The Ex Upstairs by Maureen Child

Two

Henry stood in the living room of the Tudor-style mansion in Beverly Hills and, not for the first time, heard that nagging internal voice telling him to get out. Well, he was. Finally. Not that it was a bad house. He gave a quick look around at the sun-washed living room where his mother’s beloved antique furniture stood, like monuments to the past. It was pretty, if uncomfortable, and seemed more suited for—well, he told himself, anyone other than him.

Idly, he looked up at the portrait hanging above the blue-tiled fireplace. Happier times, he thought as he stared at the smiling family that had been frozen in time by a talented artist. His parents, of course, looking young and eager for the future, and himself, at ten, with a stiff smile to indicate he didn’t much care for the suit he’d been forced to wear.

Two years after that painting, his mother was dead and his father had become a shadow of the proud man in the painting. He’d never been happy in this house since. Which explained why he’d finally moved back to Texas five years ago. Not that he was any happier, but at least he wasn’t surrounded by memories he’d rather forget.

Frowning to himself, Henry hit speed dial and listened to the ringing before his father picked up.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Henry. What’s going on?”

Right to the point. That was his father. No time for just talking, catching up. Even retired, Michael Porter was brusque and stingy with his attention.

“Yeah, you know I’m selling the house.”

“About time,” Michael threw in and Henry shook his head. Clearly his father still hated this place, even from a couple of states away. Once Henry’s mother died—or abandoned them as Michael Porter put it—the man had spent as little time in this house as humanly possible. He hadn’t sold it because whatever his personal feelings about the place, Michael knew a good investment when he saw it. And he hadn’t been wrong about that.

A 1920s estate, the Tudor house came with nearly five acres of property—almost unheard of in Beverly Hills since most of the bigger estates had been broken up and sold at a profit decades ago. So he’d held on to the place even while resenting every square inch of the house that had once been so happy and was now almost a mockery of what had been.

As for Henry, after his father moved to Texas, Henry had stayed on because it was easiest. He didn’t spend much time there anyway, except for sleeping, and the house itself was close enough to the Porter offices that traffic wasn’t an issue. Now that he’d decided to move the company headquarters farther south, the house had to go.

“Right.” Henry asked, “I wanted to know if you want me to ship the portrait to Texas.”

There was silence for a couple of telling seconds before Michael answered, “No. I don’t want it.”

He’d known the answer before he’d asked the question and still, he’d had to make sure. When Henry’s mother died, Michael shut away her memory as if she hadn’t existed. He’d taken down the portrait and stored it and it wasn’t until Michael had moved to Texas permanently that Henry had rehung the painting. He still wasn’t sure exactly why he had. Maybe it was just what his father would have called orneriness. His father took it down, so Henry hung it back up.

Could be that simple. But either way, he didn’t have time to figure it out now. Since Michael didn’t want it, Henry would take the portrait with him.

“All right, then. What about the rest of the stuff?”

“What I wanted I brought with me to Texas,” his father said. “You get rid of the rest however you decide.”

He couldn’t help but glance around the room again. Hell, every room in that house had been decorated by Evelyn Porter and her husband didn’t want a single stick of furniture. But then, neither did her son. And he wondered what his mother would think of that. “Everything all right in San Antonio?”

“It’s good. In fact,” Michael said, “I want you to take a look at this new tech company down here that’s making a name for itself in gaming.”

Okay, then, family stuff finished and moving on to business—right where Michael liked it. Henry shook his head and walked across the hardwood floor to the front window. Staring out at the tidy lawn and picture-perfect gardens, he just listened.

“They’ve got a new programmer who’s kicking ass in his department. Word is, they’re looking for investors to grow fast.”

“The word?” Henry said with another shake of his head. “Meaning, you’ve got a spy in the company and have some inside information.”

“Spy is a harsh word.”

“But accurate?”

Michael chuckled. “Let’s just say we’ve got the jump on this by a week or two. You move on this fast and we’ll have our competitors gnashing their teeth.”

The old man had always had a nose for business. And however his father had gotten the information, it wasn’t something Henry would ignore. Hell, he himself used informants to keep tabs on his competitors and—he thought about the Careys—enemies. Amanda hadn’t been wrong about that. He’d found out about that hall near the Carey Center going up for sale before they’d had a chance to make a bid and he’d jumped on that, too. Just like he would this gaming company.

Turning his back on the view, he stalked from the room and down the hall to the study, where he sat behind what had been his father’s desk and drew out paper and pen. “Okay, Dad. Let’s have it. Tell me everything you know.”

Another chuckle and his father’s voice saying, “Glad to see you turning out just like the old man, Henry.”

Well, that gave him pause. Even as his father spoke and he took careful notes, Henry had to ask himself if he really wanted to be that chip off the old block.

After the interminable family meeting, Amanda grabbed Serena and the two of them had lunch at La Ferrovia, an upscale Italian restaurant not far from work. Over excellent eggplant parmigiana, they talked family, what to do about their parents’ feud and how to convince Justin to come back into the fold. Though they didn’t come up with any solutions, it always helped Amanda to talk things out with her sister.

“Lunch was great,” Serena said and gave Amanda a quick glance.

“After that meeting, we should have had wine with lunch,” Amanda mused.

Her sister laughed and shook her head. “If we did that every time the Carey family had a contentious meeting, we’d be half-drunk all the time.”

Not necessarily a bad plan, Amanda thought but didn’t say. As not only the two girls in the family, but the two middle children, they’d been close since they were kids—except for the year or so that Serena was married to Robert O’Dare. She’d pulled away from the whole family then and Amanda had been hurt that her sister could cut her off so easily. Then later, of course, she’d found out that Serena was so miserable in her marriage that she hadn’t wanted anyone to know what a mistake she’d made.

For a long time, Amanda had felt guilty for somehow not seeing what her sister was going through. Now, though, she was just grateful to have that closeness back.

Now, they sat on a bright red couch in the company day care center so Serena could check on Alli. Truthfully, Amanda enjoyed these little visits, too. Her niece was adorable and watching the three-year-old play with her friends was a good way to let her brain take a mini-vacation of sorts.

But today, she was happy to have the extra time for more than the usual reason of Alli-watching. Amanda had had an idea percolating in the back of her mind all day and this little interlude before they went back to work gave her the perfect opportunity to broach the subject. For her little plan to work, she’d need Serena to help.

At least a dozen children, five and under, were shrieking and crying and laughing, and the women who worked there, Amanda thought, should have medals pinned to their chests. She loved kids, but a whole roomful could be intimidating as well as deafening. Some children were having books read to them, some played with a train set, and Alli and her “boyfriend” were playing with baby dolls in the corner.

“Isn’t that sweet?” Serena smiled at her daughter. “Alli talks about Carter all the time.”

Amanda shot a look at her niece and felt a little tug at her heart. Alli was the shining star of the Carey family. The only grandchild, she was completely adored by all of them. But right now, Amanda had other things on her mind.

“Serena,” she said, turning back to her sister, “you said Henry’s moving. How did you know?”

Serena looked at her in mild amusement. “He told me. Obviously.”

Stunned, Amanda just stared at her for a second or two. “How is that obvious? No one in the family talks to Henry. Haven’t for years.”

“Well, I do,” her older sister said with a shrug.

“And you never said anything? To anyone?”

“Come on.” Serena gave her a wry smile. “Why would I do that? Bennett would have had a cow. And there’s no telling how you would have reacted.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stupid question, she told herself.

“Please.” Serena gave her an incredulous look before shifting her gaze back to Alli. “You haven’t exactly been a fan of Henry’s, but I always thought it was ridiculous to completely cut the man out.”

“But—”

Serena sighed. “I mean, if I stopped talking to everyone Bennett has a feud with, I’d only speak to family—” She paused. “Correction. I wouldn’t be able to talk to my little brother, either.”

Good point, Amanda thought. Bennett was no happier with their brother, Justin, than he was with Henry Porter. So you had to make your own call there, and Amanda wasn’t willing to give up talking to Justin, either.

Still, this wasn’t about their brother. “But it didn’t bother you? What happened between Henry and me?”

“Of course it did,” her sister said, pausing for a sip of her Coke. “It was terrible. But you had us. Henry didn’t have anyone on his side.”

“You’re on his side?” Amanda couldn’t believe it.

“Wrong way to put it.” Serena held up one hand. “I only meant that I wasn’t going to pile on, giving him grief, and I called him one day to say so, and... Well, we started talking more regularly.”

“Regularly,” she repeated. “For how long now?”

“Oh, a couple of years, I guess.”

What had happened between her and Henry was ten years ago, so it wasn’t as if Serena had run right to him to offer consolation. But still...

“Okay, but how did this start up? You just called him out of the blue?”

Serena sighed, leaned back against the couch and took a sip of her Coke. “No. I bumped into him accidentally. It was right after my divorce and I went to that spa in Santa Monica, you remember?”

“Sure.” Now Amanda felt a little guilty, unknowingly prodding Serena into talking about what had been a very painful time in her sister’s life.

Serena had never really been into the family business like the rest of them. All she’d ever really wanted was to be a wife and mom—as strange as that sounded these days. Although, wasn’t it the height of feminism to make your own choices? To have the life you wanted in spite of anyone else’s expectations?

Off subject, she told herself. Serena had married Robert with stars in her eyes and found out only when Alli was a few months old that Robert was less Prince Charming and more Cheating Slug. So Serena had gotten her divorce and full custody of the daughter Robert didn’t care about anyway, and had rejoined the family business.

“You stayed at that resort on the beach while Mom and Dad took care of Alli. You said you had a great time.”

“I did,” she said on a heartfelt sigh. “That place is just magical. In fact, it might be time for another long weekend there. I wonder if Mom would watch Alli again.”

Now, Amanda said aloud, “Of course she would. But you’re veering off target. How did your spa weekend turn into meeting up with Henry?”

“Did you think I was the only guest staying at the hotel?” Serena asked.

“No, but—”

“I’m just teasing.” Serena reached out and patted Amanda’s hand. “You know, it’s not technically a spa. I mean they have treatments—wonderful treatments—but it’s a hotel as well and Henry happened to be staying there that weekend.”

“Happened to be?”There was no way Amanda was willing to believe that Henry just happened to be at the same hotel that Serena was staying at on the same damn weekend. That “coincidence” was so farfetched it couldn’t be believed.

“Yes. He was having his house repainted, so he was staying at the hotel for a week.”

“Uh-huh.” Her brain started racing with the implications. Why would he have been there to “bump” into Serena? Was he using her? Was Serena an unwitting spy for Henry? Was it she who’d let it slip about the hall Amanda had had such plans for?

“Oh, stop it.” Serena frowned at her and took another sip of her Coke. “I can see you spinning theories in your head. Not everything is a conspiracy. Sometimes people just actually do bump into someone they know. You’re getting as bad as Bennett, Mandy, and that’s not a good thing.”

Surprised, she asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean you’re becoming suspicious and distrusting and if you keep spending so much time at the company, with Bennett, it’s only going to get worse.”

“I’m not suspicious,” she argued, “I’m just...careful.”

“Sure. You know, going through life expecting people to betray you isn’t exactly healthy.”

“Neither is walking through a minefield blindfolded.”

Serena smiled, glanced at her daughter, then back to Amanda. “I don’t do that. Let’s just say that I’m willing to trust people until they give me a reason not to.”

Neither one of them said Robert O’Dare’s name, but they both knew he was whom she was talking about. And for a second or two, Amanda felt guilty for giving her sister such a hard time. After all, Serena’s husband had betrayed her—big-time—and she wasn’t the one sitting here being, as she said, suspicious and distrusting.

“Anyway,” Serena went on, “that first night at the hotel, I went downstairs for dinner, and saw Henry in the bar. We were both alone, so we had dinner together.”

Envy pricked at the edges of her heart, but Amanda really didn’t want to admit to that. “Just that easily?”

She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Amanda just stared at her for a second. Did she really not get it? “Well, let’s think about it. Porter Enterprises has pretty much been at war with the Carey Corporation for the last five years.”

“I’m not the corporation, Mandy,” Serena reminded her. “And neither are you.”

“But we are Careys. And Henry is Henry. Why was he so friendly? Did he try to get information out of you?” As she asked the question, she fought down a flare of anger at the man who would use her sister against her own family.

“Why wouldn’t he be friendly to me?” Serena’s calm tone was dissolving into impatience. “I’m not Bennett. Or you, for that matter. He had no reason to avoid me. And no, before you ask, he did not pump me for information. For God’s sake, Mandy, we’re not in a soap opera. Stop looking for motive here.”

“No, not a soap opera,” Amanda agreed. “More like a corporate thriller. Come on, Serena. You know as well as I do that Henry has outbid us on a number of properties in the last few years. Not to mention that he’s gone out of his way to steal some of our best employees—”

“By offering them better pay and benefits?” Serena shook her head. “That’s not stealing. It’s making them a better offer—that Bennett could have matched if he’d been willing.”

“That makes it okay?”

“That makes it business.”

“No it’s not. That’s war.” And Serena was being deliberately blind to it. Would she even have noticed if Henry had dug information out of her by asking leading questions?

“Wow.” Serena laughed. “I had no idea you had this love of drama.”

“It’s not funny.” Her own sister didn’t see that Henry Porter would do whatever he could to sink the Carey Corporation? How was that even possible?

“Oh, sweetie, of course it is. Henry’s not Dr. Evil, planning world domination...”

“No,” Amanda snapped. “Just Carey domination.”

“And,” Serena added as if her sister hadn’t spoken up, “Bennett’s surely not a saint.”

“True, but—”

“No buts.” Serena drew her head back and studied Amanda as if seeing her for the first time. “I’m starting to think that this isn’t really about Henry swooping in on properties or employees at all. I think it’s more about what happened between the two of you.”

“You’re wrong,” Amanda said firmly. Okay, maybe there was a tiny thread of that in there somewhere, but mostly this was about Henry going out of his way to make her family pay. Wasn’t that what had happened?

Serena shook her head and her butterscotch-colored hair swung out gently and fell into perfectly trimmed curls. “Look, Mandy, we all know exactly what went on between you and Henry ten years ago...”

Amanda squirmed uneasily in her seat and took a long drink of her now-cold coffee. Yes, everyone knew. Because Bennett had caught her and Henry naked together in the boathouse at their home in Italy. God, she could still remember the flush of embarrassment when her big brother had walked in on them right after—

“But it was ten years ago, Mandy. When do you let it go?”

“Me?” she countered, just a little offended that her sister didn’t understand the humiliation of being found with her first lover right after she’d had an orgasm that had left her shaken to her bones. Then there was the fight between Bennett and Henry. The fists. The vicious words. Henry leaving and the family meeting to “discuss” what had happened as if Amanda were just an interested outsider.

“When does Henry let it go?” Her voice was pitched low, but demanding. “Do you think he picked the Carey family as his target out of the air? Is he trying to destroy us little by little just on a whim? Or does it all go back to—” She broke off, swallowed hard and then said, “And if we’re talking about me, how can I let it go? Henry’s not letting me, is he? It’s not like I lay awake at night, thinking of him.” Not often, anyway. “But with him trying to submarine us all the time and Bennett in a constant state of irritation, it’s really hard to just tuck it away into the memory file.”

“You’re right.” Serena laid one hand on Amanda’s arm and said, “I get that. But what is it you want from me?”

“Help,” she admitted. Amanda had been thinking about this since the family meeting ended. “I need to know what Henry knows about us.”

Serena frowned. “I don’t know how I can help with that. We don’t talk business, Mandy.”

“Yeah.” She shook her head, dismissing that. Mostly because she had the feeling they did discuss business, but Serena just hadn’t noticed. “I don’t expect you to give me answers. I need you to help me get those answers.”

“How?”

“You said you talk to Henry.”

“Yeeesss...” Wariness put about fifteen syllables into that one word.

“I need you to get me into his house.”

For a second or two, no one spoke and Amanda knew what her sister was thinking by the stunned expression on her face. Well, who could blame her? Amanda never talked about Henry and the day she did, she asked for help to infiltrate the man’s house. Okay, that would sound strange to anyone.

“You can’t be serious.” Serena pulled her head back and looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “If you want to talk to Henry, go to his house yourself.”

“I don’t want to talk to him. I want to spy on him.”

Serena laughed, then noticed her sister wasn’t laughing with her. Slowly the smile faded. “Aren’t you taking this a little far?”

“I don’t think so,” Amanda argued, lowering her voice as she started talking. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw him at his office this morning.”

“Thinking about what, exactly?”

She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure all of the kids and the caregivers were too far away to hear her, before she turned back to Serena. “I figure that there are only two ways to find out what he’s up to. Either hire a spy in his house...or become one.”

“Oh, boy.” She rolled her eyes. “Mandy, are you listening to yourself?”

“Absolutely,” she said, smiling now at the brilliance of her plan. “If you can get me into his house, I can find out what he’s up to. What he knows about us and how he’s getting information.”

“So, what? You’re Amanda Bond, now?”

“With a little luck, why not? But maybe more like Mata Hari.” She sat back against the couch and let her mind wander to all the possibilities stretching out in front of her. And since she didn’t have to admit it to anyone else, she could at least acknowledge to herself that part of the appeal of being in Henry’s house was being close to Henry. If she was around him for a while, maybe she could get him out of her head.

Ten years since their night together and she’d never been able to completely forget it. God knew, she’d tried. She’d had several lovers and even a few one-night stands, looking for the same explosion of lust and pleasure and excitement that she’d once felt with Henry. But no matter whom she’d been with, that night remained unrepeatable.

And that just irritated Amanda. Why was it Henry Porter who pushed every button and lit every fuse? She had to think that she was remembering that night with him as more than it had been. Maybe she’d been too in love to notice that the sex wasn’t all that great. A comforting, if not really likely, thought.

“Spies.” Serena choked out a laugh. “Okay, and how do you plan to do that?”

Amanda snapped out of her thoughts in a blink and focused again on her sister. “I haven’t really worked out all the bugs yet,” she admitted, chewing at her bottom lip as she tried to shuffle through the ideas racing though her mind. “But you said he’s moving, right? Well, he’ll need extra help, won’t he?”

“I suppose.”

She shrugged. “So tell him you’ve got someone who can help out temporarily.”

“You. Working for Henry. As a maid.”

“Maid, packer, gardener, I don’t care,” she said, warming to the idea even more than she had when the thought had first struck her. “I just need to get close to him for a while.”

Frowning thoughtfully, Serena sighed a little. “He did say last week that Martha, his housekeeper, was going to be hiring some temporary people to help with the move.”

“Perfect!” God, she could already see how smoothly this would go. She’d need a good disguise, but that was no problem. Amanda had always had a good hand with makeup. Add a wig and maybe hunch a little to make herself look shorter. She could do this.

“Not really,” Serena reminded her. “Even if I give Martha your name and she hires you... Henry will recognize you.”

“No, he won’t.” Amanda waved that away. She wasn’t worried. Much.

“This is a bad idea,” Serena mused.

“No way. This is going to be great.” If she had any doubts, Amanda ignored them.

Maybe a disguise sounded silly, but it was the only thing she could think of that would get her into Henry’s house. The plan would work because she would make it work. She wanted to get information on Henry. It had nothing to do with the fact that she’d felt a blast of heat when they’d faced each other only that morning. Nothing to do with the dreams of him that occasionally haunted her sleep. This was all about how he’d gone behind her back and snatched her one chance to prove to her family that she was more than capable of expanding their dynasty.

Oh, she knew Bennett trusted her to do her job, but she also knew that he had tucked her into a nice little box so he didn’t have to think about her. It was respect with a caveat. Well, she wanted out of the box and this was the way to make that happen.

“Can you do it?” she asked. “Can you get me into Henry’s house?”

Serena thought about it for a long minute, then nodded. Amanda sighed in satisfaction, but it was cut short when her sister spoke again.

“I’ll do it for you on one condition.”

“What?” Suspicion colored her tone and she had to wonder if Serena had been right earlier when she’d accused Amanda of becoming as suspicious as Bennett.

“You said earlier that you couldn’t just tuck away the memories of ten years ago.”

Scowling, she shifted her position on the couch. She really didn’t want to talk about that. “Yeah?”

“Is that really the reason you haven’t let it go?” Serena asked, her voice soft and low. “Or is it that you didn’t want to forget it?”

Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Are you psychoanalyzing me now?”

Her sister grinned. “Should I be?”

Amanda expelled a long breath. Amazing. With everything going on in the Carey family, it was her Serena wanted to analyze?

“Seriously? You’re worried about me?” Stunned, Amanda stared at her. “When Bennett is wound so tight he snaps at anything that moves? When Justin can’t be bothered to check in for the same meetings that we’re all forced to attend? What about Mom and Dad and the retirement wars? Then there’s you.”

“Me?” Now it was Serena’s turn to look shocked.

But Amanda had been holding this in for a long time, so she let loose. “You’ve been divorced two years, Serena. Have you even looked at a man? Or are you going to use Robert as a shield for the rest of your life?”

Serena scowled at her. “Low blow.”

“Maybe, but that wasn’t an answer, either.”

“You’re projecting, Mandy.”

“Now you even sound like a therapist.”

She ignored that. “Instead of answering the question about you, you try to shift the subject to everyone else. And besides, I haven’t seen you out with a man lately. Like in forever. So you’re not as sanguine as you pretend to be, are you?”

“Oh, yeah,” Amanda said nodding. What she said hit a little closer to home than she was willing to admit, but at the same time, she noticed that Serena hadn’t exactly argued Amanda’s point. “Big words now, too. You missed your calling. You should have been an actual psychologist. You’ve got their routine down pat. Answer a question with a question.”

“Uh-huh,” Serena said. “And I notice that’s not an answer, either.”

God, she was right. Fine, she hadn’t been dating much. Or ever. But she was busy. She had a life. The one she wanted. And she didn’t need Serena pointing out the cracks in her walls. Especially when her own walls were looking a little shabby, too.

Sighing, Amanda looked around the room. Primary colors on the walls, cushioned carpet that made it feel as if you were walking on a trampoline. Shelves filled with books and toys and several small tables and chairs where a few of the kids sat coloring. Strange place to be having this in-depth conversation. But it was so long overdue for both of them, maybe it had just been time.

“How did we get into what I think of Henry when I was supposed to be finding out how you know so much about him?”

Serena laughed, shot a quick glance at her little girl, then looked back to Amanda, still smiling. “Because I’m a Carey, too. I know how to deflect as well as you do.”

“Great.” Amanda snatched her sister’s bottle of Coke, took a sip and handed it back. “Still deflecting too, Serena. You want to know what I think of Henry, but you’re not willing to tell me why you’re avoiding men.

“And fine, I’ll let that one go for the moment and just ask why you’re friends with the man who’s made it his mission to ruin us.”

“He’s not trying to ruin anything,” Serena said with a shake of her head. “He’s just taking care of business. Like Bennett does. So it’s okay if we do something but traitorous if Henry does it?”

“Well...”

Serena stabbed her index finger at her. “Ha. Got you there, didn’t I?”

“No.” Yes.

“It’s no big deal, Amanda. We don’t talk every day and pass notes to each other.” She shrugged. “Every once in a while we have lunch and we talk.”

“But why?” That’s what Amanda couldn’t figure out.

Serena shrugged. “I like him. Plus, the family can’t tell me who to be friends with.”

Okay, she could understand that. Amanda didn’t take orders any better than her sister did. “I want to say good for you, but it’s hard for me because I’m so mad at him.”

Serena patted her hand again. “Furious doesn’t get you anywhere, honey. Believe me, I know.”

Amanda instantly knew that Serena was talking about her divorce and she felt bad for letting this conversation slide in that direction. And for the cheap shot she’d taken earlier. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

Serena waved her apology off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not mad about my marriage dissolving anymore. Not even really sad.” She took a breath, looked at her daughter again and said, “I’m actually grateful to Robert. He signed away paternal rights to Alli and she’s worth everything.”

Amanda’s gaze shifted to the little girl, too. Hair the color of her mother’s was pulled high into two pigtails, with bright red ribbons. She wore a tiny pair of jeans and a white shirt with red flowers on it, and a pair of impossibly small red sneakers. Serena was the only one of the Carey kids to have a child and a part of Amanda worried that she might never have kids of her own. Not the way her love life was going, anyway.

“You’re right. She’s completely worth it.”

Serena grinned at her. “Sad doesn’t last any longer than a good mad does. But some things are forever.”

“Wow. Psychologist. Poet. Any other secrets you’re hiding?”

Turning her head slightly, Serena gazed out the window and murmured, “So many...”

Her sister suddenly felt miles away and Amanda wasn’t sure how to reach her. Before she could ask if there was something she could do, if there was something specific bothering Serena, the other woman turned back and gave Amanda a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. But the message was clear. She didn’t want questions. Didn’t want to talk about whatever it was that had put such a wistful expression on her face, and Amanda couldn’t really say much to that because she had plenty of secrets herself.

Not the least of which was, after all these years, she still spent far too much time thinking about Henry.