ana

t was a

ry breath I took, I could feel it d

I were at dinner at our f

about a merger his firm was handling. I was trying to listen, forci

one lit up o

anced

t I thought he was going to be sick. I

face down, the plastic clat

sked, keeping my vo

ork," h

r his wine glass and drained half o

ptly, scraping his chair back and standing

hovering halfway to my m

cal, Ariana

was already gone before h

leaving me with a half-eaten plate of pa

, I met Dibb

ifyingly observant. She was the only perso

of dinner?" Dibby rai

I said, stirring my l

y, Ari. He doesn't ru

ely, the spoon clinking against

," she said. "The Donovans are shar

, but the words died in

t through some donations for a charity auction. Eleanor was ou

d clothes she mentioned. The air up there was

d saw a wooden box tucked in th

is a dange

ened

and loose photos. My hand brushed over a

led i

as I

He was on a boat, shirtless, laughin

as around

green eyes. But it wasn't her beauty

y Ivan was lo

nguarded adoration I had never

ver. Someone had writ

years

e date, a sin

car door s

oved the photo into my pocket and put

rs, Richard and Elea

trilled. "Did you

ce sounded hollow, fo

photo out o

too," I said

he room was heavy, suffoc

n't falter, but her

leared hi

ing away a fly. "That's just a distant cousin. From the we

to Ivan," I said, my v

said quickly. Too quickly. "Put t

and slipped it into her purse

he said, steering m

m. It felt less like a hug

their Earl Grey, I looke

sn't a

s cousin like she is the