“How was the wedding, darling?” Lucinda Barnes asked as she busted into my office the Monday morning after Chloe and I had dinner with Nick.

“Ever heard of calling first? Sending a text?” Only Lucinda just showed up on your doorstep.

“I was a bit hurt I wasn’t invited.” She pouted.

Resting my forehead in my palm I asked, “Really Lucinda, what are you doing here?”

“Well, Nick said you had a lovely dinner with him and he met your new bride. I was jealous because I wanted to meet her too. So, I thought I’d come down here to check her out.”

Changing the subject, I asked, “How’s the DNA testing going? Are we still just speculating that I am Ziggy’s offspring?”

“I thought you knew already—you are definitely Ziggy’s son. The DNA test came back I told my assistant to call you. He didn’t? Good help is so hard to find.”

I eyed her suspiciously.

“If you’re not careful I’m going to feel unwelcome, and I’m sure that’s not your intention. Besides, coming to meet your wife gives me the perfect excuse to bring the show to New Orleans.”

“You mean The Barnes Bunch?”

She nodded. “Sadly, it’s mostly me these days. The kids are so busy with their own lives it’s hard to find time to film them for the show.”

That was interesting. According to Nick most of the kids didn’t want to be on the show anymore, but Lucinda occasionally guilted them into it or they did it to boost a project they were working on. He said he’d pretty much stopped being on camera, and that Lucinda wasn’t happy about his decision. Since he’d also told me she’d tried to break up his relationship with Eden, I was wary about her meeting Chloe.

“I also wanted to run an opportunity by you.”

Warnings started going off in my brain like a radar detector. “What kind of opportunity?”

“The chance to be on television. Not a reality show per se, but perhaps you’d be interested in faith-based programming.”

“Like a televangelist? Haven’t those gone the way of big hair and phones that are still attached to the wall?”

She brushed a hand in front of her face as if she smelled something bad. “That preacher in Texas is making a fortune. People seem to like what he’s doing. Anyway, we could reinvent the genre, tailor it to you.”

Her eyes appraised me like she was judging a pig at the fair. “I mean you’re very handsome. A lot to work with there.”

“Lucinda, thank you for telling me that Ziggy was my father. Now I know where I came from, and I appreciate that knowledge. It’s a heavy mantle to be sure, but my intention is to continue my life the way it is, here in my little church parish where I have a lot of responsibilities and people counting on me. I’m grateful for your kind offer, but I’m really quite content here.”

She shook her head slowly, and I think she actually felt sympathy for me.

“Oh, Bishop Soto, I believe you are selling yourself short. Your loyalty to your flock demands my respect, but have you considered how much further you could reach with Barnes Media behind you?”

I knew she would tell me so I didn’t bother answering.

“Millions of people—that’s the kind of reach I’m talking about. We are the top influencers in the United States, which is probably the most influential country in the world. I’m not sure that God would really appreciate you turning down an opportunity to reach such a wide audience.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. I still felt like I was simply being manipulated by her persuasive argument. “I’ll think about it. How about that?”

She brightened. “Well now, that’s all I can ask, isn’t it?”

“Thanks for stopping by.”

“Oh, you know you’re not getting off that easy. Let me take you and your bride out to dinner tonight.”

“Today’s Wednesday, so we have a church dinner. We won’t be able to make it tonight, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll be here all week. How about tomorrow night?”

Knowing she wasn’t going to give up, I agreed. “That will be fine, Lucinda. Text me the time and the place and we’ll be there.”

“Wonderful. Be thinking about my offer, and save yourself a bunch of time. Because in the end, you know you’re going to see it my way.”

I could see how Nick found her infuriating.

“Have a nice day, Lucinda.”

* * *

The next evening Lucinda met Chloe and me at Evangeline. I wasn’t sure how she knew it was my favorite restaurant, but clearly the choice was another indicator of how she had insider knowledge of my personal preferences.

We’d barely taken a sip of our cocktails when Lucinda piped up with, “So Chloe, how long have you been a stripper?”

I spit my drink all down the front of my shirt, and while I was wiping it off with my napkin, my beautiful wife fielded her question like a pro.

“Ever since my mother contracted early-onset Alzheimer’s and I had to help contribute to her care,” Chloe said, unruffled.

“I’m sure you make good tips, you’re quite lovely,” Lucinda said.

“Thanks, but I’m no longer dancing.”

“That’s a shame. What a talented girl you married, Eduardo. Let me know if you’d ever like to be in any music videos, Chloe. I could recommend you to the team that produces them for Ivy and Leo. They are always looking for talented dancers with fresh faces, and you my dear, are a breath of fresh air.”

“Oh, thank you. That’s kind of you to say, but I think I’ve hung up my G-string. I’m opening up a bakery soon. Just in the process of getting everything set up.”

Looking me square in the eye, Lucinda raised a brow. “She’s a go-getter too. Eduardo, you’ve chosen well. I like her!”

She turned back to Chloe. “I’ll bet that’s a big job.”

“It is. There’s so much more to do than I thought there would be. For instance, we’ve been refitting the kitchen to my specifications, and getting the contractors to show up every day is next to impossible.”

“Oh, I know. It’s like they live in a special world where ‘by Monday’ means ‘whenever I get around to it.’”

Lucinda and Chloe continued sharing war stories about dealing with contractors. Chloe really seemed to enjoy Lucinda’s company, and the gleam in her eye as she talked business with the Barnes matriarch wasn’t lost on me.

Later that night when we got home and were getting ready for bed, Chloe said, “You know, I really like your stepmom, or whatever she is to you.”

“Lucinda? She’s hardly my stepmom.”

“Okay, well she would have been if your dad were still alive.”

“But he’s not,” I snapped.

Stung, Chloe said, “Okay. Sorry. Guess I hit a nerve. Anyway, I like her.”

Great. My bride of five minutes and the “stepmother” I’d also had for five minutes adored each other, and I was on the outside looking in. What was that about?

It made me second guess my decision to introduce Lucinda to Chloe in the first place, but even as I thought it, I realized that I couldn’t keep those two apart even if I tried. Lucinda was a controlling woman who was going to have her way every time, no matter what anyone else thought of it.

Then it hit me. I was jealous that I didn’t connect with Chloe about her business in the same way Lucinda did. Plus, I hadn’t warmed to Lucinda the way Chloe had.

It felt disloyal to my own mother. How could I let this woman into my life—the legit wife of Ziggy Barnes, while my mother must have just been a casual fling? Growing up, I’d never really felt like a bastard, but this situation with the Barneses came with the reminder that while the Barneses had everything, my mother and I had been left with practically nothing.

And if Ziggy had wanted to do something for me, maybe he could have claimed me—not just made a deposit to a bank account.

I’d needed a father, and he hadn’t been there.

A part of me wanted to tell Chloe what I was feeling, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So instead I tried to listen with a smile on my face as she prattled on about the great Lucinda.