Page 40 of Always

“Aunt Molly that’s horrible!” Anika said. “You’re not old at all!”

“Well, maybe not,” she said, touching her own cheek lightly with the palm of her hand. “But I’m not young. See, this is why you shouldn’t travel alone—that Chapel of Bones made me morbid. Knowing that each of those skulls was once a person who felt like their life would go on and on forever...and now they’re just a brick in a wall. Oh well, don’t mind me, it’s too beautiful out here to talk like that. Let’s talk about more pleasant things. Your father told me you’ve been seeing Marco Moretti?”

“Yes,” Anika admitted.

“He’s a good boy,” Aunt Molly said. “Good family—Dominic is a wonderful man.”

“He is,” Anika agreed.

“That would be a good choice for you, Anika,” Aunt Molly said. “I know he has a bit of a checkered history—that nasty business with the crash in Monaco. But he seems on a good path now.”

“What crash?” Anika asked.

“The race in Monaco,” Aunt Molly said. “Where the other driver was killed. But that was an accident, and it’s old news now.”

“The other driver was killed?” Anika asked.

“Yes,” Aunt Molly said. “There was a scandal about it, because some people said that Marco ran him into the wall deliberately. They said there was a rivalry between them, over some girl. And some people thought Marco had been drinking that morning. None of that was proven in the inquiry, though.

Marco hadn’t told her any of that. In fact, she was pretty certain that he told her the other driver was just fine.

“I don’t think you can blame Marco, really,” Aunt Molly said. “It’s a horribly dangerous sport.”

Anika was quiet. She knew Marco was probably embarrassed to tell her the truth. Even if it had been completely accidental, it was still tragic. He might not have wanted to ruin the mood so early in their relationship. But still, the deception bothered her.

“Bennet said he’s been very ambitious at Bennet Knight,” Aunt Molly went on. “Not that your father is entirely happy about that, but I’m sure he’ll come around when he sees his finances back in the black.”

“Yes,” Anika said slowly, thinking.

“And he’s good to you?” Aunt Molly asked.

“Yes,” Anika said, “Marco is very kind.”

“Well that’s perfect then. Those connections between his family and ours, they go back a long way. That counts for something.”

“Then why did you invite James here today?” Anika asked, confused.

“Oh,” Aunt Molly looked uncomfortable. “That was Liam. He seemed to think there was something between you two still. I told him it was nonsense—isn’t he dating that girl from your office? The pretty blonde one?”

“Yes,” Anika said, “Hannah.”

“Hmm,” said Aunt Molly, with an expression that showed she didn’t think much of that.

“James and I are just friends now,” Anika said.

Anika changed the subject to the seafood in Portugal, and Aunt Molly happily prattled on about Cataplana de Marisco while they jogged the horses up and down the gentle, grassy hills.

They had been riding about an hour and a half when the first few drops of rain patterned down on their shoulders.

“We’d better go back,” Aunt Molly said. “I hate getting rained on.”

“It’s only a little,” Anika said hopefully. “There isn’t any wind—I doubt it’s really going to rain.”

“Well, you go on,” Aunt Molly said. “I know you haven’t been riding as fast as you like. Why don’t you go another half hour or so, and I’ll make sure lunch is ready when you get back?”

“You don’t mind going back alone?” Anika asked.

“Of course not!”

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