My roomie noticed. “What?”
“Never mind.”
Jay came in with a coffeepot and started filling our cups, followed by my mom and Aunt Ginny carrying trays of bowls stuffed with the decadent ice-cream dessert. I knew all about it because I’d watched Mom make it dozens of times. It had crushed Oreos drizzled with melted butter, vanilla ice cream, a caramel layer, whipped cream and nuts. If I had to rank the tastiest things in the world, this stuff would come a close second to Mr. Darcy inPride and Prejudice.
But just when we had our first heavenly mouthfuls, my mom — who wasn’t eating her dessert, I noticed — cleared her throat.
The chatter and appreciativemmmmsounds ceased.
“It’s OK, Aunt Johanna,” Gary said, seeing her discomfiture.
“Whatever it is, we’re behind you a hundred percent,” Ginny said.
There were murmurs of support around the table, and I relaxed just a fraction. It was good to know everyone had her back. Our backs.
“Thanks, everyone,” Mom said. “I didn’t mean to get you all worried. There’s nothing wrong with me. Everything’s fine, really. What I have to say concerns Kayla most of all.”
“What?” I sat up straighter and dropped my spoon onto the table with a clatter. My vocabulary was extremely limited this evening.
“Honey,” she said, turning to me, “I wanted to do this in front of everyone here so you know that we’re all here if you need us.”
“What is it?” OK. Vocabulary getting slightly larger.
“I’ve heard from lawyers representing your father,” she said.
Her words seemed to echo in the room.Your father.“You’ve got to be kidding me. The Sperm Donor?”
Ez sputtered. Gary was also trying not to laugh. I could appreciate their amusement. My mother bringing up my father after my twenty-five years of blissful ignorance couldn’t get any more absurd.
“What does he want?” I continued. “It’s a little late to sue for custody, and I don’t want anything from him.”
“Currently, he doesn’t want anything,” my mom said dryly. “He’s dead.”
Oh.Oh.
Ez’s sniggering noticeably stopped.
“And you don’t really have any choice about him giving you something, because he already has, in his will.”
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” I stood. “Whoisthis guy?”
“Take it easy, honey,” Mom said.
An unexpectedly kind voice penetrated my confusion. “It’ll be OK, Kayla.”
Landon had stood next to me and spoke in my ear. He slipped an arm around my shoulders and eased me back into my seat. There was something warm and steady about him that calmed my pounding heart. Then something hot and electric suffused me that I really shouldn’t be feeling at all with my roomie, whose specialties included leaving empty beer cans on the kitchen counter and wet towels in the living room.
My mother’s face had a touch of pity about it as she gazed at me with those big, blue eyes. “He is —wasMaximillian Kantera.”
“Holy shit,” Landon breathed next to me.
“Max Kantera?” Jay exclaimed. “Isn’t he on the art museum board?”
My Aunt Ginny nodded.“Was.”
“And one of the biggest developers in Bohemia,” Landon added.
“Does he — is he—?” I had so many questions, and from the look on my mom’s face when she saw my hurt and confusion, I wondered if she had regrets about making this announcement to the whole gang.
