“What do you mean?”
“It’s clear the man was flirting with you.”
Edie paused, spoon midway to her mouth. “You’re . . . kidding, right?”
“Not kidding.”
“He can’t stand me!”
“Mmhmm.” Bianca gave her a knowing look.
“I—no! Seriously. He hated every suggestion I gave him. Didn’t want to listen to any of it. I can assure you, the man does not like me.” It was weird to even think about it.
“Oh, Edie, you’re so blind to these sorts of things,” Bianca said in a pitying voice. She arched an eyebrow at her sister. “Let’s analyze this, shall we? Here we have a man who you met at a party and sat next to all night—”
“Neither of us speaking to the other, I should point out.”
“—and a few days later, this man acquires a random cat he knows nothing about.” Bianca extended a finger, counting off. “This man immediately contacts you to come and work with his cat, even offering to pay extra so you’ll come despite the long drive.”
“Oh, but—”
“Did he leave the room while you were there?”
“No, but—”
“Did you notice that I disappeared? His brother kept me busy with questions about the business and our billing. You don’t think he was seriously that interested in it, do you?”
This time, Edie had no excuse. She had wondered where her sister had run off to.
“Did he ask about you when you two were alone? Things like what made you who you are? Personal things?”
“Of course not,” Edie said, flustered. It was ridiculous to think about—
So what made you decide to become a cat expert? Her brain reminded her using Magnus’s voice.
Edie’s eyes widened. Surely not. “I . . . Uh, are you sure, Bianca?”
“I think I know what it looks like when a man is trying to let a woman know he’s interested. And I’m pretty sure he was interested in you.” Her smile became encouraging. “It’s obvious he got the cat as a means to get closer to you.”
That was so . . . strange. Edie thought back to the party at Gretchen’s house. She’d overheard their boorish male conversation in the kitchens, and both she and Magnus had been dismayed to see they were sitting together. They’d taken a seemingly instant dislike to each other, one that had carried through all night.
And yet . . . everything Bianca pointed out had a grain of truth in it. Pieced together like that, Bianca’s suggestion made sense. It was a weird situation and there was no logical explanation for it, unless it was that Magnus really was trying to get Edie’s attention.
But . . . why go for Edie when Bianca was right there? Edie knew she wasn’t the pretty sister. She wasn’t dog-ugly, of course, but she wasn’t as into hair and makeup as Bianca was. She wore jeans and T-shirts when Bianca wore skirts and blouses. Edie’s brown wavy hair was chopped at the shoulders and usually kept in two short braids tucked out of the way behind her ears. Bianca had perfect, smooth hair the color of champagne and cut in a heavy fringe across her forehead that made her big brown eyes look even bigger. They had the same heart-shaped face, but Bianca had a tiny, sweet mouth, whereas Edie just had a normal-sized one that was never sweet.
And Bianca didn’t limp. She was graceful and delicate, unlike Edie.
And Bianca wasn’t a raging bitch to everyone, unlike Edie.
“I . . . Are you sure he doesn’t like you instead of me?” Edie asked, completely puzzled. She’d called the man dickface. She’d insulted his house, his looks, and shot down every friendly word he sent in her direction.
“Please,” Bianca said daintily. “He barely spent two seconds in my presence. He was too busy focused on someone else.” Her mouth curved into another tiny, knowing smile. “And he asked you back today.”
Edie squirmed in her seat. “We should tell him we’re busy.”
“We”—Bianca emphasized the word—“should say nothing of the sort. I can drop you off at his house and—”
“Wait, what?”
“—and run a few errands in the city. Take some extra supplies to the cat shelters. Look for special-project cats you might need to save.” Bianca blinked wide, guileless eyes at her sister. “It’ll give you some time alone.”
“Bianca, no,” Edie said. “If we go over there again, I—we—he’ll—”
“He’ll what? Think you’re interested?” Again, Bianca gave her that coy smile. “Is that such a bad thing? He’s decent-looking, right?”
“Decent enough,” Edie agreed. She thought of his bright greenish-gold eyes with the thick fringe of lashes, his blunt face that seemed to transform when he smiled. His big arms that indicated strength, and his powerful build. She felt her face getting hot. Dear lord, why was she even considering his attractiveness? She was as crazy as Bianca!
“He’s got money,” Bianca pointed out. “And he likes cats enough to get one, and enough to not be scared off by the fact that you own lots of them. What other criteria do you need?”
Wordlessly, Edie sloshed her spoon through her bowl of cereal. “I just . . . I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated anyone.”
“Six years,” Bianca pointed out. “Ever since the knee. You and Drake—”
“Yes,” Edie snapped. “Thank you for that scintillating recap.” She didn’t like to be reminded of Drake. Fuck him. Fuck him a lot. He’d hurt the crap out of her when she was at her lowest. “You can see why I’m not eager to leap back into the pool.”
“I think this guy is different,” Bianca said. “I also think you will absolutely turn into a crazy cat lady if you don’t at least try to date someone. One of your clients is an ideal candidate for a boyfriend, isn’t it? You already have a common bond.” She smiled brightly. “So should I tell his assistant you’ll go today?”
Edie’s brows furrowed. “Wait. His assistant is the one who called? Doesn’t that seem a little weird to you? That his assistant is calling mine instead of him talking to me?”
“You’re reading too much into it,” Bianca said, getting up from the breakfast table and putting her bowl in the sink. “That’s how these things work. Assistants contact assistants.”
Maybe so. She’d have felt better if he’d called her up directly and said, Wanna go out? Then again, she’d have probably laughed in his face and hung up the phone, convinced it was a prank.
Damn it, now Bianca had her talking as if this were a done deal and he was interested in Edie. “I’m still not convinced he likes me.”
“You should wear this new lipstick I got,” Bianca said. “We have similar skin tones so it’ll probably look good on you, too. And wear a dress.”
“Not wearing a dress,” Edie said.
But . . . she might wear the lipstick. Maybe. She leaned down and scooped up Sleepy so he could drink the milk left in her cereal bowl.
Chapter Four
When Edie showed up on Magnus’s doorstep that afternoon, he was surprised.