Page 90 of Desolation

“You have kids?”

I nod. My fake identity doesn’t have kids but these people are not going to know who I am despite Dax’s worrying. “Two girls. Makayla and Olivia.”

“Oh, I love those names! How old are they?”

“Nine and six.”

“You should have brought them.”

“Oh, I am not from here. Just visiting David. I’m sure if I brought the girls they would never want to leave. They would love the beach.”

Catherine sips on her wine. “When I moved here from New York that was the first thing I fell in love with.”

We both walk to the doors that lead to the backyard and there are screaming children everywhere.

“Those two are mine.” Catherine points to two girls running in circles. “Erin is five and Kennedy is four. Mark and Charlie came out for the weekend and brought Cullen and McKenna. Those two are rambunctious as hell. I mean, Mark is their father so no one should be surprised. But they are the ones over there trying to climb that tree. Shit one of them is going to break something… Cullen!”

“That’s an interesting name.”

She cracks up next to me. “It’s from Twilight. That’s Mark’s call sign, Twilight.”

“No shit.”

“That was all Charlie. Mark didn’t find it funny when he saw the birth certificate. He was half asleep when he signed it.”

Mark swoops in at that time and puts an arm around Catherine’s shoulder. “My wife is amazing. Love her. Even when she names my damn kid, the one that will carry on the name of this bloodline, after a damn sparkly vampire. I have no idea why you think I would be upset over that. And I will do anything to make her happy. In fact, I am the world’s best husband. Just ask her.”

“Mark!” A woman with stick straight black hair and blindingly blue eyes comes stomping over. “Did you tell the kids they could have ice cream before lunch?”

He shrugs nonchalantly.

“What am I going to do with you?” she throws her hands in the air. “Go make them eat a hot dog. Or give them some water. I do not need to deal with more—”

“Cullen, stop!” a shriek comes from the corner of the yard. We all look over and see Cullen pulling on Erin’s hair.

“Mark Dixon, I am this close to divorcing you!” Charlie yells as she pinches her fingers together in the air.

“Guess, I better go take care of that.” Mark runs off.

Charlie turns toward me and sticks her hand out. “You must be Marianne. Nice to meet you.”

“You can call me Mari.”

“Oh, I like that even better. And I love those pants!”

I’m wearing a pair of olive ankle cropped joggers with zippers and ties. I paired it with a black crop top that criss-crosses across my stomach and a set of strappy black wedges. My big gold hoops hit my shoulders making me look younger than I am.

“Thanks.”

“I need to take you shopping with me while I’m here.”

I smile. “That would be fun.”

Charlie studies me for a few minutes but then shakes her head. “Gosh, you look like someone I know but I can’t place it.”

Shit. Maybe Dax was right. But I play it off. “I get that a lot. People say I look like a blond Eva Mendez.”

She squints her eyes at me. “I can see that. That must be it. Or you look like someone I’ve met before.”

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