That got me the slow smile that had haunted my dreams. “I’m glad, Skeeve. I was afraid you’d forgotten about me.”
“Not a chance,” I said, then realized I was leering. “That is, no, I haven’t forgotten about you.”
Her deep blue eyes locked with mine, and I felt myself sinking helplessly into their depths.
“That’s good,” she said in that musical voice of hers. “I was worried about taking you up on your offer after all this time.”
That got through the fog that was threatening to envelop my mind. “Offer? What offer?”
“Oh, you don’t remember! I thought… oh, this is embarrassing.”
“Wait a minute!” I cried. “I haven’t forgotten! It’s just that… let me think … it’s just…”
Like a beam of sunlight in a swamp the memory came to me. “You mean when I said that you could come to work for Aahz and me? That’s it? Right?”
“That’s what I was talking about!” The sun came from behind the clouds as she smiled again. “You see, Matt and I have split, and I thought…”
“Do you want any breakfast. Daddy? You said . . . oh! Hello.”
“DADDY!!??”
Markie and Luanna stared at each other.
I revised my plans rapidly. I would study hard and turn myself into a toad.
“I can explain, Luanna …” I began.
“I think you should keep this one, Daddy,” Markie said, never taking her eyes off Luanna. “She’s a lot prettier than the other one.”
“THE OTHER … Oh! You mean Tananda.”
“No, I mean…”
“MARKIE!” I interrupted desperately. “Why don’t you wait for me in the kitchen. I’ll be along in a minute after I finish talking to …”