I realize," he declared before his brain kicked in and he gave a mental groan at his unintended insult.
She beamed her understanding gypsy smile over the rim of her cup. "Gotcha."
Oh, God, that look struck him with the full force of an arrow through the heart. Rattled, he set down his water and stood. The mayor would kill him if he approached the city council with this new tactic. Asking for a cost study would delay everything. He could be certain the ABC inspectors would return. But Maya's beaming smile bestowed him with invincibility. Or lust was infecting his brain. "I'll look into it. People understand taxes and money more than historic monuments."
"Thought so," Maya murmured, lowering her cup and watching him hurry to the door. She didn't think civilization was healthy for Viking gods. Axell looked as if he needed a broadax and helmet as he stalked into the sunlight, his square jaw set for war. He really needed some violent physical outlet besides pens and legal posturing.
She thought she knew what he really needed, but he didn't seem willing to commit to the physical side of their marriage yet. She hadn't decided whether that was a relief or not. She was physically more than ready. Just watching Axell bare-chested and sweating as he'd dug the hole for her gardenia bush had almost boiled her blood and melted her resistance. But emotionally, she was a basket case, and sex could easily upset the basket.
Having a life steeped in irony instead of disaster was a pleasant change, she reflected as she finished her tea and watched Alexa waving her fingers at dust motes. Or maybe the continually looming disasters were cushioned by the distance and comfort Axell provided.
The door chimed and Katherine the Long-Legged intruded on Maya's reverie. Relaxed on the high of jasmine tea, Maya merely smiled and lifted her cup in greeting. "Come to buy a love potion to bind our favorite mayor into matrimony?" she asked without resentment.
Katherine's smooth blond hair bobbed as she swung to find Maya nearly hidden by the huge chair. "What the devil do you mean by that?"
"Leos can't tolerate loneliness," Maya replied calmly, pouring more tea. "And they love the center of attention. The mayor is a perfect choice for you. You'd make a good politician's wife."
Looking shell-shocked, Katherine dropped into the chair across from her and accepted the cup of tea Maya pushed toward her. "You're spooky, you know that?"
Maya shrugged. "Nah, I've just learned survival. I'm better at astrology than tarot, but I can read your cards if you'd like."
"I don't believe in that mumbo-jumbo," Katherine said. "I've just come to tell you that Ralph's willing to cut a deal with you over the Pfeiffer property so we can speed up proceedings rather than waiting on DOT."
Maya handed Katherine the tarot deck. "Shuffle," she insisted. "Humor me."
Katherine grabbed the deck and shuffled half-heartedly. "There's no reason we can't come to some suitable compromise without dragging this into the hostilities of a public meeting." She smacked the deck down on the intricately carved wooden table Maya had discovered in the store room.
Laying out the cards, Maya raised her eyebrows as Death appeared, but she didn't interpret the possibilities out loud. "Oh, I imagine the hostilities will come from the taxpayers who discover how much a bridge over that creek will cost, not from me. The direct route is not always the best one."
She tapped a card in front of her. "Take love, for instance. Coupled with the Fool over here," she tapped another card, "it doesn't stand a chance in the normal run of things." She tapped another card. "But if you subvert the Fool with power, sort of do an end run around the goal as Axell puts it, then you can tackle the unsuspecting object of your interest."
Tearing her gaze away from the horrifying Death card that Maya ignored, Katherine looked at her with disbelief. "You're crazier than a bedbug."
Maya shrugged and smiled. "I've never seen a bedbug, but I've never seen a crazy insect either. They know exactly what they're doing. Wish the mayor well for me."
For a moment, Katherine cast the scattered cards a hesitant look. Then she shook her head and pushed her chair back. "I take it that means you're going to drag this into a legal battle."
"Oh, Axell will hire lawyers, I'm sure." Maya curled up in her chair and insouciantly sipped her tea. "Me, I'll just take it to the people. Did you