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“Why are we in Henderson when we could be in Vegas?”Abby scrunched up her eyebrows.

“One, the hotel is cheaper,” Morgan said, “Two, this is where Mike lives, and three, I’m not allowed anywhere near the strip.”

“You could have told me that before I got all excited about being in Vegas,” Abby said, falling onto the bed.

“I could have, but your excitement makes your disappointment so much funnier,” Morgan grinned, and Abby couldn’t control a laugh.

“We’re at a nice resort with a pool,” Charlie said.“Abby, why don’t you put on your bikini and go downstairs and lie in the sun.”

“Good idea.When’s the last time you got to do that?”Morgan added.

“You’re right, I almost forgot I’m childless!”Abby jumped off the bed.“No one will splash me, or scream at me to watch them, or cry because their brother bonked them on the head with a pool noodle.It will be someone else’s kids doing all that, and I get to comment on how they can’t control their kids.”Abby said.

“That’s the spirit,” Charlie said.

“You guys have no idea how hard it is lifting an infant out of the water wearing a soggy swim diaper that weighs more than you do.”

“I’d rather have my nose hairs pulled out one at a time while having gum surgery,” Morgan said.

CHAPTER 15

Abby

The next morning, the sisters ate a quick breakfast, and then Abby called downstairs for the car.Even though it had been parked in an underground lot, it had still absorbed the 110-degree heat, and the women had to be careful not to burn their butts on the leather seats.Morgan put the mystery man’s address into her phone’s navigation.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of a small house on a street where every structure looked alike.The tract homes were painted ‘Builders Beige’ with brick-colored tile roofs and garages the color of dirt that matched the brown desert landscape.In the driveway sat an older Honda Civic in pristine condition.

Morgan parked at the curb across the street.Abby opened the passenger door and got out, then saw Morgan wasn’t moving.

“What’s wrong?”Abby asked, sitting back down and closing the door to keep the cool air inside.

“I’m nervous,” Morgan said, tapping her hands on the steering wheel.“We’re going to grill some guy that Mom purposely kept a secret from us.What if there’s something about their relationship that she didn’t want us to know?”

“Maybe he was blackmailing her,” Abby said.

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”Charlie asked.

“It happens.You see it all the time on those police shows,” Abby said.

“We could be walking into a trap,” Morgan said.

“You’re coming up with this now?”Charlie asked.

“It just hit me,” Morgan said.

“We drove four and a half hours, you had lots of time for it tohityou,” Charlie said.

Morgan shrugged and nodded.“You’re right.”She turned off the engine and got out.“No matter how nervous we are, we have to know why Mom left some strange man money in her will.”

“I’ll take the lead here,” Charlie said.“It’s my job to get people to open up to me.”Morgan and Abby agreed.

When the sisters got to the front porch, Abby rang the bell.A high-pitched bark reverberated through the door.Abby recognized the man who came to the door as the same one in the picture with their mother.He had black hair, scruff on his chin, and squinty eyes, although, to be fair, his eyes might’ve been squinting because of the blinding sun that was breaking through his dark entryway.He wore baggy sweats, and his T-shirt was inside out, so either he’d just woken up or he had no sense of fashion.

“Can I help you?”he asked, his voice deeper than Abby had expected for his slight build and short stature.His white, fluffy dog ran in circles around them, yapping incessantly.

“Are you Mike Perez?”Morgan asked, cutting Charlie off as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Yes,” he stared at them.