Page 107 of Tasty Cherry

“And we got rid of them both,” I say. “I need to let this meat marinate for a while.”

She wanders around the island as I scrape the crushed garlic into the container with the meat. “Whatever will we do while we wait?”

I seal the lid over the meat. “Play Parcheesi?”

She squeezes my waist. “Sure.”

I slide the meat into the fridge. “Or to the bedroom?”

Mila grins up at me. “I thought you’d never ask.”

We lie on the big bed that faces a wall of plate glass with a different view of the mountains than upstairs. The deck beyond the door connects to the one outside the kitchen and living room, and a small hiking trail is a winding scar through the trees and underbrush.

Mila rests her head on my shoulder. “Do you like to hike?”

“I used to do it a lot. Work often gets in the way.”

“Does Arya hike?”

I laugh. “Almost never.”

“Did your mother?”

“Almost never.”

“Dad, then, or were you too young?”

I trace lazy circles on the leg of her jeans. “We did it some. But it’s not something I think about doing with him. It was Uncle Roger who took me most.”

“The Uncle Roger who raised Maverick?”

“You know about that?”

“Brooklyn is still seeing him. He told her.”

“I see. Yes, except most of the hiking was before Maverick came along. When Dad left, Uncle Roger was pretty angry at him. He tried to make up for it by being a father figure to me.”

“Did it work?”

“I had a hard time the first year. Uncle Roger helped.”

“Do you think you’ll ever have a relationship with your dad?”

“At this point? Unlikely.”

She wraps an arm around my waist. “I feel lucky to have parents who put us kids first. Even if they were a super big pain.”

“It is lucky.” I hesitate. “Do they know you’re seeing someone?”

“Not yet. My best friend Camille does. She keeps insisting I slip her a picture. She’s having to go by your hotel headshot.”

“You want to take something to send her?”

She hesitates, and I pull her close.

“No?” I ask.

She bites her lip. “I’ve been reluctant to have…evidence.”