“Sounds like a plan,” Abby said.
“Any coffee left?”
“Yep,” Abby said. She picked up the pot.
Elias rounded on Sam. “She thinks we’re both wackos.”
“I never said anything of the kind.” Abby frowned. “If I thought you were both out-and-out crazies, I would not have taken you on as clients. And I definitely would not have hired Sam to protect me.”
“What’s the difference between Sam and me and a couple of crazies?” Elias roared.
Abby nearly choked on her laughter. She looked at Sam and knew that he was having a hard time biting back a grin. She cleared her throat.
“An interesting question,” she said. She turned around to pour the coffee. “Let’s just say I know it when I see it.”
“Are you sure you got the right Abigail Radwell?” Elias asked Sam.
“Oh, yeah,” Sam said, with deep feeling. “No way there could be two of them, trust me.”
The wicked, intimate certainty in his words thrilled Abby’s senses. The pot in her hand trembled ever so slightly when she poured the coffee.
“I don’t get it,” Elias grumbled. “If you think Sam and I are such difficult clients, why did you agree to work for us?”
“You and your son certainly top my personal list of demanding clients,” Abby said. She put the pot back on the burner and turned around to face the men. “Furthermore, I am convinced that either one of you would cheerfully commit murder if you felt the circumstances warranted it.”
“What circumstances?”Elias thundered.
“If you thought it was necessary to protect someone in your family, for example,” Abby said.
“Hell, yes,” Elias said.
“Sure,” Sam said. “So what?”
“I like that in a man,” Abby said.
28
“…TO SUMMARIZE, THE MODERN SO–CALLED BLENDED FAMILY,the family by choice, is nothing new.” Dr. Brandon C. Radwell surveyed his audience from the lectern. “There have always been families consisting of children and adults who are related not necessarily by blood but by a complex web of social connections. The major difference today is that while old-fashioned blended families came into existence out of necessity, today’s blended families are formed by deliberate choices of the individuals involved.”
“Theadultindividuals involved,” Abby whispered to Sam. “The kids rarely have any say in the matter. It’s Mom and Dad who decide to get divorced and start over with another spouse.”
“Take it easy,” Sam said. He patted her knee.
A couple of heads turned to glare at Abby. Someone shushed her.
Abby glanced at her watch.Not much longer,she thought, relieved.
The small auditorium was full. She and Sam were seated in the last row. From her position, she could see her stepmother, Diana; the twins,Jessica and Laura; and Dawson in the front row. The room was packed with her father’s adoring fans. Each one clutched a copy ofFamilies byChoice.A video crew was busy filming the scene.
Her father might be a serial monogamist, Abby thought, but he did have a way with a crowd. No wonder his publisher was delighted to send him out on tour. The man could sell books. With his good looks, charisma and a knack for the thirty-second sound bite, he was the ideal talk-show guest.
A burst of applause went up from the audience. Abby clapped dutifully and leaned closer to Sam.
“Told you he was good,” she said.
“You were right,” Sam said. “The man’s a natural for television.”
At the front of the room, Brandon bestowed a beatific smile on his audience. “Before I sign those books you all bought at the door, I want to introduce you to my own family by choice. My lovely wife, Diana; my son Dawson; my oldest daughter, Abby; and my two youngerdaughters, Jessica and Laura. I’d like them to come up here now, so that I can tell them in front of this audience how proud I am of each of them and how grateful I am to have the support of such a warm and loving family.”
