Slumber by Tamara Blake Page A

clearly shorter. The ruby pendant was almost up to her collarbone, instead of hanging over her heart. She wasn’t imagining it. The chain was shrinking! What the hell was happening? Was this some horrible trick of Violet’s? Or was she going nuts?
    A burst of laughter from the living room broke through her panic. She tucked the necklace inside her t-shirt. Oh God, now the necklace was clearly visible under the collar! If Tam ever found out…Maybe he wouldn’t turn her in to the cops, but Violet sure would.
    Another burst of laughter. “Ruby, you have to see this!” Shelley yelled from the living room.
    â€œAre you alright honey?” her mother called.
    â€œI’m fine, Mom. Just…give me a minute.” Ruby knew she couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever. Mind scrambling, she hastily shrugged back into her hoodie and zipped it up to the top. She looked like a repressed nun, but whatever. At least now the necklace was hidden.
    She emerged from the bathroom to find Shelley rolling on the floor with laughter and the tattered Fairy Tales From Around the World book open on Tam’s knee. “Tam’s a magician!” Shelley said, and let out another gurgle of laughter.
    â€œReally?” Ruby raised an eyebrow.
    â€œI’m a man of many talents,” Tam said, grinning. “Bet you had no idea.”
    â€œOh, I know you have talents. But I never thought that magic was one of them.”
    Shelley jiggled the book on Tam’s knee. “She doesn’t believe you, Tam. Do it again and prove it to her. Watch, Ruby!”
    Even her mother leaned forward, eyes shining with interest while Tam passed his hand over the book’s cover with a vaguely mysterious waggling of his fingers. “Hocus pocus! Okay, Shelley, open the book.”
    Shelley eagerly complied. A pretty red silk rose lay between the pages. Shelley snatched it up with a crow of triumph. Mom clapped and said, “Well, well, would you look at that?”
    Despite herself, Ruby was impressed. “How did you make that happen?”
    â€œI told you. Magic.” He lifted his hand to her cheek. She reared back at the intimate touch but then gasped when he seemed to have plucked another silk rose from behind her ear.
    â€œFor you,” he said. He handed it to her with a flourish, but it was the look in his dark eyes that socked her all the way down to her toes.
    The spell between them broke when Shelley announced she was hungry. “Are you staying for dinner, Tam? Please say yes.”
    Ruby and her mother exchanged glances. Dried pasta and hot dogs hardly constituted actual food, let alone a meal for a guy like Tam, who’d surely be used to the finest cuisine money could buy. And Ruby decided she didn’t like the way he was slotting so easily into their lives.
    It was going to make the moment when he bailed on them that much harder to take.
    â€œThanks, I’d love to,” Tam said. “And you have to let me help out. Except…” He hesitated and looked down at his glossy white sneakers. “I don’t know how to cook.”
    Ruby gave her mother a tiny shrug. Maybe this wouldn’t be a major embarrassment after all.
    â€œI can show you how to boil water for mac ’n’ cheese,” she said. “Should take all of thirty seconds.”
    Tam’s face lit up with another one of his weirdly earnest smiles. “That’ll be cool, thanks.” He followed her to their tiny kitchen. “I know you’ll say that I’m a spoiled brat, but honestly, I’ve never even boiled water.” He reached out and touched the propane stove as if it might bite him.
    â€œThat’s pretty sad, Tam. I’m not sure having the maids wait on you hand and foot is doing you any favors.”
    â€œI can make a mean coffee though.”
    â€œTrue. But nobody can live forever on coffee.” She lowered her voice a little. “Or endless bottles