I was almost to the kitchen - the source of the luscious smell of coffee - when the doorbell rang.
My heart skipped a beat.
I couldn't help the instinctive reaction I had to thoughts of Gideon, who was one of the three people on the list to get past the front desk.But when I opened the door, it was my mother.
I hoped I didn't look too disappointed, but I don't think she noticed anyway.
She swept right past me in a seafoam green dress that looked painted on, and she pulled it off as very few women could, somehow making the outfit sexy and elegant and age-appropriate.
Of course, she looked young enough to be my sister.
She raked a glance over my comfortable SDSU sweatpants and camisole before saying, "Eva.
My God.
You have no idea - " "Nathan's dead."
I shut the door and glanced nervously down the hallway at the guest bedroom, praying that my dad was still functioning on West Coast time and sleeping.
"Oh."
She turned around and faced me, and I got my first good look at her.
Her mouth was thinned with worry, her blue eyes haunted.
"Have the police come by already? They only just left us."
"They were here last night."
I headed into the kitchen and straight to the coffeemaker.
"Why didn't you call us? We should have been with you.
You should've had a lawyer with you, at the very least."
"It was a real quick visit, Mom.
Want some?" I held up the carafe.
"No, thank you.
You shouldn't drink so much of that stuff.
It's not good for you."
I put the carafe back and opened the fridge.
"Dear God, Eva," my mother muttered, watching me.
"Do you realize how many calories are in half- and-half?" I set a bottle of water in front of her and moved back to lighten my coffee.
"They were here for about thirty minutes and then left.
They didn't get anything out of me beyond Nathan being my former stepbrother and that I haven't seen him in eight years."
"Thank God you didn't say more."
She twisted open her water.