but he did like that glow he’d set into her cheeks. He’d rather see that glow on Amanda’s face when she looked at him, but knew that was going to happen exactly…never.

Ms. Davis turned to the old, stone-faced house with ivy crawling up the front. To Jacob it looked creepy, but he supposed some might find a certain charm in it.

“My house is infested with evil spirits,” she stated. “And I want them gone.”

“Evil spirits?” Jacob repeated.

Amanda shuffled through her papers. “It says here that last night you heard noises and had the sensation of being pushed out of certain rooms. I’m not sure that counts as a supernatural infestation.”

Ms. Davis’s eyes narrowed. “Are you doubting what I said is true?”

“Of course not, I’m just saying—”

Jacob held up his hand. “We’ll check it out. Don’t worry, Ms. Davis…may I call you Sheila?”

Her sour expression turned into a smile. “You may.”

“Please tell me more about the evil spirits, Sheila.”

She ran a hand through her red curls as if grooming herself for inspection. “My uncle left me this house but I want to get rid of it. One can’t very well have an open house for potential buyers if there are evil forces at work. Haunted houses are curious tourist attractions, but ghosts are not exactly something that raises one’s property value.”

“I totally and completely agree.” Jacob glanced at Amanda who rolled her eyes. “We will handle this, I personally promise you that.”

She beamed at him. “I’ll be staying at the Marriott. I expect a full report first thing in the morning.”

“And you’ll have it.”

“Very good.” Sheila eyed Amanda. “You’re very lucky to have a boss like Jacob taking the lead. I can tell he knows what to do.”

Her blue eyes widened. “But he’s not my—”

Jacob interrupted. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Sheila. And you can expect my call bright and early. Sleep well, now.”

He opened her car door for her and Sheila got inside.

“Be careful in there,” she told him.

“I’ll do my best.”

Jacob eased the door shut and after another moment, Sheila drove off down the driveway leaving the two of them alone.

“She thought you were my boss,” Amanda said.

“It must be my air of authority.”

“I don’t think it was necessary to flirt with her.”