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Arwyn peeked around the hallway when they stopped in front of the kitchen before giving her another kiss. “I have no doubt. Don’t be late. And remember to ask Diaz about that neighbor and the guy on the green bike. We need those statements.”

“Yes, dear,” Sloane replied in a dry tone, pretending to be annoyed, but loving every moment of Arwyn’s control freak ways. “I’ll come by when I’m done.”

One of their investigators walked in, putting an end to their conversation. Sloane glared at him until Arwyn yelled at her with her eyes to stop.

“I’ll see you after my hearing this afternoon,” Arwyn said, forcing her attention away from the guy and his very fragrant tuna salad.

Sloane waved goodbye, and as she strode to her o ce, she let herself smile as wide as when she got her braces o in

tenth grade. She indulged in it until someone had the audacity to step out into the hallway. Then, she turned it into a scowl and stared at h

im until he averted his gaze.

CHAPTER 37

“I TOLD you she’s a smitten kitten.” Ari’s mom nudged her dad as they sat around the kitchen table. She’d put o dinner with them all week and Thursday was her last chance before a weekend Sloane had packed with plans.

“Mom, I’m sitting right here, and no I’m not,” she protested before putting down her cellphone. Suddenly she was twelve again and back in her SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas being grilled about the crush on her tennis camp instructor.

“I don’t know, Tater Tot. You sure are painting your nails a lot all of a sudden,” her dad observed, leaning back in the wooden chair older than Ari. “Pablo did say she’s a real looker.”

“Dad!”

“I can’t believe Pablo met her before I did,” her mom grumbled.

“Mom, he didn’t meet her! I didn’t even know who he was,” she countered defensively.

“Still.” Her mom took a bite of the flan she made for dessert. Ari was so full of lentils and rice she hadn’t touched

hers yet. “I haven’t even seen a picture of her yet.”

“I don’t have a picture of her, Mami. She doesn’t have social media, and a selfie opportunity hasn’t exactly come up at work,” she joked, hoping it would move them o topic.

“Well, ask her for one.” Her mother said like it was obvious. “Or better yet, bring her for dinner. I’ll make paella if she doesn’t have any seafood allergies. Everyone loves my paella.”

Ari poked at her flan. “It’s a little soon, don’t you think? I don’t want to freak her out.”

“It’s freaky to meet your girlfriend’s parents?” her dad asked, missing the meaning. “Or are we freaky?”

Ari smiled. “No, there’s nothing wrong with it. I just think we’re taking it slow.”

She didn’t explain to her parents that they hadn’t slept together yet because that would be gross, but she thought it.

So far, nearly all their dates had been either meeting for dinner or otherwise in public. It hadn’t even been two weeks yet, she wasn’t worried, but there did need to be a certain order to things.

“Okay, well, do you think she’s coming for Thanksgiving?

Are you going to spend it together? It’s just a couple of weeks away.”

Ari inherited her inability to let things go from her mother. Usually, she loved being just like her, but not today.

“If it comes up, I’ll ask. But there’s no way I’m missing your roasted pork or mojo turkey for Thanksgiving, okay?”

Ari stood and kissed her mother on the head before clearing the table and starting on the dishes.

When she was finished, she joined her parents in the modest living room where they were watching a Brazilian soap opera Ari had fallen behind on over the past couple of months. She tried to catch up on the plot, but when a woman she thought was dead showed up pregnant with the main lead’s baby, Ari gave up. She let her mind wander instead of texting Sloane, which is what she really wanted to do. A buzz in her pocket made her pulse quicken. She smiled the moment she saw who it was.

“See?” her mother said, peeking at her over the top of her framed glasses. “Smitten.”