bottom. The i on her name was dotted with a heart. What was she, twelve?
“Speaking of dates,” I nodded to the bill and the girl who was trying to get his attention.
Robin glanced down at it and his expression darkened. He looked back to the girl and to my horror, stuck a finger in her face. “Is this something you do often?”
“Nnnnno,” she stammered and I could tell it was a lie.
“Did I come on to you in any way? Or send out any signals that I was interested in anyone but my companion here?” he pushed.
“You were flirty,” she insisted.
“I was friendly,” he corrected her.
“Robin,” I tugged on his arm but he was intent on his task.
“Do you really think that I would want to spend time with a female who has all the life experience of single-celled protozoa when I have a former gymnastics champion by my side? What have you ever done except grow a set of mammary glands and take up space?”
Over by the counter, I saw Georgia’s fork pause in midair. The rest of the diners were watching us as well.
The server straightened her shoulders and her eyes flashed as she eyed me up and down. I could read her face. Former champion or not, I was a fat, middle-aged has-been who came to lunch in a man’s sweatpants. I was no threat to her youthful beauty. “You’re a dick.”
Rodney hurried over. “Is there some sort of problem here?”
Robin opened his mouth to reply but I blocked the path. “No, no problem. If you could just swipe the card there. We have another appointment.”
“It’s on the house.” Rodney practically shoved Robin’s credit card back at him.
Robin pocketed it and glared down at the server. “No tip.”
She gave him the finger. Rodney’s eyes bulged and he hustled Tammi with an i into the back.
I practically dragged Robin out the door. “Come on, we need to go. Poof us back to the hilltop where my car is.”
“What’s your hurry?” He folded his arms over his chest, obviously not in a poofing frame of mind.
“I have an appointment at the vet’s office at two.”
“Excellent.” Robin rubbed his hands together. “This is the perfect time to practice with it.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he snapped his fingers, the world narrowed and shifted around us again until we stood inside his impressive treehouse. We were in a different room than we had been before. This one had free-floating shelves along the walls littered with various objects. I spied a hairbrush, a mirror that looked to be surrounded with thorns, a ball of golden string. A golden and purple pocket watch. A big black book that seemed to absorb the light from all the things around it. Despite my rush, I spun in place, taking it all in. “What is all this stuff?”
“A faery’s hoard. Unlike living things, items don’t have auras. But they can hold magic. Smaller items are best suited to hold magic akin to whatever it is they were created to do. The hairbrush for example.” He picked it up and held it out to me.
Gingerly, I took it. “Is my hair a mess?”
“Just try it, lamb.” He made stroking motions with his hand, mimicking the act of brushing.
I turned to face the thorny mirror. My reflection stared back at me, dark, graying hair in a total rat’s snarl. Crap, even worse than I’d thought. I pulled free the elastic band and let my hair spill down my back.
I ran the brush through my hair once and something shimmered from the bristles. I repeated the motion again, and again and again. My hair didn’t snap with static electricity the way it normally did when I dry brushed it in the winter. Instead, with each stroke of the brush, it smoothed and straightened.
I paused and turned my head from side to side. “Is it just me or are my grays going away?”
His smile radiated satisfaction. “That’s what this object does. Restores your hair to its youthful glory.”
I touched the silky strands of brown that glittered with the ambient amber light. It looked better than the best haircut I’d ever had at a salon. “You’re telling me that every day could be a good hair day?”
He raised a brow. “How do you think my hair remains so youthful and amazing?”
“Where can I get one of these?”
He plucked it from my hand. “I’m afraid it, much like you, dear Joey, is one of a kind.”