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p; "I wasn't--"
"I can hardly date men my own age, can I?" Cassandra added.
Jaime laughed. "Got a point there, Cass. How old were you when you die--changed? About my age, I'll bet."
"Forty-five."
Jaime nodded. "If I could stop aging at some point, it'd be here. I know, most women--hell, most people--they'd go for their twenties, maybe thirties, but I like forty. Got the experience under your belt, but the body is still in perfect working order. A damn fine age for a woman." She lifted her glass. "Take that, Clint."
We ordered another round of drinks, talked a bit longer, then headed back to the hotel.
On the plane we'd agreed to meet Benicio for breakfast the next day, to share progress on the case. Now that we had a solid lead, we hated to waste time on something as trivial as eating. Yet when Lucas suggested that we needed to start our day early, Benicio offered to meet us at our hotel for breakfast at six, and keep his visit short. Not much we could say about that.
When we got to the restaurant, Troy slipped in ahead of us. He cornered the hostess, murmured something, and passed her a folded bill. A minute later, the hostess returned and escorted us to the patio. Our table was in the far corner. The three closest tables sported RESERVED tent cards. I supposed that was what the extra tip was for, guaranteeing our privacy. Since the restaurant was almost empty at this hour, it was a request easily accommodated. Troy and Morris took the next nearest table.
After we ordered our meal, I asked Benicio about hiring a witch nurse for Faye.
"A calming spell, hmm?" he said, unfolding his napkin. "Never could get that one to work myself. Do you think it would help the other residents as well?"
I hesitated, not because I wasn't ready with an answer, but because the thought of Benicio Cortez practicing witch magic...well, it was enough to render even me momentarily speechless.
"Er, yes," I said. "I think it would. That's just an educated guess, of course. You'd have to test it on the others."
He nodded. "I'll hire a witch part-time for Faye then, and if she can help the others, we'll make it a full-time position. Now, my contacts in the witch community are, as you might guess, quite poor. We'll discuss this later, but I may need your help finding someone qualified--"
"I'm sure you can do so without Paige's assistance, Papa," Lucas said. "Witches apply for Cabal positions all the time. Human resources should be able to provide all the contact names you need."
"Perhaps, but if I have any questions, Paige, may I call you?"
I glanced at Lucas, who gave a soft sigh, then the barest nod.
"If it means getting a good witch nurse for Faye, you can call me," I said.
Benicio opened his mouth with what I was sure was another "request," but was diverted by the arrival of our coffee. We spent the next minute in silence, each fixing our drinks.
"So, Paige," Benicio said after his first sip of coffee. "How do you like Miami?"
A new topic. Thank God. I relaxed into my chair. "Can't say I've had much time for sightseeing, but I've certainly enjoyed the sunshine."
"Miami has its charms, though the pace isn't to everyone's taste. Nor the violence. Before you go, Lucas, you should take Paige for a drive, show her where you grew up." He turned to me. "It's a beautiful area. A fraction of Miami's crime rate, the safest streets in Florida, an excellent school system--"
"Any news regarding the case?" Lucas asked.
There wasn't. We told Benicio that we were pursuing a lead, but he didn't press for details, only offered us full use of the Cabal resources, should we need them. We spent the rest of breakfast discussing what the Cabals were doing to find Edward. The Nasts, as we'd expected, had been searching for him since Friday. Unfortunately, they hadn't found any clues...or any they cared to share.
As we neared the end of the meal, Benicio said, "As I was saying earlier, Lucas should take you on a tour of the area. Now, I know, I have a vested interest in wanting my son living closer than Oregon, but there is Savannah to consider. You've already had one bad experience keeping custody of her and, although you handled that very well, it was the second attempt, was it not?"
"Second attempt, but same person...who is not going to be making any more."
"Maybe so, but now the news of Savannah's desirability has spread across the supernatural world. You must consider that--"
"Both Paige and Savannah are quite happy with Portland," Lucas said.
"I understand, but before you put down permanent roots, you must give the matter serious thought. You don't want to buy a house in Portland only to realize six months from now that it's unsafe for Savannah."
"I know that," I said. "Which is why I'm not house-shopping until we've been there a year."
