me and the family down, finding subtle ways to do that while putting herself in the limelight. That’s her way.”
“And this doesn’t do just that?”
“I—Oh. Wait. Hadn’t gone there.” Taking the wine with her, she walked over to—unnecessarily—stir the sauce. “No, I don’t think so. It’s possible, of course, what Michaela believes will leak, and then it’s all splashing everywhere again. She could get some miles out of that. But Denby was killed months ago. It’s too long for her to draw things out. She needs quick gratification.”
“You don’t really know her though. You haven’t seen or spoken to her in years.”
“But I do.” She turned back to him. “Know your enemy, and trust me, I understand that’s what she is. So I’ve made a study of her over the years. She’s a narcissist, innately selfish and self-serving, has a child’s need for immediacy and, well, shiny things. And has a complete lack of self-awareness, which is only one reason she’s a mediocre actor. She’s vain, she’s grasping, she’s a lot of unattractive things, but she’s not violent.
“If I’d died during the kidnapping, she’d have played the grieving mother, but she wouldn’t have felt it. She’d have believed she felt it, and that it wasn’t her fault. She believed none of that would hurt me, or not enough to matter. She can’t see past her own needs. Killing people doesn’t serve her needs, and takes too many risks, takes too much time and effort.”
“Okay.”
She tilted her head. “Just like that?”
“I’m going to say this, then maybe we table it so it doesn’t suck all the air out of the night.”
Lightly, he laid a hand over the one she used to rub her bracelet for calm.
“I’m not much on hate. It doesn’t get you anywhere, and tends to eat more at you than the other person anyway. But I carved out an exception for her a long time ago. I’m fine with that. But everything you just said fits into my opinion of her. So okay.”
Turning her hand under his, she linked fingers with him. “She’s not my mother in any way that matters.”
“No, she’s not. I guess I’ve got one more thing to say on it. I need to look out for you, and I need you to let me. You, Hugh, Lily, hell, Consuela. Toss in your dad when he’s here.”
She eased back, just a step. “That’s a lot of looking after.”
“We all do what we do. I figured I’d be subtle about it.”
Now she smiled. “Sneaky?”
“That’s a word,” he agreed. “But why don’t we be up front, you and me?”
“Up front’s less complicated in the long run.”
He brought the hand he still held up to his lips to brush them over her knuckles. “Your family matters to me and mine. You matter. Looking out for you just follows.”
“Your family’s connected to that night, if that’s where all this comes from. How about I look after you and yours?”
“No problem there. Looks like we’ll just have to spend more time together.”
“That is sneaky.” She got out the salad bowl, drizzled on the dressing she’d made, tossed it. “Let’s eat.”
Once they’d settled in with the salad, with hunks of bread, she decided to start the next conversation. “So, Consuela, who supervised, instructed, and eagle-eyed the making of dessert—”
“There’s dessert, too?”
“There is. In any case, she wanted to know if we’d had sex.”
He choked, grabbed the wine. “What?”
“She says you’re a good man, and very handsome. And as she’s one of my real mothers, she’s really fond of you, I’d say she felt entitled to ask and advise. Just a warning the subject may come up the next time you visit her.”
He honestly couldn’t imagine it. Didn’t want to. “Appreciate the heads-up.”
“But while we’re on the subject, there are some things I didn’t take time to talk about last night because I was more interested in getting you in bed.”
“Also appreciate that.”
“You matter, Dillon. You and your family have always mattered to me. You matter, all of you, even more since I’ve come back. The time I’ve spent at the ranch with you, with your mom, with Gram, with Red, too? It’s helped me come home, feel home. And I know how you feel about my grandparents. I’ve seen it for myself.”
Not exactly a speech, he considered, but he’d bet good money she’d practiced that delivery, like she practiced her voice-overs.
He couldn’t quite decide if that irritated him or touched him, so he opted—for the moment—for neutral.
“They’re a big part of