Page 31

“Mom.”I kissed her cheek, then presented her with a small box.“A little something for you.”

“Having you here is more than enough.”Still, she unwrapped the box and opened the hinged lid.Her eyes went round before she softly gasped.“Oh, sweetheart, this is too much.”

“Put them on, Nana!”Sofia urged.I had let her take a peek at the pearl and diamond earrings, and Penny was kind enough to wrap them for me, something I was never any good at.

Mom pressed her lips together in a tight line, chuckling as she shook her head.“I’m going to save them for a very special occasion because they are very special earrings.”She reached out and ran a hand down the side of my face, tears shining in her eyes.Why couldn’t it always be like this?The two of us, acting like family, without…

“Good.We can finally get dinner started.”

Mom’s panicked gaze met mine.“Please,” she whispered as Dad marched into the room.

My breath caught at the sight of him.The years hadn’t made a difference.There hadn’t been that many of them, anyway.He was still the same bear of a man, bigger than life and twice as allowed.Only a touch of silver at his temples gave away the fact that he was getting older.

Sofia lingered close to me, her hand tucking into mine like she was nervous.That alone was more than enough reason for me to want to leave.She knew at first glance he was no good.

He stopped partway into the room, his feet shoulder width, hands on his hips.“And who is this?”he asked, staring down Sofia.“There’s only one person you can be.You look just like your mother.”

I was going to kill him.By the time this night was over, he would be dead.It wasn’t what he said, but the way he said it and looked at me when he did.This from the man who begged me, for Mom’s sake, never to tell her.He was sick and twisted enough to dig the knife in deeper, knowing I wouldn’t say a word.

Penny's wide-eyed gaze told me how nervous she felt, but none of that was obvious as she stepped up, holding out her hand.“Mr.Knight.I’m so happy to meet you.My name is Penny Anderson.I’m Sofia’s nanny.”

“Are you now?”he asked, eyeing her up and down.His now soft voice brought to mind a slithering snake.It took everything in me not to throw myself in front of her as he approached, taking her hand in his before placing his other hand on top.“Penny, such a pleasure.I hope my son isn’t too hard on you.If he is, you can always have a job with me.”

Think of Mom.Think of Mom.Think of Mom.I was going to bite my fucking tongue off by the time night was over, and I had only been in his presence for half a minute.

Penny tipped her head to the side.“Do you have a little one who needs some extra attention?”she asked in her usual bright voice.

He blinked rapidly, his head snapping before he replied, “No.”

“Then I can’t imagine what I could do for you since kids are my life.”Was I imagining things, or did she firmly pull her hand away from him when he wouldn’t let go?I stared at her, willing her to look at me when he looked away, but she didn’t notice or pretended not to, either way.She was watching him, her face an unmoving mask that gave away nothing.

“Now that we’re all together,” Mom announced.“Why don’t we go into dinner?Are you hungry, sweetie?”she asked Sofia, who gladly took her hand and walked beside Mom into the dining room beyond where we stood.

“Yeah!”Sofia almost shouted.“Penny said no snack this afternoon.I had to save my appetite for dinner.”

“Very smart of Penny.”Mom exchanged a smile with Penny as we took our places at the table.The leaf had been removed, making things a little more intimate, though I would’ve happily sat at the other end of the long table from the man who, at this point, still had not greeted me.Not that I cared.It was par for the course.

“Mr.Knight,” Penny ventured after I slid her chair into place, then took the seat beside her.She was at Dad’s left hand and Mom sat on his right.Again, no surprise.Mom probably knew I wouldn’t want to sit close to him.“Is it true this is the first time Sofia has visited your house?She’s been so excited about it.”

“Yes, indeed.This is the first time I’ve set eyes on this little cherub.”He knew the right words but not the feeling behind them.I didn’t buy the jovial act for a minute.

“But you two seem to know each other pretty well.”Penny looked across the table at Mom and Sofia, sitting side by side.

“Well, things happen.”Dad suddenly turned off the charm, clearing his throat, shifting in his chair.“We can’t always control how other people deal with situations.”

So it was a situation now.Not his destruction of everything I thought was mine.Not his deliberate destruction of my marriage.

“You know, that is something I tell Sofia all the time.”Our salads were placed in front of us, and Penny eagerly spread the silk napkin across her lap.“We can’t beat ourselves up over how other people react to us.Right, Sofia?”she asked.

Sofia’s head bobbed as she picked through the salad, trying to find something she liked.“Right.Like at school.”

“Exactly.When the other kids think you’re being a know-it-all, that’s their problem, not yours.”Spearing lettuce on her fork, she added, “Of course, we know you’re not really a know-it-all.That helps.”She turned her gaze upon Dad, chewing slowly, her eyes narrowing a little.

“You seem to know a lot about kids.Did my son make a good choice for once?”He inquired with such derision before picking up his wine glass and draining half of it in one gulp.Mom cast a pleading look at him from under her lashes, and he pointedly ignored her.Something he was good at.

“I wouldn’t worry about his judgment,” Penny assured him, chipper as ever.“He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

“That must be a new development.”