That made sense. “Okay.” Toby nodded and said it again. “Okay, let’s go see what she wants.” But he reached for Dad’s hand so it would be them going downstairs, not just him.
She looked the same. That was all the think Toby could manage when he went into the den, where she’d been sitting on the couch beside Grammy. She’d stood up when he came in with Dad and now she stood there, smiling at him, but like it was hard to smile.
Maybe her hair was shorter than the last time he’d seen her. She had real dark hair, almost black. A lot darker than his. Dad’s hair was dark, too. Grammy said Toby’s hair probably came from her because she’d had light brown hair before it turned gray, so her genes had mixed in and lightened up Toby’s hair. Mom had dark eyes, too, and was taller than Grammy or Lily. She was a pretty woman.
Her eyes were shiny and damp. “Hello, Toby.”
Her voice made something inside him shaky. “Don’t you cry.” His own voice came out gruff. “You’d better not start crying.”
“No promises.” She laughed, but not like she thought she was funny. “Not that you’d believe me if I did promise, I suppose. I understand that you’re angry with me about Christmas.”
That made him mad. She didn’t deserve to understand him. He tried to make his face stony, the way Dad did sometimes, though hardly ever at him.
“Well.” She smoothed down her shirt, which was made of something stretchy the color of tomatoes. “Maybe we should sit down, then. I have some news,” she added, doing what she’d said and sitting on the couch.
Toby went to sit on the hearth, which was low and had some pillows in Grammy’s favorite colors—blue and green—and faced the couch. Dad sat beside him and spoke in that polite way he used when he was determined not to be mad. “I’m certainly interested in your news, Alicia. Is it about the custody hearing?”
“In a way.” She rubbed her hands on her skirt this time, as if her palms were damp. But it was Grammy she looked at, not him and Dad.
“Then maybe you’ll stop dragging this out.” Grammy’s voice was crisp as a potato chip. Salty like one, too. “We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”
Hurt flashed over Mom’s face. Maybe she didn’t like it that Grammy hadn’t asked her to eat with them. She smiled brightly. “I think I’m allowed to make this particular announcement my own way.”
Dad said, “Does it have something to do with that gold ring on your left hand?”
“Why, yes.” Mom’s smile was too big, too bright, like she wanted to smile the rest of them into happiness. Or maybe she wanted to make herself happy, as if her feelings might catch up with her face if she smiled hard enough. “I got married last month, and my husband and I want Toby to live with us.”
LILY wasn’t sure why she was on Sherwood Lane. She’d had a surprisingly useful interview with the conspiracy nut, who’d gotten excited about being part of an investigation once she convinced him she wasn’t hauling him off to some secret location. He’d given her a tentative ID on one of the dogs and was calling around, compiling a list of other missing pets
Now she had to build on that. Sherwood Lane wasn’t exactly out of her way, but there was no reason for her to be here . . . no reason except Rule.
If this was the damned mate bond tugging at her . . . Almost, she turned around and headed back to the main drive.
But it didn’t feel like the mate bond. She knew how that felt pretty well now, and it was a physical tug, not this . . . this emotional static. Like she wasn’t thinking straight and wouldn’t until she saw Rule.
Maybe she’d turned psychic. Cullen was due in sometime today, and she did need to talk to him. Maybe she’d psychically picked up on his arrival.
Lily snorted. More likely, she admitted, she was being stubborn. Uwharrie National Forest butted up against the woods where Rule had found the bodies. She wanted to talk to the ranger there about any unusual increase in the number of dead animals—but the ranger’s station was over ten miles away. The mate bond wouldn’t let her go that far, so she’d either have to send one of the other agents or get Rule to come with her.
It pissed her off. She . . . Hey, look at that! There was a white Taurus pulled up behind Rule’s Mercedes. Automatically she took note of the plates. A rental? Cullen would be renting a car in Charlotte and driving in.
Huh. Maybe she was psychic.
Lily parked along the curb in front of the Asteglio house and got out.
The front door opened. A tall, dark-haired woman with blunt, sensual features stepped out, saying something over her shoulder to Louise, who followed. Louise didn’t look happy. The two of them were so involved in their conversation—which involved dinner plans and someone named James—that they didn’t notice Lily until they were about six feet away.
The dark-haired woman finally saw her and jerked to a stop. Louise did, too. Her hand fluttered to her chest. “Oh—Lily. I wasn’t expecting you at this hour.”
“Lily?” The other woman’s full lips curved up. “I see. You’re short, aren’t you? Much shorter than I’d imagined.”
“And you’re more rude than I’d imagined, given my acquaintance with your mother. You are Alicia Asteglio, right?”
Dark eyebrows lifted. “I was.”
“Alicia,” Louise chided, “you’re beginning this poorly.”
Alicia shrugged. “I do everything badly, according to you.” She left it at that, stalking off to her car, where she paused. Her eyes were intent, but her voice was soft, the tone somewhere between coaxing and pleading. “I’m trying to make things right, Mama. Believe it or not, I am. You’ll call about the time?”
Louise nodded once, tight-lipped.
Her daughter got in her car, slammed the door, and backed out quickly.
“You’re upset,” Lily said carefully.
“Upset?” Louise made a noise that was not a laugh, though maybe she’d meant it to be. “She got married. She got married last month and didn’t tell me, didn’t want me there . . . Yes, I’m upset. She thinks I should be happy for her. I suppose I am, but . . .” She shook her head.
Sounded like everything was all about Alicia. Her feelings counted. Her mother’s didn’t. Lily experienced a distinct twinge. She didn’t do that to her own mother, did she? “Was this a sudden thing?”
“Sudden for me. I don’t know about her. She’s been living with James for the past six months, in Beirut.” Abruptly Louise started for the house. “I’ve never met him. Spoken to him on the phone a few times, and he was pleasant enough, but what does that mean? Oh, never mind me. It’s Toby I’m worried about.”
Worry put a hitch in Lily’s breath. “Is she going to oppose Rule’s custody?”
“It’s complicated. Everything to do with Alicia is complicated. Do come in, dear. Have you eaten?”
Lily assured her she didn’t need to be fed, though she did check out the coffeepot as they passed the kitchen. Empty. Oh, well.
Rule and Toby were in the den—Rule on the phone, Toby sitting beside him, arms crossed, staring at the floor. Rule had his expression shut down. Toby had storms all over his.
Toby looked up as Lily entered behind Louise. “I’m not going to stay with her.”
“She has legal custody of you still,” his grandmother said wearily.
“Didn’t say I wouldn’t go. I said I wouldn’t stay.”
Rule broke off his conversation. “You’ll stay,” he said tersely. “If you do go with your mother, you will not run away.”
Toby’s expression left that somewhat in doubt—especially considering he’d run away to his father once already. Lily looked at Louise, her eyebrows asking the question for her.