“It is.”
“Come in and sit, you two,” Nina said, scurrying around the kitchen like she was prone to. “I’m so glad you came. All of my children, together again.”
Korbin and I sat down at the dining room table as Isabella opened the bottle of wine and poured the women a glass, going to the fridge a moment later to get the two guys bottled beer. A moment later, she, Ian, and Nina joined us at the table, which was laid out with a delicious smelling meal of garlic bread and what I knew was homemade lasagna.
“Nina, this looks great,” I said, taking the plate that Korbin had just dished for me. “Thank you so much for the invitation.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, reaching across the table to briefly squeeze my hand. “I love having you here. All of you.”
“So, Peyton,” Isabella said, taking a sip of her wine. “Mom said you just moved in with my charming older brother here. Is that accurate?”
I laughed. “Yes, it’s accurate. I’m working here, too.”
“I heard,” she said with a grin. “Do you enjoy it?”
“I do.” I took a bite of my lasagna, savoring the perfect taste of marinara and ricotta cheese. “But enough about me, it’s boring stuff. How’s school, lady?”
“It’s fantastic,” Isabella said, her eyes lighting up with sheer excitement. “I miss my family, but honestly, I love school.”
“When do you graduate?” Korbin asked.
“Next year. You both better be there.”
“We will,” I said with a smile. “We’re really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Peyton.”
“What about you, brother?” Isabella said, focusing her attention on Korbin. “How’s the department? Mom told me about you hurting your knee.”
“It’s better now,” he said, flashing me a smile. “Thanks to Peyton.”
“Fortunately, it didn’t leave any long-term effects,” I said. “It was a close call, though.”
“How are the guys?” Ian asked. “I miss seeing them around.”
“They’re good,” said Korbin. “Hansen and Paisley just got married. That was a lot of fun.” His voice faltered at the end, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was; that was the night I’d left him for the second time.
“Still battling mini brush fires?” Ian asked, teasing Korbin.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “But also, some commercial fires as well.”
“As in, more than one?” Nina asked, looking up at Korbin. “How do you mean?”
“We think—we think there might be an arsonist,” he said, glancing briefly at me before meeting his mother’s gaze. “Things are starting to add up. We think it’s intentional.”
“Damn,” said Ian, and Isabella frowned.
“Remember when Dad had that arson case in Denver?” she asked. “That was crazy. It almost killed a couple of his crew.”
“I remember,” said Korbin softly, and I squeezed his hand. “That’s how this is becoming.”
“Are there any suspects?”
“No,” Korbin said with a sigh. “But there’s someone we certainly suspect.”
“But the police don’t?”
“It’s not even a police matter yet,” said Korbin. “We don’t know if Amanda is innocent or guilty.”
