“No. My grandmother gave it to me.”
I’m also not telling her that the grandmother in question washergrandmother too.
“You should get it fixed so it doesn’t fall off.” She lifts the little heart to get a better look. “How sweet!”
I smile. “Yeah. She was the best.”
That’s no lie. It wasn’t just that Gran swept in and took care of things when Mom died. Strong and stubborn, she always had my back, filling in as both mother and father despite her failing health. It makes total sense to me that she and Aunt Maggie had a falling-out. Gran was never lukewarm about anyone. My grandmother loved—and hated—hard.
Jasmine’s bottom lip plumps out in a pout. “I feel bad. I always wanted grandparents to spoil me. Nana and Pops—my dad’s parents—don’t even call us on our birthday. They live in Florida. I can’t remember the last time we saw them. My parents keep to themselves a lot, and not just because my dad thought your dad was a dick. It’s because, well…theotherside of my family is psycho.” She spins a finger around her ear.
She’s waiting for me to ask more. I don’t want to, but I know it will be suspicious if I don’t.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Our uncle’s a serial killer.”
I feign shock. Hopefully the gaping jaw isn’t too over the top. I’m not the best actress. “Are youserious?”
“Uh-huh. Totally offed six women. Well, seven. He killed Aunt Sarah too—Mom’s older sister. Not that I ever knew her. That was like ten years ago. Anyway, I always knew my dad had a brother, but I didn’t knowyouexisted until last week. You being in Europe and all. Talk about wild news.”
“Yeah, wild,” I mumble.
“I’m sorry about your mom.”
I scrape my teeth over my lower lip. “Thanks. It was a shock.”
Ten years ago.
“Dad said she died in a car accident?”
Gunshot. Inflicted while trying to escape the Starling Slayer.
But car accident works too.
“Guys!” Maggie calls down the hallway, and the interruption fills me with relief. “Dad’s here with dinner!”
Jasmine heads to the door and I follow. In the kitchen, Maggieand Connor are digging into the bags of takeout, and there’s a very tall, bearlike man standing at the sink, washing his hands.
“Well, if it isn’t my niece, Ryan,” he says with a big smile, air-drying his hands before giving me a hug.
I manage a polite smile. “Hey, Uncle Dan.”
Jasmine pulls out a chair. “Sit here, next to me, Ryan.”
I sit. They bow their heads to say grace, so I do too. Then they pass around the food, and I take only a small drumstick, a roll, and a tiny dollop of mashed potatoes, hold the gravy.
“Thought you’d be hungrier than that after your trip, darlin’.” Maggie frowns at my plate.
“Yeah,” Connor says, already stripping clean a drumstick. “How many hours is the flight from Zurich to here? You have any layovers?”
“It was twelve hours. I had a layover in New York,” I say, glad I Googled.
“Do you speak fluent Swiss?” Jasmine asks.
Her twin gives her a look. “Swiss is not a language, dumbass.”
She wrinkles her forehead. “Well, what language do they speak in Switzerland?”
