“This is my uncle.” Arden kept her eyes on him, as if worried he might vanish. “Nolan Laurens.”
“He’s a wildlife photographer.” Camber jittered with excitement. “He travels all over the world.”
The longing in her voice made me wonder if she wouldn’t spread her wings after graduation.
The choice was hers, and I would support her dreams in whatever form they took, wherever they carried her, but my selfish heart shriveled when I dwelled on a future without the girls. And Arden would follow. Their bond ran deeper than friendship. Their witch blood, as thin as it might be, compelled them to stick together, whispered in the form of instinct that they were stronger that way.
And I couldn’t deny, given recent events, they would both be safer far away from me.
“His pictures win fancy awards,” Arden bragged while he groaned. “They’re in magazines and galleries.”
“Girls.” He rubbed his nape with a tattooed hand. “You’re embarrassing me in front of the pretty lady.”
Pretty ladyserved as a reminder that handsome out-of-towners didn’t know my sordid dating history.
Had I chosen a different cover story, I might have had more luck in the dating department.
Not that I wanted or needed a complication, um, a man.
Or a dae with silky midnight hair and fathomless eyes that tracked me like prey.
“Uncle Nolan.” Arden detached from him and scooted to my side. “This is Rue Hollis.”
A shadow passed behind his eyes, gone too fast for me to be certain, but his smile didn’t waver.
Maybe I spoke too soon. Thought too soon? He must know my history, as it pertained to Arden’s ordeal.
Now it was his turn to give me a once-over, and I could tell he liked what he saw, but he gave away nothing else.
Rue Holliswas fast becoming every bit as infamous as my other aliases had been.
I had kept the round cheeks of my childhood, and their always flushed appearance made me look as if I had sprinted across town to be here. Pair that with wide blue eyes and wheat-colored waves that hit me mid-spine, and I could pass for a kid fresh out of high school, though I was three times that age.
The camouflage had served me well, and make no mistake, it was camouflage. Nothing about me had been left to nature or to chance. I was the culmination of generations of selective breeding that resulted in power, beauty, and intelligence wrapped up in one girl-next-door package.
“Nice to finally meet you.” He stuck out his arm. “The girls talk about you all the time.”
“Nice to meet you too.” I shook his hand. “I didn’t know Arden had an Uncle Nolan.”
The touch of his skin swept tingles down my arm that raised the fine hairs on the back of my neck.
Asa warned me the bracelet would act as a citronella candle to any men buzzing around me, but zapping me? How was it my fault I had to shake hands to observe social norms? I was being polite, dang it. There weren’t enough cupcakes in the world to excuse an attempt at shock training me to shy away from men.
“Most of the time, she calls me Uncle MIA, or just MIA when I go too long between calls.”
“MIA?” I laughed when it hit me. “I thought you were an aunt, named Mia.”
“And it was hilarious.” Camber high-fived Arden. “I can’t believe we kept the joke running for so long.”
“Thaaanks.” Nolan dipped his chin. “I can only imagine what your boss must think of me.”
I thought he was exactly the diversion the girls needed to get out of their heads for a while.
Given the timing, I didn’t have to wonder why a long-lost uncle had chosen to resurface in Samford.
“The giggle-snorting every time they mentioned you should have tipped me off sooner.”
“They giggle-snorted so much when they were little, I called them the two little piggies.” He smoothed a hand down one side of his shorn scalp. “Are you busy tonight?” He flashed a lopsided smile. “Want to join us for dinner?”