“Oh, thanks, Mom.” Cheyenne got out the first part of a small laugh before Eleanor swept her into a tight embrace and squeezed. The halfling gritted her teeth and hugged the woman back as well as she could with her arms pinned to her sides.
At least Mom can’t see my face right now.
“No, we would never want to keep this one away.” Eleanor laughed and released Cheyenne. She took a step back with a breathless smile and brushed the wayward hairs away from her face. “I love your hair like that, Cheyenne.”
“Wow. Thanks.” The halfling offered a crooked smile. “I didn’t think it was that big a deal.”
“It’s our business to notice these things,” Bianca added with a small smile.
“You can’t keep anything from your mother.” Eleanor nodded and gestured at Bianca. “And she doesn’t keep anything from me, so don’t try.”
Bianca offered a good-natured shrug, but her daughter didn’t miss the minute narrowing of her mom’s eyes at Eleanor’s last words. “We’ve been doing this together for so long, so why stop now?”
The housekeeper laughed and patted the sides of her skirt before removing a handkerchief to wipe her brow. “I’m so sorry. Excuse me. I’ve been finishing up the last bit of dinner for the evening. Cheyenne, have you eaten?”
“Not yet, no.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Well, I…” The halfling turned to give her mom a questioning glance, and the smiling Eleanor looked at mother and daughter, waiting for an answer.
“I’m hungry, Eleanor.” Bianca cocked her head. “If Cheyenne would like to join us for dinner, she’s welcome to.”
“I can stay for dinner.”
“Excellent. Everything’s set to be ready at six.” Eleanor stuffed the handkerchief into her skirt pocket and nodded, grinning. “I’ll put out an extra place setting.”
“Thank you, Eleanor.” Bianca shared a knowing glance with her housekeeper.
Of all the looks between the woman and her friend that Cheyenne had learned to read growing up, there were still one or two of them the half-drow couldn’t quite figure out. This was one of them, especially since Eleanor nodded politely—as if she’d received another request—and her smile widened. “Mm. Would either of you like something to drink?”
“A Perrier with lemon, please,” Bianca replied.
Mom’s not drinking this time. She’s either pulled herself back together since the last time I brought up Dear Ol’ Dad, or she’s trying to figure out what’s going on with me. Let’s take it one thing at a time.
“I’ll have the same. Thanks.”
“Excellent.” Eleanor gave Cheyenne a warm smile and went to bustle back through the house toward the considerable kitchen on the other side.
“Would you bring it to my study, please?” Bianca called after her.
The housekeeper turned to nod in response and met Bianca’s gaze. “Of course.” Then she was gone.
Cheyenne looked at her mom, who gestured toward the other side of the house and took a step in that direction. “Shall we?”
“Yep.” The halfling hurried across the foyer, not sure if she was excited about what she was about to see or concerned Bianca didn’t seem as hesitant about it as last time.
She’s had a week to steel herself. I guess we’re both about to find out if that was long enough.
Chapter Sixty-One
The only time the French doors to the study were closed was when Bianca held meetings with Washington reps or political figureheads or senators like Michael “The Safe One” Brandon. Cheyenne followed her mother through the doors into a room that looked more like it belonged in an English mansion than in the home of a single mother.
“So. Our last conversation left off with one final piece of information I wanted to show you.” Bianca stepped across the vast room lit by soft, warm yellow lights and lined with mahogany bookshelves on either side, the shelf on the right broken by a large fireplace that was still empty at the end of September. Her large, polished desk took up almost the entire length of the far wall, and that was where Cheyenne’s mom went next. “And you came back because you still want to see it.”
That’s her way of asking me if I’m sure. “And for Eleanor’s cooking.”
Bianca offered a small, not-quite-amused smile and let out a hmmm.
Okay. Waters tested. She wants this over with. “Yeah, Mom. I still want to see it.”
“Okay.” Bianca nodded and waved her daughter forward as she stepped behind her desk.
It didn’t escape Cheyenne’s notice that her mom didn’t sit behind her computer to turn it on, or that Bianca had not closed those heavy French doors behind them for this little meeting.
It doesn’t mean she doesn’t take this seriously, just that she’d let herself be interrupted if something else came up. Or she wants me to think it isn’t a big deal anymore, but we both know that’s not true.
Bianca logged onto her computer, clicked the mouse twice, and typed something, then swiveled the monitor away from her chair and out toward the rest of the study so Cheyenne could see. “You’ll have to come closer than that, Cheyenne. It’s not 4K quality, dear.”
Sliding the strap off her shoulder, Cheyenne set her backpack against the leg of the closest armchair as she headed to her mom’s desk. Bianca studied the frozen image filling the entire screen, unable to hide the barest hint of a grimace beneath all that willpower. Once Cheyenne reached the desk, she looked at her mom and waited.
“I know how skilled you are with finding things most people think they’ve hidden.” Bianca blinked at the monitor and dipped her head toward it. “Feel free to stop me if you’ve seen this before.”
She thinks I tried to hack into her files. I can’t believe that never crossed my mind.
The halfling studied the slightly blurry image on the screen and shook her head. “I don’t know what that is, Mom.”
What she wanted to say was, “Get to the punchline already,” but that wasn’t how the Summerlins conducted themselves. Not in polite society, and not with each
