“I sense she’s someone of her word.”
“She didn’t promise not to dig around, Lucy, she only promised she wouldn’t write about us. What if she changes her mind if she thinks there’s a juicy story?”
Her stomach tightened, but she said, “With you, I can handle anything.”
“I don’t want you to have to.”
“Isn’t the table done yet?” Rosa walked in with a bowl of jalape?o corn bread.
“My favorite,” Lucy said and reached for a piece, glad for the distraction from her conversation with Sean.
Rosa slapped her hand. “You wait, Lucia,” she said. “You’re the absolute worst at nibbling before dinner. Remember the Christmas dinner when you ate the entire basket of corn bread?”
Lucy put her hand to her stomach. “Ugh. I was sick all night.”
“That’s right. Too much of a good thing.”
Rosa left and Sean kissed Lucy. “I love you.”
Lucy put her hands around his neck. “Right back at you.”
“We’d better finish the table before your mom slaps my hand, too.”
“Geez, get a room.”
Lucy jumped. “Carina, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I came around back. Saw Nick and Dad out there with J. P.” Carina hugged Lucy, then Sean. “What a surprise, and you hate surprises.”
“Last minute. Sean has business in Sacramento, so I took a couple of days off.”
She was lying. Sort of. Sean did have business in Sacramento—a meeting of the principals of RCK starting Friday, but it would likely last all weekend. Lucy had planned to stay home and catch up on work—her new boss, who replaced the last SSA, took over while Lucy was on her honeymoon, and Lucy had felt like she was playing catch-up ever since. Things were very awkward. She supposed that was to be expected, but she hadn’t wanted to take the time off until the adjustment period was over. If it ever ended.
And yet here she was, because of Justin.
Not Justin specifically—because of Maxine Revere, the reporter, who was positive that she could solve Justin’s murder. Her confidence was contagious. Lucy believed it, too. Now she had to convince her family.
“Patrick mentioned that he would be in Sac, said he might stop by on Sunday.”
Lucy hadn’t known. She should have talked to Patrick … or maybe not. She and Patrick were close—Patrick had been Sean’s best man at their wedding—but Patrick and Carina had been best friends since childhood. Patrick may have told Carina before Lucy had a chance to.
Didn’t matter, she was doing this her way. But she made a mental note to call Patrick tonight.
Sean had his arm around her shoulders. Though he and Carina had a cordial relationship, they weren’t close. Lucy wasn’t quite sure why … part of it had to do with the first time they’d met they had a major disagreement, and another part of it had to do with their personalities. And Lucy suspected Carina was a little hurt that Sean and Patrick had become so close after Patrick came out of his coma and started working for RCK. Carina and Patrick used to be inseparable, and now they lived three thousand miles apart.
Connor and Rosa came in with the rest of the food. “Go fetch your father and Nick,” Rosa told Carina. “They’re talking to J. P. about baseball. J. P. can’t even walk yet, but they’re showing him how to throw a ball.”
Carina grinned and went outside. Julia walked in, flushed. She was always impeccable with stylish, feminine suits and long hair she wore up in complex twists that Lucy was envious of. She could french braid her hair—that was the extent of her fancy.
Julia glanced at Lucy and Lucy thought she knew or suspected. Maybe Andrew had said something. Even if Andrew had simply said he’d seen Lucy, that would make Julia suspicious. Because why would Lucy see Andrew before her family?
“I’m sorry I’m late, Mrs. Kincaid.”
“Rosa. Rosa. It’s been five years since you became my daughter-in-law. Rosa, or Mom, or Mama. Go wash up, dinner is ready. Sit, Lucy.”
Connor slipped off with Julia and Sean and Lucy sat down.
Soon, everyone was sitting down and eating. J. P. was in his high chair munching on a tortilla he held between two chubby hands, his large brown eyes watching everyone with great interest, sitting between Nick and Carina. Rosa had a rule—babies ate at the table with everyone else once they could sit in the high chair. They were family, not relegated to another room or early dining hours.
Rosa sat between their dad at the head of the table with Carina on the other side. Connor—the oldest son tonight—was at the other end.
Lucy was sitting between Julia and Sean. They talked about family—J. P. had pulled himself to standing last weekend; Nick and Connor’s PI business was in the black; and of course Sean and Lucy’s honeymoon.
“You actually bought the house in Vail?” Carina said.
“Wedding present to my beautiful bride,” Sean said.
“It was bliss,” Lucy said honestly. “I don’t think I’ve spent that much time doing nothing in my entire life.”
“Nothing?” Sean said. “We hiked almost every day. We went to an art festival. Found an amazing Italian restaurant where the owner gave me the recipe for her gazpacho.”
“Sean can sweet-talk anyone into anything,” Lucy teased.
“She liked us, what can I say?” Sean winked. “We also helped the local police with a situation.”
“Shh,” Lucy said, avoiding her mom’s concerned glance.
“Why am I not surprised?” Carina rolled her eyes.
“It was a perfect honeymoon. We needed it,” Lucy said.
“And you got a dog?” Connor said. “I saw the pictures you e-mailed around. Beautiful retriever.”
“Bandit,” Sean said. “He’s almost two. I’m still working on training him. He has a mind of his own, but he’s a great dog.”
Though the circumstances surrounding their adoption of Bandit were sad, the golden retriever was a welcome addition to their family. Sean had told Lucy his childhood dog had died the year before his parents were killed, and he’d loved the mutt so much he didn’t know if he could ever raise another. Watching Sean with Bandit was a joy, and the dog had brought a sense of peace and contentment to their lives that Lucy had never realized a pet could bring.
“Have you talked to Nate?” Lucy asked. To her family, she added, “Nate Dunning—you met him at the wedding. He’s watching Bandit while we’re gone.”
“Bandit, Nate, and the house are all in order,” Sean said.
“And you found him on your honeymoon?” Carina asked. “In Colorado?”
They finished eating, and Sean entertained the group with a sanitized version of the events in Vail and how they ended up with a new dog. Everyone enjoyed the story, except her mom, who kept looking at Lucy with worry in her eyes.
Great. She was worrying her mother. Again.