nd Cade
circulated, he looked for WiccaWorks clients and took a few moments with each to
let them know he'd drop by the next day so they could restock from the products
he'd brought.
Mandi found a silver pendant on a chain that appealed to her at one of the
booths and bought it while Cade was talking to the booth owner. Their
conversation wrapped up about the same time as Mandi's purchase.
Cade stepped over to Mandi, lifted the pendant and chain from her hands, and
offered to put it on her. Lifting her hair, Mandi let him drape the chain and
fasten the clasp as she looked in the booth's mirror.
Her eyes met his as he brought the two ends of the chain together and
thumbed the clasp. When her eyes fell to the pendant, his didn't, nor did his
hands fall away from her shoulders immediately.
"It's kind of amazing," said Cade softly. "You can haul cars into orbit, but
you look and feel just like a showgirl."
One of Mandi's eyebrows went up.
"A showgirl?"
Grinning, Cade said, "That's what they call women of exemplary beauty who
strut around on stages in fancy costumes. I'd have expected you'd know something
like that, being from Vegas and all."
Turning to look at him, Mandi said, "Uh, huh. Smartass. You aren't from
Vegas, so how the hell do you happen know so much about showgirls?"
With a shrug, Cade said, "Been there. Got involved with a dancer for a
while. A nice lady, but kind of obsessive."
Tilting her head, Mandi asked, "Obsessed about what?"
"Dancing. It's all she thought about, day and night. Well, almost all. She
thought about me, too, now and then."
"Did she?"
"Oh, yeah," said Cade with a firm nod. "Every night for two weeks. Then I
had to go back to Dallas." Sighing dramatically, he added, "Leaving her was kind
of traumatic, y'know?"
Grinning, Mandi said, "I'm sure it was and you have my most profound
sympathy, of course. Are you going to tell me that I remind you of her? Maybe
that I look a bit like her?"
Trying to appear somewhat shocked, Cade said, "Of course not! She was a head
taller than you and had brown hair. Not nearly as pretty, either. Great legs,
though."
"Uh, huh." Mandi lifted her pendant and eyed it as she said, "You know, I've
been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later."
With a snort of soft laughter, Cade said, "Sorry, but nothing's happened,
ma'am. That wasn't a pass."
Looking at him