“I’ve heard of that,” Blythe said. “It isn’t exactly the same as the 3D images, is it?”
“Not exactly.”
Anat shook her head. “Horus didn’t ever have me look through anything to view the picture. I could see it just fine, but he had to. His eyesight wasn’t the best. He had to wear his monocle.” She laughed merrily, that soft little trilling sound at the end. Her hands went around the hat teacup, warming themselves.
“You still have his monocle, don’t you, Mama Anat?” Zyah asked. “It’s one of your treasures, like mama’s shawl.”
Anat nodded. “I thought he looked so handsome whenever he would put that monocle on his eye. He always had it on a fine gold chain. I teased him about it all the time. Ken, Zyah’s father, got him that chain. Ken was a marvelous man.” She smiled at her granddaughter. “Quite brilliant as well. A renowned astronomer. They got on quite well. The two of them were always together. Ken made the frame for my Horus’s anniversary gift to me, so of course, it means all the more.”
Player’s gut tightened. He couldn’t look at Zyah. He knew Anat’s sweet, guileless chatter about her beloved Horus and Zyah’s father, Ken, would be heartbreaking to her. No doubt that monocle was the device needed to display the bomb. And her father with his background in astronomy . . . Player hadn’t told Zyah his theory on how the man had entered their bedroom. He didn’t want to tell her.
The small bells in the shapes of hats tinkled merrily, inviting others inside. He looked up to see Breezy, wife of the vice president of Torpedo Ink, entering along with Soleil, Ice’s wife, and Scarlet, Absinthe’s wife. They came straight over to the table. No hesitation. He stood, making the introductions, knowing Anat was in her element. He wanted this for Zyah, but being surrounded by that many women was just a bit too much for him.
Alena and Lana sauntered in moments later, and Player started sweating. He glanced around the room. Sabelia was already adding tables and chairs to accommodate everyone. He helped her and then backed off when he spotted Hannah as she came out of the back room. She sent him a cheerful smile.
“Player. I was hoping you’d come back. I have another lotion I thought would be good for you to try.” She waved to Blythe. “Ladies. Thank you all for coming. I’ll be over in a few minutes. Is this your Zyah?”
“Yes.” Player was pleased but not surprised that Hannah would be able to pick her out among all the women. “And this is Anat Gamal, her grandmother. This is Hannah Drake Harrington. She owns the shop.”
“You made the lotion and cream Player brought home,” Zyah said. “I swear it was heaven after a long day on my feet. Thank you.”
“He was the one who thought of it,” Hannah said. “I was just happy to help. I hope you don’t mind if I borrow him for a few minutes. I have something else to show him while you ladies visit. The peach scones turned out particularly excellent.”
Zyah looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. In spite of the sadness she had to be feeling over the revelations about her grandfather, Hannah’s shop was a good place to learn the truth. There was magic there, a feeling of well-being. Combined with the company of the women extending their friendship to her and Anat, it seemed impossible to feel anything but good.
“Thanks for the rescue,” Player whispered as they made their way to the table in the corner on the other side of the room.
Hannah gave him her genuine smile. He knew the difference now. “You looked like you were having an excellent time, but you didn’t feel that way. Although you seem genuinely happy for Zyah.”
“She’s new here and doesn’t know too many people. Anat was robbed and beaten very severely. At the time, Zyah was in Europe, working there. She gave up her job and came home right away to stay with her grandmother and make her home permanently here. I want her to make friends. She’s managing the store in Caspar and wants to take a second job at Crow 287.”
“Alena’s restaurant. I hear the food is amazing. Jonas has been promising to take me there, forever. I’m going to have to twist his arm. Joley and Ilya are back, and she’ll go with me if Jonas persists in being a stick-in-the-mud. He loves to stay home at night. He says after working all day he just likes to put his feet up. Make that he doesn’t want me to go out because I might do something rash.”
Player tried not to laugh. “Do you do rash things?”
“Joley does rash things. Elle does them. I, however, do not.” She handed him the bottle of lotion she’d brought out from the back room and waved her hand at the little teapot sitting on the table. At once it began to sing.
Player tried not to notice when the teapot floated in the air and poured tea into her cup. A spoon whirled madly, stirring in honey. “You’re not just a little annoyed with him right now, are you?” He wasn’t mentioning anything at all to do with the tea.
“Now that you mention it, I might be.” Her hair flew in every direction, blond spiral curls springing around her face.
She waved her hand toward something behind him. Player took a whiff of the lotion to keep from turning in his chair. Had he mentioned that Zyah had such a special fragrance? Could Hannah have even managed to get that hint of cassis-raspberry facet? The blend of green floral mimosa. He was distracted until a plate of cookies floated to the table and landed beside her teacup. His coffee mug followed it.
“Why is it that men want their own way in all things?” she asked, her tone exquisitely mild, but her blue eyes turbulently stormy.
Player hoped this was one of those moments when a woman didn’t really want an answer. She wanted someone to listen. He did his best to look very interested in all she had to say. Any woman who floated teapots in the air commanded his respect. Jonas Harrington, whether he carried a gun or not, was crazy to annoy this woman on any level.
The silence stretched between them until Player realized it was very possible Hannah required an answer. He cleared his throat. “You do realize I came to you because I totally fucked up my relationship with my woman, right? I don’t have a clue why men do half the bullshit things we do, Hannah. I came here to learn from you, not to advise you. I’m trying to get the brothers to ask a few questions so they don’t ruin what they have.”
“You so deserve a cookie. They’re really good too. Take two.” Hannah beamed at him.
“You can’t really turn Jonas into a toad, can you? I think Sabelia threatened Preacher with turning him into one the other day.”
Hannah inspected her fingernails. “I have considered it. It would certainly serve him right. He doesn’t like toads, especially in his house or around his precious cars. He might just be having a bad day.”
Player couldn’t help grinning. “You really are a badass, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” She said it smugly.
“And a troublemaker.”
“Sometimes. When it’s called for. And it’s called for. Do you like that scent? Do you think she will? It will really work well for massaging her body. And it’s edible. When you massage this into her skin, you use a slightly different technique. Let me show you.”
Player extended his arm to her, and Hannah poured some lotion from a small cup she had set aside on the table into her palms. “You have to rub it to activate it. Here, smell it now.” She held her palm under his nose.