The Cinderella Deal - Jennifer Crusie [15]
“Look, Howard.” Daisy faced the store owner and tried to be tough. And mature. Mature was important. “You sold the last of my jewelry two weeks ago.”
“I told you.” Howard pressed his lips together with exaggerated patience. “Checks at the end of the month.”
“But you didn’t give me a check at the end of last month,” Daisy pointed out. “And some of my pieces were sold by then.”
“Checks at the end of the month.” Howard looked up and beamed, and Daisy turned to see who had come in.
It was Linc, looking prosperous in his expensive suit. Linc, looking sort of big and dangerous, like a hit man. Only protective, which was nice. A big, dangerous, protective hit man.
Howard’s voice oiled out from behind the register. “Can I help you, sir?”
The heck with mature. She’d never been any good at mature anyway. “You’re in trouble, Howard,” she told him, hooking her thumb over her shoulder at Linc. “This is my brother from New Jersey.”
THREE
LINC AND HOWARD looked at her, stunned.
Daisy nodded solemnly at Howard. “He doesn’t like me much, but he believes fair is fair, and he’s against people who cheat innocent, hardworking women. I told him you wouldn’t pay me even though you’d sold my stuff. I’m sorry, Howard, but a woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do.”
“Daisy.” Linc’s voice was cold with warning.
“Don’t break his fingers, Linc,” Daisy pleaded, not taking her eyes off Howard. “He’s not a bad guy. He’ll give me the money.”
“Who are you trying to kid?” Howard sneered at her again.
“Wait a minute.”
Daisy shot a glance at Linc. He’d turned his icy stare to Howard. Oh, good.
“There’s no need to insult her,” Linc told him. “If you owe her the money, pay her, but whatever you do, treat her like a lady.”
Daisy felt warm all over. She’d never had a brother before. It was great.
Howard transferred his sneer to Linc. “Hey, she knows how this works.”
“If you owe her the money—” Linc began again.
“I don’t know who you really are, buddy,” Howard interrupted, “but …”
Buddy? Daisy watched Linc’s face darken. Thank you, Howard, for being a consistent jerk, she thought. An equal opportunity jerk. A jerk for all seasons.
“Give her the money, Howard,” Linc said.
Daisy stole another glance at Linc. He looked mad. Big and mad. And it was all for her. Oh, good. Oh, really good.
“What?” Howard stepped back.
“I said, give her the money.” Linc put both hands on the counter and loomed over him. “Pretend it’s the end of the month and give her what you owe her.”
Daisy looked at Howard, expecting him to sneer again, but he didn’t. He was looking at Linc with healthy respect. And Linc wasn’t looking much like a college professor, not with that jaw. He was looking like a thug with a very short fuse. She heard the register chime, and Howard shoved a handful of bills at her.
She counted it. “This is only seventy. You owe me a hundred and twenty, Howard.”
“You’re wasting our time, Howard,” Linc said.
Howard shoved some more bills at Daisy.
Daisy counted some more. “This is too much.” She put some of the bills back on the counter. “Now we’re even.”
“Great,” Howard said, never taking his eyes off Linc.
“Well, I think so,” Daisy said.
Out in the car, Daisy looked at Linc proudly. “My brother from Jersey.”
Linc closed his eyes and wondered if there was insanity in his family. First “Yes, I have a fiancée” and now “Yes, I’m her brother from New Jersey.” At least this time he hadn’t actually said anything. This one wasn’t his fault. He turned and glared at Daisy. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Daisy bounced a little on the seat as she looked at the bills fanned out in her hand. “That was terrific.”
He pulled out into traffic and then looked at her, bouncing with happiness, and he was torn between killing her and jumping her, which only increased his annoyance. “Not ever again.”
She beamed over at him. “You were great.”
He glared at her harder. “I mean it. Not ever again.”
“All right.” Daisy clutched her money and smiled at him, content. “Not ever again. My brother from Jersey is now dead.”
He moved into the fast lane and