Blonde With a Wand Read Free

voice in a pretty good imitation of Jasper. “ I thought we had something special. I was all set to take her home to meet my folks in Wisconsin when she lowered the boom. Maybe I should have seen it coming. Maybe I dropped the ball somehow, didn’t live up to her expectations. I tried to get her to reconsider, but she was finished with me. ”
    Uneasiness settled in Anica’s stomach. Sheila had quoted Jasper almost word for word. What if this woman was a nutcase who’d been lurking in the coffee shop behind a newspaper while Jasper spilled his guts? “That’s . . . approximately what he said.”
    “I’ll bet a million dollars that’s exactly what he said. Because that’s the speech he gave me about Kate, his previous girlfriend. It touched my heartstrings, which appear to be directly connected to my libido. A few dates, and we were in bed, where I could mend his broken heart.” She blew out a breath. “I didn’t leave Jasper. He dumped me three weeks ago.”
    Three weeks ago Jasper had walked into Wicked Brew for the first time and she’d elbowed her employee Sally out of the way so that she could personally serve him a latte. Jasper had shown up the next morning, and the next, and on the third morning he’d announced that his girlfriend had left him.
    But Sheila couldn’t be telling the truth about that breakup. Anica prided herself on her ability to read people, and Jasper had been one forlorn guy three weeks ago. If he’d made up that story—no, she couldn’t believe that he’d do such a thing.
    “I want to hear Jasper’s side,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why he’d—”
    “Don’t you? He’s figured out that women are suckers for a sob story. He hangs with a woman until he finds somebody he likes better. Then he dumps the current girlfriend and works the heartbreak-kid angle with the new one. I fell for it. And the worst part is, if I could have him back, I’d take him, even knowing what I know.”
    Anica shook her head, still unwilling to accept what Sheila was saying. “I’m sure there’s an explanation. Maybe you two misunderstood each other.” That still left Anica out in the cold if Sheila and Jasper reunited, but she’d rather see that happen than discover Jasper was a louse.
    “It’s hard to misunderstand when someone says, ‘ It’s been lots of fun and you’re amazing, but it’s time to move on .’ That’s pretty damned clear, don’t you think?”
    “Did you two fight about something?”
    “No. All was peaches and cream. I’m guessing he met you and decided to trade up.”
    Had Jasper lied to her? Anica couldn’t believe it, but there was only one way to find out. “I’ll talk to him.”
    “You do that, and if you decide you don’t want him after you find out the truth, let me know.” Sheila thrust a business card in Anica’s hand. “He might bounce back my way.”
    Anica stared at her in disbelief. “You’d still want him, even if he lied to you?”
    “ ’Fraid so. I shouldn’t, but . . . he’s just that good.”
     
    Jasper tried not to be worried. He’d noticed Sheila sitting at the bar when he’d first walked in with Anica. He didn’t know if Sheila had spotted him or not, but he’d asked for a table quite a distance from the bar, just in case. She’d seemed to take the breakup reasonably well, but there was no point in flaunting his new girlfriend.
    Sheila was alone, but he told himself that she was probably meeting some guy here. A woman who looked like Sheila wouldn’t have any trouble finding dates. She deserved to hook up with someone who appreciated her more than he had.
    For a while he’d tried to tell himself Sheila was everything he needed in a woman, but then he’d looked into Anica’s startling blue eyes and experienced a zing of excitement he hadn’t felt in years. Immediately he’d made a clean break with Sheila. It was the only fair thing to do, and he prided himself on never cheating on a lover.
    Sheila had seemed