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“My mother complains we all suffer from it.”
“Want a beer, Stone?” Daniel interjected, finally rescuing me from my utter loss of couth.
“Sounds good,” he said, though his chocolate eyes remained firmly on me. “Now that we’ve been through my family’s history of names, you gonna tell me yours?”
“Muriella.”
“Muriella.” When he repeated my name, slowly, as if he were committing it to memory, my stomach took a nose dive, as if I’d just jumped off the roof of the building. “Beautiful name. Who’s it after?”
“The guardian angel my mother promised watches over me and my brother.”
“I didn’t know that.” Vivian wrapped her arms around me from behind and rested her chin on my shoulder. I relaxed into her embrace; her affection had become a necessity for me. “Hey, let’s drink champagne,” she said with her usual ebullience. “I know we’re grilling burgers, but I think we need to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?” Stone asked.
“Meeting a new member of our inner circle.” She kissed my cheek and flashed a grin at Stone no man could resist. Except his attention was solely on me. I felt a sudden urge to run, fast and far.
“Shall we take this party to the roof?” Daniel suggested, though he was really directing. “I’ll carry the beer.”
“And the champagne,” Vivian said, releasing me and grabbing a bottle from the fridge. She put it in the bucket of beer and ice in Daniel’s hands.
I retrieved the tray of hamburger patties. “Carry this please,” I said to Stone, as if he were exactly what Vivian had said he was—part of our inner circle.
I picked up the basket with buns and loaded it with all the trimmings for our burgers. Vivian and I loved blue cheese and caramelized onions on ours, which I’d prepared in advance. Patriotic Vivian had insisted on making a flag cake with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream for our Fourth of July celebration. She loved to make an occasion out of any day.
I watched in horror as she peeled back the Saran wrap and dipped a finger in our flag cake. “Vivian. We have a guest,” I chastised. If it had been just the three of us, I’d still have said something out of instinct, even though I really didn’t care. I loved her zeal for life, that she did as she pleased, and her easy-going manner was good for Daniel. He shook his head, a small smile on his lips.
“This is good, but we should have done peach cobbler,” she stated matter-of-factly in true Vivian fashion.
“I knew you’d want that even when you insisted on the flag cake. I’ll make you one this weekend,” I promised, gathering napkins and paper plates.
Since Vivian had barged into our lives, my knowledge of Southern desserts had infinitely expanded. Her whole way of life was infectious, exactly what Daniel and I had needed.
“Come on, Princess,” Daniel said, gripping her elbow and steering her toward the roof access.
“I’m negotiating for a peach cobbler,” she said, digging her index finger into his chest. “Somethingyou’llreap the benefits of.”
He leaned down and kissed her. Their easy affection made my heart warm despite how used to it I was. “She already said she’d make it.” They disappeared from the kitchen.
“What else can I take?” Stone asked, erasing the distance between us.
“We’re good,” I said, far too breathlessly for my liking. He had invaded my space. The scent of sunshine and outdoors flooded me.
“They mean a lot to you,” he observed.
“More than anything,” I said, shifting the basket in my arms.
He cocked his head to the side as if attempting to see inside my mind.
Uncomfortable with his scrutiny, I blathered on. “Have you ever prayed for God to save you from a situation so desperate that it’s impossible?”
“No.”
“Then you wouldn’t understand,” I said and walked toward the stairs.
He followed me up to our rooftop terrace. Daniel and Vivian were kissing by the grill.
“They always like this?” Stone asked, far too close to me for my comfort.
