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“Investment property, then. Ask for a referral to an interior designer. You’ll think of something. Please? Just keep her on the line for ten minutes or so.”

Amber makes a noise in her throat. “Ten minutes max. I have a new client coming into the office.”

Olivia reaches the porch. “You’re a lifesaver. I owe you a lot for this week.”

“Yeah, you do, and you will pay up.”

Olivia can only imagine what scheme Amber will rope her into. A night out at a Western bar riding a mechanical bull was her last brilliant idea. She was sore for a week.

“Give me a minute or two. And heads-up. She was a hot mess yesterday.”

Olivia disconnects and presses the front door latch only to find it locked. No thanks to her unannounced arrival yesterday. She rings the doorbell, then rings again when she doesn’t hear Charlotte approach, and wonders if she should be worried. She’s about to call her mom when Charlotte finally answers the door.

“Olivia,” she says with genuine surprise. Dark circles from smeared mascara hold up her eyes. Her hair is unkempt. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area. Thought I’d check on you.” Her gaze sweeps up Charlotte’s wool pants and white tailored blouse. The buttons are out of alignment. The skin above the collar is flushed and damp. Olivia gestures at the buttons. Charlotte detests when she’s not put together.

“Oh.” Charlotte fixes her blouse.

“Is, uh ... everything okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Her mom runs her hand over the column of buttons, then folds her hands at her waist. She smiles at Olivia. “I’m fine, darling. Yesterday was just a ...” Her hand flutters in the air. “Blip.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Olivia’s phone vibrates. She reads the text from Amber.Now?

“Sorry, have to respond. It’s my editor.” The lie sours in her mouth like a green apple–flavored hard candy.

Yes.She quickly types.Call the landline.Charlotte will have to leave the door to answer the phone.

It rings in the kitchen. Charlotte glances over her shoulder into the belly of the house. She starts to close the door but Olivia steps into the house. “Go ahead and get that. I have to use the bathroom.”

She lightly touches her lips and glances back toward the bedrooms and Olivia thinks she’ll ignore the call, but Charlotte sighs dramatically.

“All right. Make it quick. I have ... an appointment.”

“Thanks.” Olivia walks briskly toward the guest bathroom. When Charlotte disappears into the kitchen, she veers into the bedroom wing and Dwight’s office. The surveillance system monitor and keyboard are in the closet, but she goes for the computer on his desk first.

“Amber, it’s been a long time. How’ve you been? How’s the new house?” Olivia hears Charlotte exclaim from the kitchen as she returns the Rolodex to its spot, aligning the base inside the square free of dust on Dwight’s desk. Settling into his chair, she plugs her thumb drive into the USB port and powers on the computer.

She glances at the time as the computer wakes. “Keep on talking, Amber,” she murmurs. When the prompt appears, she types the same password Dwight has used since she was in high school and she helped him set up his new desktop. With every computer upgrade, he always reverted to the same:Princ3ssO*

Bless her daddy for always cutting corners to make his life simpler. She scoots forward and gets to work.

“I know of the perfect property for you.” Charlotte’s voice carries down the hallway. She sounds closer, as if she’s poking her head out of the kitchen, wondering what’s taking Olivia so long in the bathroom.

“Stay in the kitchen,” she whispers, exporting Dwight’s contacts.

The musical lilt Charlotte gets in her voice with the prospect of a new deal trickles down the hallway like a bubbling brook. Olivia tries not to feel too bad that she’s playing her mom while she copies over the photo file from fourteen years ago. She reasons she’s doing her mom a favor. Talking about Lily heightens Charlotte’s anxiety. Best she doesn’tknow what Olivia’s up to. She doesn’t want to cause her mom further worry.

“Why don’t you come into my office tomorrow? Does ten in the morning work for you?”

Olivia removes her drive. Before she can slide open the closet door to access the surveillance, a door down the hall, in the opposite direction of her mom, slams. Her head snaps in that direction.The hell?That came from her parents’ bedroom.

Her arms start to tingle with fresh perspiration. She didn’t think Dwight was home. Lucas would have texted her.

If that idiot forgot ...

Olivia powers down Dwight’s computer, and with one look back to check that she left everything in order, she walks toward her parents’ room. If her dad’s home, where’s his car? He always parks in the drive. Unless ...

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