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Ky gave the soup another stir and turned off the heat. His gaze fell to my wrist. “Yellow today,” he said, nodding to the ribbon I had wound there. “Does the color choice have anysignificance?”
“Just whatever fits my mood,” I said, but that wasn’t entirely true. If the white was me, then the other colors each symbolized one of the guys in my mind. Yellow was Kyler: sharp-minded and sunny-bright. The thought of telling him that, of hinting at how often I’d thought of him and the other guys over all those years, made my pulse race evenfaster.
“I’m glad you hung on to them,” he said. His voice dipped in a way that sent a flutter through my chest. Then he licked a drop of soup off his thumb, drawing my eyes to his lips and the flutter lower in mybelly.
Okay, more distance was definitely in order. I swiveled toward the table, just as the front door rasped open and another two people strodein.
Right. The table was set for five. “We’re here,” Mr. Lennox called buoyantly. Seth was just behind him, his sweat-damp T-shirt clinging to his torso in all the rightplaces.
They must have just come back from a construction job. Spark help me, I wasn’t sure an ocean of distance would cut it with these twins on either side of me. Where was Phil’s fan when I neededit?
Seth stopped in his tracks when he saw me, his eyes widening. “Rose.” His gaze moved past me to his brother and narrowed. “Ky?”
Kyler shrugged with an innocent expression. I’d texted him first on the burner phone he’d gifted me with last week, checking about dropping by to see his mom. And Ky had suggested I not mention the visit to his twin. Of course, when I’d gone along with that, I’d assumed I wouldn’t even be seeing Seth for the omission tomatter.
“Get in here,” Mrs. Lennox said. “Let’s have this soup of Kyler’s while it’shot.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Rose?” Sethasked.
I’d forgotten how grim he could be. What was it Gabriel had used to teasingly call him?The killjoy. I waved off his concern. I was here now. “It’ll be fine, worrywart. I told my stepmother I’d probably have lunch in townanyway.”
The food was, of course, spectacular. I ate faster than I really should have. Then, stuffed and still enjoying the lingering tartness of the buttermilk scones in my mouth, I grabbed my purse to get on with the real reason for myvisit.
“I brought these,” I said, pulling out two letters of recommendation marked with the official Hallowell seal. I handed one to Mrs. Lennox and one to her husband. “I dated them this year because I figured that would be more useful. If you’re ever looking for the kind of work you did for my family again, hopefully they’llhelp.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Mrs. Lennox said, looking over hers. “You really didn’t need to dothis.”
I shook my head. “I wish I could do more. I don’t understand how you could have been let go without even any severance…” I paused, the question I had to ask sticking in my throat. “Was it my father who asked you toleave?”
“You were all already off in the city,” Mr. Lennox said. “Meredith passed on the news. Not at all happy about it herself, ofcourse.”
So it could have been Celestine’s or my father’s orders. I’d have to ask Meredith. “I know you’re already doing other work, but if there’s any other way I can help, please let me know. When I’m officially head of the estate here, I’ll be able to offer some financialcompensation—”
“No, no, don’t even think about that,” Mrs. Lennox said. “We’re in a good place now.” She tapped her lips. “If you’d really like to do something, you could bring that fiancé of yours I’ve heard about into town and have yourselves some of the pie I bake for the Bluebell Café. And talk loudly about how good it is.” Her eyes twinkled the same way Ky’s often did. “I’m just getting started with the baking-on-commission and a little nudge in the right direction couldn’thurt.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’m sure I can gush over it with completely honestenthusiasm.”
“All I’ll say is, if you ever need anything built or repaired on the estate…” Mr. Lennoxsmiled.
“You’ve got it,” I said. Although that would have to wait until after I had more authority there too. Celestine might not be suspicious of my occasional jaunts into town yet, but she’d definitely notice a familiar name if I recommended a “new”hire.
And also if my errand and lunch took much longer. I got up from the table. “I’d better be getting back now. Thank you so much forlunch.”
“Any time, dear,” Mrs. Lennoxsaid.
Seth followed me to the front door while the rest of his family launched into clean-up. He looked down at the floor, rubbed his mouth, and then raised his head to meet my eyes. Standing over me like that, he seemed almost larger than life, but like a sentinel, not athreat.
“Where are you off to now?” heasked.
“Just to run a couple of errands. My excuse for coming into town.” I gave him a half smile. “That reminds me—did Mr. Lorde, Gabriel’s dad, move away too? I wanted to stop by and see him, find out if there was anything I could do for him, but I couldn’t find him in the listings. The way he was treated seems like the worst of everyone, after how longhe’d…”
I trailed off at the tensing of Seth’s expression. My chest constricted. “What?”
Seth opened his mouth, closed it again, and finally came up with some words. “None of us knows exactly what happened. It wasn’t something we really wanted to ask Gabriel about. His dad got into… I guess you could say a dark mood for a while after. He never really came out of it. The day after wegraduated…”
“What?” I said when he hesitated again. My stomach had alreadyknotted.
“The official word was he was shot,” Seth said quietly. “It’s generally known that he did ithimself.”
