Page 1 of Kiss Me at Midnight
Prologue
Dotty Summer had a bucket list, and her son Tim wasn’t happy with it.
“Mom, if you know where Lily disappeared to last night, you need to tell me because I heard…” Tim didn’t finish his sentence. He paced across Dotty’s blue and gold Turkish rug in her mother-in-law quarters at his New York home, scraping the soles of his Italian loafers on all that fine wool.
If I hadn’t taken a twenty-four-hour vow of silence, I’d tell him to take his shoes off or pick up his feet.
That vow of silence was on Dotty’s bucket list. She’d created the list because she was afraid her mind was slipping gears a few times too often and new experiences were said to stimulate the brain. She’d already filled some buckets–visiting a gator farm, touring the Everglades, dating a younger man. But she had plenty of things remaining on her list, not to mention she enjoyed adding to it.
Tim thought her bucket list was ridiculous (he’d read it without her permission). Not breaking stride, her middle-aged son ran a hand through his hair. It was still dark brown and shiny. He covered his grays the same way he covered up the aging process–with help. “I heard Lily left the fundraiser last night with a man.”
And me.
Dotty smirked. Her son didn’t know everything.
“Lily is so gullible when it comes to helping others,” Tim said ruefully. “And now she’s mixed up in something that’ll ruin her.”
What?
Given Lily was an elected state representative who prided herself on a squeaky-clean reputation, that gave Dotty pause. She frowned, mentally reviewing what she remembered of last night’s events. Tim, she decided, was overreacting.
“Lily isn’t answering her phone.” Tim turned and paced back, dragging his feet once more. “She’s been so responsible lately, unlike Kitty or Aubrey, who’ve been letting their emotions get the better of them.”
Fallen in love, he meant.
If it weren’t for this vow of silence…
Dotty was a firm believer in the power of true love. She pressed her lips together to keep from giving her son a piece of her mind.
Tim had five daughters, all of whom he lovedconditionally–no “un” attached. That fact alone might have made Dotty over-react more than a time or two to support those young women, most of whom were now in their thirties. Add all the mistakes Tim had made in his nearly forty-year marriage and his borderline shady business dealings, and... Well, Dotty hadn’t stopped loving him. He was one of her children, after all. But that didn’t mean Tim couldn’t annoy her. Take right now, for instance. He’d woken her up before seven. And she’d been in the midst of the darndest dream, one where she’d been rushing to someone’s rescue, felling villains with one blow.Ka-pow!
Dotty allowed herself a small smile.
“Lily didn’t answer her door when I buzzed her apartment thirty minutes ago.” Tim smoothed his tie without breaking stride across her Turkish rug.
Dotty cinched her pink chenille robe tight, which was the only thing keeping her from grabbing onto Tim’s tie and pulling him to a halt. Didn’t he know how important this rug was to her? It had been a gift for her fiftieth wedding anniversary. A widow cherished a good husband’s gifts.
Tim stomped by on another pass. “Please, Mom… If you know anything… Please forget this stupid vow of silence and tell me. Lily’s about to do something she’ll regret.”
Dotty wasn’t sure that was true. But she needed time to think about this. She scribbled a note and held it up so Tim could read it:Stop pacing, please.
Tim came to a stop and peered at the note. “Stop racing peas? Stop racing peas?”
He’s misunderstanding me on purpose.
Grinding her bridge work in frustration, Dotty pointed at Tim’s loafers.
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her without one single ounce of respect for Dotty or her carpet. “One little mistake…One public misstep…And Lily’s political career will be ruined.” He tsked. “And all before I had a chance to reap the benefits of her position.”
And there it was. The real reason for Tim’s concern. Nepotism.
Dotty came to her feet and steered her middle-aged son toward the door.
“Mom, what are you doing? You know something, don’t you? Break your vow of silence. You’re not a nun.”
Mouth firmly closed, Dotty bustled her son out the door and slammed it behind him.
“Mom!”
