“Ha!” Eleanor shook her head and scooped a heaping spoonful of beet salad onto her plate before passing it along. “Maybe lack of proof on the outside. I mean, look at the woman. Ember, can you honestly tell me these two couldn’t pass as sisters if you saw them walking down the street?”
“I would never tell you that,” Ember replied, forcing herself not to look at the mistress of the house as she said it.
“Stop it. Both of you.” Bianca’s voice was flat and dismissive, but her small smile betrayed that she appreciated the compliment.
“Oh, sure. Pretend it’s not true. That’s what she’s been doing for years. Not all of us were blessed with the ability to only age five years in twenty.”
“Well, she must’ve said something.” Cheyenne made a show of studying the dishes on the table. “Because I only see three out of five food groups.”
“Congratulations. You’ve solved the mystery.” Bianca lifted her chin toward her daughter in that haughty way she’d mastered. “Whatever I said is between Eleanor and me. We both got what we wanted, so let’s leave it at that.”
Eleanor looked at Ember and pulled a surprised face, the corners of her mouth turning down as her eyes widened. The fae laughed and opted for a glass of mineral water instead of a third cocktail. Cheyenne did the same.
“Are you also pursuing a master’s degree, Ember?” Bianca lifted a bright-red beet slice to her mouth, her forked turned upside-down as she plucked it off with her teeth.
“I was.” Ember shrugged. “But accidents happen, and plans get postponed.”
“I understand.” Bianca nodded and dabbed the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin. “I can’t speak for your experiences, of course, but I will say that from what I can see, you’re handling the entire thing with more grace than most people who don’t go through half as much in a lifetime.”
Ember’s swallow was so loud, they all heard it. She quickly took another sip of mineral water and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Hmm.” Bianca smiled and pointed her fork at the fae. “That one had nothing to do with my hospitality, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Oh.” When the fae understood the joke, she laughed. Eleanor shook her head and picked more goat cheese out of the beet salad to add to her plate. Cheyenne rolled her eyes and dug into the braised vegetables.
“Will you be picking up your studies again in the future, do you think?”
“I have no idea right now. The school’s given me a temporary leave, I guess.” Ember stabbed more than a huge mouthful’s worth of salad onto her fork. “I have some time. Right now, I’m just focusing on myself.”
“That’s important. Necessary for everyone. You can discover quite a lot about yourself with that kind of focus to your time.”
Ember and Cheyenne exchanged glances and almost laughed. “It’s already happening.”
“Oh, I have no doubt. Especially if you’re spending a good bit more time with Cheyenne.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The halfling looked at her mom with an expectant smile.
“I’m wondering the same thing,” Eleanor added.
Bianca raised her glass and dipped her head. “My daughter has mastered the ability to carve her own path by stirring pots no one’s touched in years while opening her home to a friend in need. And she still makes time for her mother. If anyone spending any amount of time with Cheyenne doesn’t pick up a thing or two about authenticity and perseverance, I’d say they need to reevaluate their priorities.”
The table fell into a stunned silence.
“Wow.” Cheyenne licked salad dressing from her lips and raised her eyebrows. “Mom’s dishing out the flattery tonight.”
“It’s not flattery if it’s well-deserved. You know that.”
“I feel like making a toast,” Eleanor added quickly. “To Cheyenne.”
“Oh, come on.” The halfling chuckled but grabbed her glass of bourbon.
“To Cheyenne and Ember.” The mistress of the estate raised her glass higher.
“Well, of course. And to blazing new trails.” Eleanor was almost shouting now, grinning from ear to ear.
The halfling smirked at her friend. “Can’t say no to a toast like that, right?”
“Even if I wanted to, I’d be too afraid of what would happen.”
That made everyone laugh, and then all the glasses were raised toward the center of the table.
Eleanor laughed. “I can’t even remember what I said.”
“That’s what happens when people keep adding to a toast.” Cheyenne grinned. “What Eleanor said.”
“What Eleanor said.”
Grinning, the four women clinked glasses and drank to whatever they wanted. Bianca lifted her glass to her lips and met her daughter’s gaze over the fine crystal rim. She took an incredibly long sip, then looked away and lowered her glass. “Tell me about the car.”
“Oh, boy. Here we go.” The halfling playfully rolled her eyes.
“I saw it when you pulled up, Cheyenne. If you wanted to hide, you should have bought something else.”
Eleanor guffawed and almost slammed her glass back down on the table.
“Mom, if you want me to take you for a ride in my Porsche, all you have to do is ask.”
“I’d rather drive it myself.”
“Of course, you would.”
Ember nodded toward the front of the house. “You should at least show her your favorite part.”
The halfling frowned and looked down at her plate. “Nah, we don’t need to go there.”
“Right.” Ember looked at Eleanor and Bianca earnestly. “I almost expected her to roll up that driveway and start honking at the house.”
“The horn is your favorite part of that Panamera?” Bianca clicked her tongue as she lifted another bite to her mouth.
“No.” Cheyenne shot Ember a warning glance but couldn’t help another laugh. “You don’t have to say anything else, Em.”
“Oh, well now.” Bianca’s small smile widened. “What is it?”
“It’s the other sound,” Ember answered for the halfling. “You know, the little beep on the automatic lock.”
Eleanor stared at the halfling, her lips pressed together as she laughed silently through her nose. Bianca choked, lurched forward, and grabbed her glass of mineral water. “Excuse
