She didn’t know why Louie tried to kidnap Greta, but her thoughts tumbled as she drifted to sleep. And she wanted to do unto Simon Farrow exactly as he had done unto her.
Izzy never heard the creak of the staircase or footsteps padding across the office floor. Instead she dreamed of bright moonflowers gathered around Simon’s casket in the darkness, trumpeting his death.
Once he was gone, she and her children would shine again.
35:Harper
Two ribeye steaks marinated in the fridge with soy sauce, garlic, and a half cup of olive oil, alongside a green salad harvested from Marcia’s garden. Harper had prepared the food this afternoon along with a pan of baby potatoes, halved and slathered in garlic butter to roast.
One of the many things she’d learned working for Evan, even if she’d failed often, was how to cater a meal. What was much less familiar to her was preparing dinner for someone else that she would also enjoy. There’d be no disappearing tonight behind an invisibility cloak.
It was the awkward hour after dinner that worried her, his not wanting to be impolite at leaving too early and her not knowing how to end what would most certainly not be a date.
Then again, Finn didn’t seem to have any issue with impolite or awkward.
She changed into the only summer dress she’d packed, a blue midi with a skirt that would float if she twirled. Finn arrived right on time, wearing the same khakis and tie from their breakfast rendezvous.
She pulled the door closed behind her and joined him on the front porch. “Long day?”
“Long but productive. Did you get any writing done?”
“I’m still waiting for inspiration.” And to escape the shadowed reminder of Tony’s team currently shredding her idea.
“I hope the inspiration shows up soon,” he said. “You ready to drive up the hill?”
A glance at her watch confirmed it was already after six. “You must be famished.”
“One could argue that.”
“I’m not really one for arguing either way.” She smiled. “But what if we eat first and then head to the house?”
He agreed, eliminating one of her greatest stressors of the night. There’d be no lingering after the meal. “Just tell me how I can help.”
“I’ve got steaks,” she said. “If you man the grill, I’ll set the table.”
“Medium or rare?”
“Extra well-done.”
He groaned. “You want me to ruin your ribeye?”
“Yes, please.”
Shaking his head, he turned back to retrieve his briefcase. Then he grilled their steaks to perfection while she tossed the salad with balsamic vinaigrette and checked the potatoes.
A half hour later, they were eating on the back patio, talking about his work. Much of the income from Olivia’s trust, he explained, came through compound interest on his grandfather’s investments, but he and Brett were searching for a new publisher to revise and reprint Olivia’s original books. So far, no one was interested in republishing those old stories.
“I figured you and Brett knew each other.”
“He’s been our attorney since he started practicing law.”
“Did you go to school together?” she asked before taking another bite of her almost-blackened steak.
“I was a few years behind him, but I wanted to be just like Brett when I grew up.”
“You wanted to be an attorney?”
“No,” he said. “I wanted to letter in basketball.”
