“You think it could be bad news?”
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“What if she doesn’t want me there?” he asked.
“Too bad. She’s the one barging into one of our few precious date nights outside of my apartment.”
“Our only date night out of bed so far,” he said, grinning like he wasn’t too upset about any of it.
“We had Thanksgiving,” I pointed out.
“Where we ended up in your bed.”
“I’m hoping we end up in my bed tonight too.”
He kissed my temple as we turned down the sidewalk to the Moments door. “Your wish is my command, milady.”
I laughed and unlocked the door. Inside, the neon sign that burned twenty-four seven was the only illumination. The inner room was dark, and I kept it that way, deciding the best place for the three of us to meet was in this outer one, where there were a sofa and two armchairs. I flipped on the cozy floor lamp by the sofa.
“I’m going to need a glass of wine for this,” I said, shedding my coat. “Would you like one?”
“If you still don’t have whiskey.” Luke seemed to have tensed up since we arrived.
I poured two glasses of red, handed him one, and stretched up to kiss him. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I don’t trust her.”
“I don’t either, but I don’t think she intends to hurt me now.”
“She’ll have to deal with me if she does,” he said, and I had to admit the caveman stance was hot, even if not necessary.
The door opened, and my mother stepped in, her gaze darting between Luke and me. “Hello.”
“Come in,” I said, noticing the shadows under her eyes. When she glanced at Luke again, I said, “This is Luke. Whatever you want to say to me, he can hear too.”
She paused for a few seconds as if considering that, then nodded. “Hello, Luke.” She shrugged her coat off.
“Ma’am,” he said.
“You can call me Bianca.”
His only response was a single nod.
“Would you like a drink?” I asked her.
“Just water. I started treatment last week.”
“How’s that going?” I asked, wondering again if her health was what brought her here. I pulled out a bottle of water from the minifridge and handed it to her as the three of us sat, Luke and me in the chairs and my mother on one end of the sofa.
“Not bad so far.” She briefly explained her prognosis and treatment plan. They’d apparently caught it early, so her doctors were optimistic. “Thanks for asking,” she said, “but that’s not what I came to discuss.” She scooted to the front edge of the sofa and set her bottle down. “Your grandfather had a heart attack Monday, Magnolia. They say he died instantly.”
I sat back in my chair, not having expected that news at all. I said the first thing that came to mind. “Less than a month after he fired Felix? Are they sure it was natural causes?”
“You think like I do,” my mother said, which I didn’t necessarily take as a compliment. “I met with his lawyer today. They believe he’d been having small heart attacks for about a week beforehand, but he ignored them.”
I could feel Luke watching me. I glanced over and made eye contact. His brows shot up as if asking if I was okay.
“No love lost for him,” I explained, and he nodded, not seeming surprised at all.
