Page 87 of The King of Hearts

Well, that was… thoughtful. I don’t know how to feel about this discovery. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised that Ryker knows something so trivial about me. Something tells me he knows everything there is to know regarding my life, even something so small as my favorite foods. I guess what shocks me more is that he actually cares enough to have gotten the recipes from Lea.

She takes a few of the ones already cooled from a cooling rack and puts them on a plate. Carrying it around to where the stools are, she places the plate down.

“Have a seat.” She gestures to the chair. “You like milk with them, right? I believe I remember Mr. West mentioning that.”

I unstick my feet from the floor and walk over to the stool. “Yes, please.”

After grabbing a glass from a cabinet and pouring a generous amount of milk into it, she brings it to me.

“I’m sure they won’t be as good as your old cook, but I hope they’re to your liking. I’ll play around with the recipe until I get it just right.”

I pick up one of the devil’s food—aptly named because these things are addictive—and bring it to my mouth. I close my eyes and moan as I bite into the warm, bready cookie.

“This is delicious,” I tell Susie. “It tastes almost identical to Lea’s.”

Susie smiles with pleasure. “I’m pleased you like it. I’ve made enough to hopefully last you a few days.”

“Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”

She goes back around the island and finishes scooping up the rest of the macarons onto the cooling rack. As she does this, I stuff a couple more cookies in my mouth, washing them down with gulps of milk in between.

“How long have you worked for Ryker?” I ask after I’ve finished off the last one.

“I’ve been employed with the Wests for over twenty years.”

“Wow. That long?”

She nods as she wipes down the counter. “Yes. Mr. West was six when I started working for them.”

“So, you were here before his father disappeared.”

The cloth on the counter pauses a moment, and a far-off look appears in her eyes before she blinks, and it’s gone. She resumes running the cloth over the marble.

“Yes. My employment started a year before Mr. Romano went missing.”

I tap my finger on the counter, wondering how much information Susie is willing to give about Ryker and his family.

“Ryker said his mother’s been in her current state since after the accident.”

“Accident?” She lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine. “It was no accident. It was pure assault.”

“How was his parents’ relationship?”

“Mr. Romano loved his wife and child very much. He was extremely committed to them. I’ve never seen a love match as strong as theirs.”

“Vivian, she hasn’t spoken since then? Not a word?”

She moves to the counter on the other side of the sink. Her movements are twitchy, and I know my Q&A is almost to an end.

“After she got back from the hospital the first time, a few days after the accident, she was withdrawn, but coherent. She spoke, she was mobile, she looked after young Ryker as best as she could, given her situation, but she was sad and depressed.”

I nod. “That’s completely understandable,” I say. Then my brows furrow. “What do you mean, after she got back from the hospital the first time?”

She folds the cloth three times before she turns to face me. “I don’t really think we should be talking about this anymore.”

I drop my hand from my chin and sit up straighter on the stool. “She went back to the hospital,” I try again. “Why?”

Susie sighs and rubs her hand over her forehead, like she’s suddenly tired. “She had… complications. She was admitted to the hospital and was there for six months. It was when she came back that she was different.”

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