He leaned closer. Too close. “Good, because there’s another reason.”

“Do tell,” she said, her voice cool despite the way her heart now pounded.

“I like you. I want to spend time with you when you’re not scared to death and vulnerable. And because I respect how you’ve held up now… and back then.”

Her chin lifted. “Back then?”

“You read my articles, Alex, and I read yours.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. He knew about her breakdown, about her suicide attempt. She wanted to look away, but she refused to be the first to do so. “I see.”

He searched her eyes, then shook his head. “No, I really don’t think you do. And maybe that’s for the best right now.” He straightened and took a step back and she sucked in a deep breath. “So Wade knew Simon,” he said. “Were they the same age?”

“They were in the same class at Jefferson High.” She frowned. “But you have a sister who’s the same age as I am and she went to Bryson Academy.”

“So did I and so did Simon at first. My father went there, too, as did his father.”

“Bryson was an expensive school. I imagine it still is.”

Daniel shrugged. “We were comfortable.”

Alex’s smile was wry. “No, you were rich. That school cost more than some colleges. My mother tried to get us in on a scholarship, but our kin hadn’t fought alongside Lee and Stonewall.” She injected a drawl into her voice and his smile was equally wry.

“You’re right. We had financial wealth. Simon didn’t graduate from Bryson,” he said. “He got expelled and had to go to Jefferson.”

To the public school. “Lucky us,” Alex said. “So that’s how Wade and Simon met.”

“I assume so. I was away at college by then. What was in Wade’s letter to you?”

She shrugged. “He asked my forgiveness and wished me a good life.”

“What was he asking forgiveness for?”

Alex shook her head. “It could have been any number of things. He wasn’t specific.”

“But you’ve got it narrowed to one,” he said, and she lifted her brows.

“Remind me not to play poker with you. I think Riley’s dog pals are more my speed.”

“Alex.”

She huffed a breath. “Fine. Alicia and I were twins. Identical twins.”

“Yeah,” he said dryly. “I got that this morning.”

She grimaced in sympathy. “I truly had no idea you’d be so startled.” He was still hiding something, but for now she’d play his game. “You’ve heard all the twin stories about switching places? Well, Alicia and I did that more than a few times. I think Mama always knew. Anyway, Alicia was the party animal and I was the practical one.”

“No,” he said, deadpan, and she chuckled, in spite of herself.

“A few times we’d switch places for tests, until the teachers wised up. I felt so guilty, cheating like that, so I told them and Alicia was so mad. I was a ‘downer,’ no fun at the parties, so Alicia started going alone. She had a string of boyfriends from Dutton to Atlanta and back and a couple times she double-booked. Once, I stepped in.”

Daniel became suddenly serious. “I don’t like the direction this is going.”

“I went to this B-list party-the one she didn’t want to go to, but didn’t want to get excluded from the next time around. Wade was there. He was never an A-list party kind of guy, although he always wanted to be. He… put the moves on Alicia. Me.”

Daniel grimaced. “That’s disgusting.”

It had been. No one had ever touched her there before and Wade hadn’t been gentle. It still made her sick to her stomach to remember. “Well, yes, but technically we weren’t related. My mother never married his father, but it was still gross.” And terrifying.

“So what did you do?”

“I slugged him, on pure reflex. Broke his nose, then kneed him in the… you know.”

Vartanian winced. “I know.”

She could still see Wade lying on the floor, in a cursing, bleeding fetal ball. “We were both shocked. Then he was humiliated and I was still shocked.”

“So what happened? Did he get in trouble?”

“No. Alicia and I got grounded for a month and Wade walked away whistlin’ Dixie.”

“That wasn’t fair.”

“But that was life in our house.” Alex studied his face. There was still something… But he was a far better poker player than she. “I never thought I’d get a deathbed apology. I guess you never know what you’re gonna do when the Reaper knocks.”

“I guess not. Listen, do you have that chaplain’s contact information?”

“Sure.” Alex dug it out of her satchel. “Why?”

“Because I want to talk to him. The timing’s too convenient. Now, about tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Your cousin leaves tomorrow, right? How about I bring Riley to meet your niece tomorrow night? I can bring some pizza or something, then we can see if Hope likes dogs before we take her to talk to Sister Anne.”

She blinked, a little stunned. She’d never thought he’d been serious. Then she remembered his hands on her shoulders, supporting her when her knees wanted to buckle. Maybe Daniel Vartanian was really just a very nice man. “That will work. Thank you, Daniel. It’s a date.”

He shook his head, his expression changing, almost as if he was daring her to disagree. “Not hardly. A date doesn’t typically involve children or dogs.” His eyes were totally serious and sent a shiver down her spine. A nice shiver, she thought. The kind she hadn’t had in a very long time. “And it definitely does not involve nuns.”

She swallowed hard, certain her cheeks were red as flame. “I see.”

His hand lifted to her face, hesitating a moment before his thumb swept across her lower lip and she shivered again, harder this time. “Now I think you finally do,” he murmured, then flinched. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket where it had apparently buzzed him out of what was becoming a very interesting mood.

“Vartanian.” His face went expressionless. It was his case, then. Alex thought of the woman on the table in the morgue and wondered who she was. If someone had finally missed her. “How many tickets did she buy?” he asked, then shook his head. “No, I don’t need you to spell it. I know the family. Thanks, you’ve been a big help.”

He hung up and stunned her once again by pulling his sweatshirt over his head and jogging toward the stairs. On his way he balled the sweatshirt and shot it basketball style at a laundry chute in the wall. He missed, but didn’t stop to try again. “Stay there,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be back.”

Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, she watched him disappear up the stairs. The man had a beautiful back, broad and well-muscled and covered with smooth, golden skin. The glimpse of his chest hadn’t been half bad either. Hell. There was nothing half bad about that man. Alex realized she’d reached out to touch. Ridiculous. She considered the look in his eyes just before his cell had gone off. Maybe not so ridiculous after all.

She drew a shuddering breath and picked up the sweatshirt, indulging the urge to sniff it before stuffing it down the chute. Be careful, Alex. What had he called it? Unfamiliar ground. She cast a wistful look up the stairs, knowing he’d probably pulled off the jeans when he’d reached the top. But damn fine unfamiliar ground it was.

In less than two minutes he was thundering back down the stairs, dressed in his dark suit, tugging his tie into place. Without slowing down, he picked up her satchel and kept walking. “Get your jacket and come on. I’ll follow you back to Dutton.”

“That’s not necessary,” she started, but he was already out the door.

“I’m going there anyway. I’ll bring Riley to your house by six-thirty tomorrow night.” He opened her car door and waited till she’d buckled up before closing her door.

She rolled down the window. “Daniel,” she called after him.

He turned to face her, walking backward. “What?”

“Thank you.”

His steps faltered. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”