The Rules of the Red - 2nd Edition |✓|

Chapter Sixteen, Part Two - Close Encounters

The next day, I entered the dining room expecting breakfast to be a glum, solitary affair, but once I saw Addy already seated at the table with her paper and a muffin, I was slightly cheered.

"Please tell me you got the amulet back. And that you kicked Blondie right in her size four jeans."

"Wish I could, but don't worry--I'll get the ring back. Everything'll be ok." I plopped down in my usual chair and reached for the coffee pitcher. "Please let this not be decaf..."

"Sooooo would now be a bad time to show you this?" Addy waved her paper. It was today's copy of The Harbor's Herald.

"Do I even wanna know?" I asked, but took the paper anyway. I could already guess what the fuss was about. Last night, when Chandler said he was sitting on a story, he literally meant he had one ready for print–and there it was splashed across page three.

I scanned the article, wondering whether to be flattered or suspicious. There was the picture of me he'd taken last night--the candid shot from behind the country club.

"Net worth of the Noble Family Rises," I read aloud. "By Chandler Sloane. Uh, yeah. I'm not reading that." I returned the paper.

Addy's grin was huge. "Really? Because I think you should. He wrote a lot of really nice stuff in here about your family. Plus, you can totally tell this Chandler guy has the hots for you. Listen to this:" Adelle cleared her throat and shook the paper importantly.

"And what can we say about the mysterious Naomi Noble, who's finally returned to Harbor? Her class and beauty tell us she didn't fall far from the Noble tree, but what it doesn't suggest is whether her allure will be enough to keep her from falling under the giant shadow her family has cast. It's too soon to say whether Harbor Village has flourished or suffered at the hands of this magnetic family, but hopefully she'll continue to take a note out of the Romaines' family book, and keep the mysteriousness flowing. After all, we wouldn't want to take away from the town's supply of magnetism... Her 'class and beauty'? What are you, part siren? This isn't an article, this a public love note! Jesus--the boys in this town are losing their minds over you."

"Chandler Sloane has not lost his mind over me. He's just using this to charm me into helping him write a better story. He's a reporter. He probably thinks that by kissing my ass now I'll let him hit pay dirt in a future interview."

"Will you?" Addy raised her eyebrows.

"I dunno. It depends... Did you know he's an Incubus? He's basically the male version of a Succubus."

"Shut. Up. No, I didn't! But I thought they were all girls –"

"Apparently not all."

"Dare I ask how you came to that very unambiguous conclusion?"

"Big word."

"Yup, I know, don't change the subject."

I sighed. "He tried to use some of his power on me last night to get me to talk and it didn't work."

"Suuuuure it didn't..." I gave Adelle a beady look, which she returned with a smirk. "Speaking of last night..." Adelle set down the paper. "What are we gonna do about Eve? I mean the girl's already a nut-job so if she takes off the ring she'd probably go catatonic or something..."

"Wow," I rubbed my hands over tired, puffy eyes. "That's really not funny. Like, not even a little."

"Oh, too soon?"

"I can do this. I will do this." Though I said this with more optimism than I had. "I've got Red Bull, a really amazing concealer, and a decently positive outlook. That should be enough... right?"