“Is your mom still in the dark about what happened earlier?” he asked.
A safer but annoying topic. “She’d have to think about someone other than herself to notice my stress level.”
“I still can’t imagine her as a grandmother.”
There was a reason for that. “Everly loves her.”
“Good.” He smiled. He always smiled when he saw Everly or played with her or even talked about her. For a guy who never wanted kids, he seemed to love one that wasn’t his.
For the millionth time I mourned what we lost and never had time to share.
“Damn, I can’t believe we’re deep in this mess again.” He sat back in the chair. For the first time, the weight of the world swirling around us seemed to tug and pull at him.
“This is usually the part where you blame me.” The comment wasn’t meant as a shot. More like a sad statement of fact.
“Our marriage ended that night with the Tanners,” he said. “Not by law but in fact.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I can’t be a part of this, Stella. My career. All I’ve worked for. My oath. I’ll help you cover this up but then I’m out.
“Our marriage had been in a downward fall before that. I wanted kids. You wanted a job in the limelight, with the pressure and the notoriety.” That was the tip, not the total.
“That’s not quite fair.” His voice sounded resigned. Sad in a nostalgic sort of way.
“You’re right. I’m sorry I mentioned it. Us.” And I was. Dragging the past into the present tainted the tenuous friendship we’d forged and fought for. “The Tanners and that house and that horrid day took enough from us already.”
“Hey.” He reached across the table and rested his hand on mine. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How can you say that?” I desperately wanted him to explain. To promise.
“Aubrey’s secrets are bigger than ours.” He gave my fingers a final squeeze, then let go.
I immediately missed the lost contact. “I’m not convinced she cares. Honestly, she floated into that courtroom like she knew her presence would touch off a battle and welcomed it.”
“Knowing her...” He rolled his eyes.
Enough said. “True.”
He smiled. Balance restored. “I’ll look into this Gabe person.”
A wave of relief crashed over me. Lukas had the resources and the contacts. He stepped up, just as I’d hoped he’d do. “Thank you.”
“Is there...” Lukas shook his head. “Never mind.”
“What?”
He picked up his chopsticks, then lowered them again. Didn’t take another bite but looked lost in thought. “I’m not trying to invite trouble—”
“Uh-huh.” I had no clue what was running through his head. “But you’re about to.”
He pushed the container aside. “Gabe is in his twenties, right? Seemingly obsessed with the Tanner mystery.”
That was the nightmare, yes. “I’m too tired to follow your thinking without more help.”
“It’s ridiculous, of course, but could he be Noah Tanner? Is that a possibility, even if it’s remote?”
Everything froze. My thoughts. My breathing. My ability to come up with a reasonable reply. “What?”
