Two years older than I am. I know that much.
“He moved back home after his release from prison,” my da says quietly.
I roll my eyes so hard it almost hurts. “Right. Didn’t want to keep up his property while in prison, so now he’s back. Working the estate.”
My lips flatten into a hard, thinline.
Well.
If Cavin McCarthy needs me to play nice for one family dinner… I can do that. For one night.
I can smile. I can nod. I can forget the way he used to look at me. The way he made me feel. The way his voice sounded like a threat, no matter how he talked to me.
Maybe he’s changed.
God.
Asif.
He was an evil son of a bitch… and there’s no way in hell he’s had a personality transplant.
Uniformed staff greet us as the car pulls up. One man steps forward to park it for us.
“Thank you very much,” my mother says, her tone sweet, her posture stiff. I can tell she’s impressed but pissed. They’ve got something she doesn’t.
“This is gorgeous,” I say, half under my breath. “Just look at it.”
The gardens stretch for acres. Cut hedges. Trellises. Old trees, bent like they’re praying. The greenhouse glows behind the main house like a buried lantern.
You can see how huge the place is from here—how many rooms, how many secrets.
“Stand up straight,” my mother hisses from the corner of her mouth. “Stop fidgeting, for god’s sake, Erin.”
I inhale slowly, then let it out through tight lips.
“And maybe you,” I murmur, “should stop being so phony.”
“What?” she snaps, just as the door opens.
Even my father smiles at that.
“Hello, hello.” Caitlin McCarthy stands framed in the doorway—tall, regal, her hair pinned in a tight silver bun. Her face is lined, but there’s still a glint of youth in her eyes. A smile so warm it makes your guard slip without warning.
I like her immediately.
There’s something about her, something that makes you want to be better—kinder, more human.
“Hi,” I say shyly as she extends her hand.
“And you must be Erin,” she says, smiling.
I swallow, then nod. “Yes. Pleased to meet you.”
Did I do that right?
“Come in, come in,” she says. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Your home is absolutely breathtaking,” I say sincerely. “I can only imagine how beautiful the gardens must look in daylight.”
