Stranger in the Moonlight (Edilean 7)

“The man said we should take someone big and strong with us? Is that in case a rock falls on one of us and the other can’t pull it off?”

“I don’t know why he said that. You think Russell is here?”

“Probably. And since I’m footing the bill, I’m sure he’s eating truffles and Beluga.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kim said. “After we go see this Old Mill, maybe we can walk through town.”

“And see if there are any jewelry stores to check out?”

“Exactly,” Kim said, pleased that he knew that about her.

He smiled as he opened the door into the hallway, and they started down the stairs. “I think I’d enjoy that. Maybe we could find a ring that you’d like.”

“I don’t copy other people’s work,” she said stiffly. They were outside the main dining room, which Kim hadn’t seen.

“I was thinking more of something you’d like to wear for the rest of your life.”

“I—” She wanted to say more but was cut off by a chorus of good mornings. The dining room had eight tables, and all of them were occupied by people she’d never seen before. But they all seemed to know them, as they said hello to Travis and “Miss Aldredge.” “You’ll have to introduce me.”

Travis nodded to a table for four. “That’s Penny and you know her kid. I’ve never seen the rest of them.”

“Your room fillers,” she said, amused. When Travis went after something he didn’t hold back; he covered all the bases. Am I what he wants next? she couldn’t help wondering.

Penny—Mrs. Pendergast—looked at Kim and nodded toward the two empty chairs at their table. She was a handsome woman, younger-looking than Kim had expected. Her face was unlined, and she’d kept her slim figure, which she showed off in black linen trousers and a white shirt. Peeping out from under her hair, which fell softly to her collar, were the pearl earrings that Russell had bought in Kim’s shop.

“Your choice,” Travis said.

Kim didn’t hesitate as she walked to the table and took a seat. Her eyes were on Mrs. Pendergast. “I’ve heard nothing but good about you,” she said. “Travis doesn’t seem able to conduct his life without you.”

“He gets in trouble; Mom gets him out,” Russell said.

Penny gave her son a look to stop it, but he just smiled.

“And I have heard about you for years,” Penny said.

“Really?” Kim asked, surprised. “I had no idea that Travis had ever spoken of me to anyone.”

“Did you show her the plaque?”

“Not yet,” Travis said as he gave his order to the server. There was an antique sideboard against the wall that was covered with silver chafing dishes, but it looked like he wanted the meal served to him.

Penny leaned toward Kim. “If you want something from the buffet, you’d better get it now before my uncle Bernie eats it all.” She nodded toward a corner table where a tall, skinny man was digging into three piled-high plates.

Kim excused herself and went to get scrambled eggs, sausages, and whole wheat toast. When she turned back toward the table, she paused to look at the three of them. Travis and Mrs. Pendergast had their heads together, talking quietly. Actually, she was talking while Travis nodded solemnly, a slight frown on his brow.

The familiarity between them didn’t surprise her, but what did was seeing Travis and Russell next to each other. When Kim had last seen Russell she’d been too upset to comprehend much of anything, but now she saw the similarities between the two men. They were the same height, had the same dark hair and eyes, and when they reached for their coffee cups, their hands moved in exactly the same way. Having lived in Edilean all her life, if there was one thing Kim knew about it was relatives. It was easy to see that Travis and Russell were closely related.

With her eyes wide, Kim looked up to see Penny staring at her.

Kim raised her brows, as though to ask if Travis knew. Penny gave one sideways movement of her head to say no, and her eyes were pleading. They said, Please don’t tell him. Not yet.

Kim didn’t like to keep secrets from Travis, but there was more here than she knew about. She gave a curt nod to Penny, then sat down.

Travis and Penny went on talking about what the “moron” in New York was doing about some deal. While it was interesting to see another side of him, Kim was more fascinated by the similarities between him and Russell. She watched Travis’s hand gestures, the way he held a fork. When Russell spoke to his mother, she listened to his voice. It was very like Travis’s deep resonance.

After a few moments of unabashedly staring, Kim felt Russ’s eyes on her, and she looked at him. He was smiling at her as though they shared a secret—and it looked as though they did. A very big secret.

When Kim looked at Russell, he raised his glass of OJ slightly, as though in salute to her. She couldn’t help giving a little laugh. Unless she missed her guess, Travis had a half brother.