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Not rudely. She’s assessing me. I know the look because I use it myself.

She's gathering information. Trying to figure me out.

Which is totally fine.

In fact, I respect her all the more for it.

After a few minutes, Carl appears with a tray of drinks and enough food to feed a rugby team instead of their wives.

“Thank you, Carl,” Carolina says.

“Of course, Mrs. Barret.”

He turns toward me. Our eyes meet. His gaze flicks briefly toward the rolling ladder. One eyebrow rises.

Asshole.

I narrow my eyes. His mouth almost twitches before he leaves.

“What was that?” Dani asks.

“Nothing.”

“That was definitely something,” Finley says.

“I may have taken the ladder for a spin.”

Silence. Then Chiara gasps.

“You did not!”

“Of course I did.”

“I told you!” Finley points at Carolina. “Everybody does it.”

“Carl caught me.”

That earns sympathetic groans from around the table.

“Oh, that's the worst,” Annabeth says.

“He doesn't even say anything,” Dani adds.

“It's the eyebrow,” Chiara says.

“Exactly!”

Okay. Maybe this won't be so bad.

Then Carolina folds her hands on the table.

“So, Layla.”

And there it is.

The tone. Friendly. Pleasant. But I can hear the warning going off inside my head loud as a fire alarm: Interrogation imminent.

I straighten slightly. “Carolina.”