Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery) (25 page)

For
one, his dog and my cat lounged under the same tree together. Granted Wolf was
at the base and Prissy was high above in the branches, but still … progress
was progress in my book. Then there was Jaz and Boomer. After he’d arrested
Natasha, he’d shown up at the house and threw Jaz over his shoulder, not taking
no for an answer. She hadn’t come home all night long. Now they were together,
looking like a happy set of love birds.

Marcus
Cantrell, my new PR guy, sat at a table with all the mamas, getting grilled on
his plans to take me to New York the next week now that my book was done.
Anyone else would have needed rescuing, but the gentle giant held his own. If I
wasn’t mistaken, I’d swear he captivated a few of the women with his magnetism
and charm.

Oh,
he was good! I had high hopes my new spring line would be a huge success.

Nik
wandered off to get us a drink. While the mamas were occupied, I continued to
take in the scene unfolding before me. Eleni was there with her boyfriend, and
even his sister Marigold who had put the voodoo curse on Jaz and had had a
crush on Sully was there, but she wasn’t alone. To my utter shock, she was
there with Max. He shot me a wave and a wink. I was happy for him, but I had to
admit, I was a little jealous and just hoped our friendship stayed the same.
Ana was no doubt off somewhere still licking her wounds, and he was better off
without her. Jaz had told me she’d convinced Marigold to lift the voodoo curse,
and I suspected she used her connections and hooked them up.

Just
then Sully walked in with Maria of all people, but I wasn’t surprised. I’d
heard he went to see her after she was arrested. They’d always been friends,
but she’d been with Jonny and he’d been hooked on Jaz. With other options taken
away, they must have realized what had been before them all along. Each other.
Maria had been cleared of all charges and released early this morning.

Needless
to say, the mamas were thrilled with all the matches they had made this spring,
and I wouldn’t be surprised if a slew of summer pregnancies popped up. Spring
fever had a way of doing that to people. The only match they were still unsure
about was between me and Nik. They stopped talking to Marcus and focused on us,
then put their heads together.

That
couldn’t be good, I thought.

Nik
came back and saved me by handing me my drink.

“Thanks,”
I said. “What is it?”

Instead
of saying the name out loud, he leaned over and whispered a name in my ear that
made me blush. God, he smelled amazing and looked amazing and, let’s face it,
he
was
amazing!

“What
are you doing?” I asked, trying not to sound breathless.

“Just
following orders, kind of like Wolfgang.” He shrugged, wearing a lopsided grin.
“He’s not the only one who adores you, you know.”

“What
do you mean following orders?” I asked, trying not to sound desperate this time.

“Oh,
just doing what you told me to do in the future.” His blue eyes darkened. “Remember
what that was?”

I
swallowed hard. “Yes,” I said weakly, feeling my knees start to get wobbly.
“How could I forget?”

“Good.”
He stared hard at me, his eyes so intense I felt them clear to my soul. “Guess
what time it is?”

“The
future?” I squeaked.

“You’re
one smart cookie, Ballas.” He winked. “The case is solved, and I’m in desperate
need of a distraction.”

“Funny,
that’s exactly what I was thinking.” I bit my bottom lip.

“What
can I say? I have a gift,” he said, and for a moment, I wondered if he’d
figured out my secret. But then I realized that was unlikely.

“Me
too,” I responded daringly. Part of me wanted to tell him everything. “Imagine
that. What a coincidence.”

“I
don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in destiny.” He tweaked my nose. “Something
tells me we might just be a perfect match.”

“Careful,
Detective. That sounds an awful lot like grounds for a relationship. With
strings, no less.”

“Well,
we wouldn’t want to disappoint the mamas.” His gaze dropped to my lips. “Heaven
forbid we give them something to talk about.” He raised his eyes to mine. “You
reading my mind?”

“I
think I have a pretty good idea of what’s on your mind.” I giggled. If he only
knew.

“If
we were someplace private, I’d make it perfectly clear
exactly
what’s on my mind.”

“Is
that a dare, Detective?”

“That’s
a promise, Ballas.”

My
smile came slow and sweet and I said with barely more than a whisper, “Prove
it.”

He
didn’t hesitate and kissed the sense right out of me as if he’d waited a
lifetime to do so, then scooped me into his arms and carried me away while his
thoughts started a dance of seduction throughout my every cell, and suddenly …

The
future had never looked so bright.

To Terry Goodman
for saying yes to this book as well. And to my fabulous editor, Alison Dasho,
for having an amazing eye and fantastic ideas. Love your input. I have to say,
working with you is already a blast. I can’t wait to work with you on many more
projects.

To my agent,
Christine Witthohn, of Book Cents Literary Agency. We did it again. Thanks so
much for everything you do.

To my husband,
Brian, and my children, Brandon, Josh, Matt, and Emily, for putting up with a
messy house and eating crappy dinners☺.
Your support means everything to me. And, as always, to my extended family: the
Townsends, the Harmons, and the Russos, who are my biggest fans.

Kari Lee Townsend lives in central New York
with her very understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her
oh-so-dramatic daughter. A former teacher with a master’s in English education,
she is a longtime lover of reading and writing. She is best known as the author
of the Fortune Teller Mystery series, but also writes romantic comedies (under
the name Kari Lee Harmon), as well as children’s fiction about tween
superheroes. These days, you’ll find her at home with her children, happily
writing her next novel.

This book was originally released in Episodes as a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials launched in 2012 as a new way to experience serialized books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the author creates it, purchasing once and receiving all existing Episodes immediately, followed by future Episodes as they are published. To find out more about Kindle Serials and to see the current selection of Serials titles, visit
www.amazon.com/kindleserials
.