“Of course,” she muttered, looking uncomfortably at her knees.

“Valerie,” I called and her eyes skittered to me. I leaned forward when I got them and continued, “We don’t know each other but we already have something important in common and that is we both care a lot about Chace. Please don’t think you have to handle me with care. He thinks the world of you and shares it. So I knew I would too. I hope I win you over tonight so we can find out if we have more in common than Chace and Carly Phillips. But we should start that being open with each other and letting it shine through. Don’t you agree?”

“You’re very forthright,” she said softly.

I wasn’t really. I was just being forthright then for her and Chace.

“I hope you don’t mind that,” I said softly back.

“Not at all, Faye,” she whispered.

“Good,” I whispered back then carried on. “Just so you know, I’m normally very shy and quiet. But when the town’s most handsome cop turned his eye my way, I got a little sassy.”

She gave me a small grin and kept whispering to say, “I can imagine that happens.”

I gestured to myself with my wineglass. “Living proof right here.”

“Uh… do I exist in this conversation?” Chace asked, Valerie sat back, I sat back and Chace’s arm on the back of the couch instantly moved to curve around my shoulders.

“Sorry, we were having a moment,” I muttered, suddenly kind of embarrassed.

His arm curled me toward him so my eyes were forced to lift to his and when they did he murmured, “Yeah.” But it was a “yeah” filled with approval.

He followed this with a lip touch.

I squirmed at his side and when his mouth left mine, I whispered super soft, “Your Mom.”

“Don’t mind me,” she chimed in and Chace didn’t uncurl me even though we both looked to Valerie to see her again beaming. “I think a man who’s confident in displaying affection is very attractive, even and especially my son. Therefore this is something I taught him.”

So I had her to thank.

I’d find another time to do that.

Instead, I just grinned.

Chace uncurled me and asked his mother, “Are we gonna eat in this millennium?”

“Chace, so impatient!” she snapped without any rancor whatsoever but on a doting smile.

“Not impatient. Hungry. I’ve been in an SUV for two hours and it’s eight o’clock.”

“You should have had a snack,” Valerie admonished.

“Ma, Donatta doesn’t serve anything less than three courses and her shit’s the shit. I was not gonna have a snack and ruin it. But I am gonna gnaw off my own arm in about two seconds if Enrique doesn’t show with some crackers and cheese.”

“You shouldn’t say the s-word,” she told him.

“Does you tellin’ me not to curse mean Enrique’s not on his way with crackers and cheese?”

“Foie gras,” she muttered.

“Well, clap or somethin’ and get him to get a move on,” Chace ordered, his lips tipped up, meaning he was teasing and Valerie looked to me.

“Have you noticed he can be annoying?”

“Um…” I mumbled then shut up.

“Smart, baby, don’t answer that,” Chace murmured on a shoulder squeeze.

“Her non-answer is her answer and it was affirmative,” Valerie informed him.

“But it doesn’t count because it wasn’t verbalized,” Chace informed his mother.

She rolled her eyes.

I smiled at their back and forth.

Chace got impatient.

“Seriously, Ma, pâté isn’t my top choice but it’s food. We gonna get that before Faye and I have to move in?”

She scowled at him then called loudly yet still daintily, “Enrique! You can serve the foie gras now.”

“Fuckin’ brilliant,” Chace muttered.

“Chace!” Valerie snapped.

“Chace!” I semi-snapped.

“Not f**kin’ brilliant,” Chace muttered again, grinning.

I looked to Valerie. “He swears way too often.”

“We’re in accord over that, my dear,” she replied snippily, still scowling at Chace.

Enrique walked in.

“Fuckin’ brilliant,” Chace muttered again, uncurling his arm from around my shoulders and leaning toward the tray instantly as Enrique set it on the table in front of us.

I looked to Valerie and rolled my eyes.

Valerie looked to me and did the same.

Then I sat forward to get my foie gras because Chace might not find it a top choice but it was one of my favorites in the whole world.

* * * * *

Dinner went great.

Then it happened.

We were in the less formal family room which was, indeed, less formal but it was still more formal than I was used to. I was thinking that I was glad the material of my dress had a little stretch because after that dinner, I needed it.

Not including the foie gras, it was four courses of rich, complicated food and not those elegant, minimalistic, rich, complicated food portions but vast portions even my mother would balk at serving. Nevertheless, it was delicious but it was filling.

Wine flowed freely and Valerie relaxed. Between my forthrightness and Chace’s teasing, she already seemed relatively comfortable by the time we headed to the opulent dining room, its table laid with china, silver and crystal that was so delicate and refined, I suspected the Queen of England would find it a little daunting.

We’d only had one incident during dinner. This being that the flowers I’d ordered through Holly were gracing the table and Valerie calling my attention to them and expressing her gratitude so often that, in the end, I was running out of ways to say, “You’re welcome.”

Chace noticed this, it seemed to make him tense and eventually he muttered to his mother gently, “Ma, she gets it. You like ‘em. Let it go, okay?”

At this, she got a bit fidgety and I thought she’d knock over her wineglass but I again forged into the breach, making some comment about Chace’s horseshoe champagne glasses and how much I liked them. She beamed at the compliment, relaxed and settled in.

In fact, by the time we made it to the family room, I was wondering what all the drama was about. Sure, she seemed nervous, she seemed very much to want me to like her and have a good time and Chace seemed unhealthily attuned to it but it wasn’t that bad.

Until suddenly, out of nowhere, when we were sitting and chatting in the family room, me finishing my last glass of wine knowing it was getting late and the drive was long so we’d be leaving soon, Valerie’s eyes lit up. At the same time a wave of something immensely unpleasant flowed from Chace, filling the room.