They wanted something. Even in her text message, I’d felt the undercurrent of Mom building up to make a demand. Of course, she wouldn’t describe it that way. My mother never made demands. She simply had expectations. Very high expectations. The same was true for my father. More often than not, Lucy and Jack Rivera’s expectations lined up with each other, making them even more formidable, and though I was a grown man, those expectations were hard to ignore. Granted, after forty years, I’d become the master of compromise, giving them just enough to satisfy without feeling trodden upon… mostly.

Not only did they have high expectations, they were never late. I checked the time on my cell. They still weren’t late, but they were going to miss being early if they didn’t arrive in the next three or four minutes. That was unlike either of them, especially when they wanted something.

I let my gaze travel over the other diners and settled on the view from the large picture windows of Mabel’s restaurant. Though the sun hadn’t set, the evening fog was thick enough that the streetlamps lining Ocean Way flickered on one by one, giving the downtown of Lavender Shores that magical fairy-tale quality that it did so well. Actually, the billowing mist seemed more ominous than usual, like it was more inclined to have Mr. Hyde step out from its midst than a beast that would turn into a prince with true love’s kiss.

“Andre, sweetie.” I knew Mabel as much from the feel of her hand over my shoulder as the sound of her voice. “How are you, dear?”

Not exactly Mr. Hyde, but I would’ve preferred that particular monster as opposed to the kind owner of the restaurant. I just didn’t know if I had the energy. Silly thought, there was no other option. I fixed a smile to my face and turned it upon the striking African-American woman I’d known my entire life. At nearly seventy, she looked two decades younger, but the smile she offered me had changed nearly four years ago from one of playful teasing and affection to tender sympathy.

“Good, Mabel. Thank you.” Was I still smiling? I thought so. “Just meeting my folks for dinner.”

The old Mabel Jessup would’ve made a joke about getting a double portion of meatloaf ready for my dad or running down to the Green Violin to pick the freshest organic produce possible to keep my mother from complaining. Not anymore. With another gentle squeeze on my shoulder, she released me. “And how’s little Katniss?”

Nope. Not anymore.

I didn’t have to force the smile with quite so much effort at the mention of my daughter. “Not so little. She’s almost as tall as her mother was. Just a couple more inches. Her goal is to pass that by the time she turns eleven, but since that’s only in two months, her chances are slim.”

Mabel gave an exaggerated pout. “Well, that’s too bad. Hopefully she’ll make it, if it’ll make her happy. She’s a gorgeous little thing.”

“Yes, she is.”

Mabel glanced at the empty table settings and then toward the back, where I knew the restrooms to be. “She’s not joining you? If she is, I’ll put a fresh batch of brownies in the oven so they’ll be warm when she’s ready.”

I wondered if Katniss ever tired of the kindness as I did. She’d been young enough, maybe she didn’t remember what it had been like before we were the town’s sob story. “No. She’s with my sister’s family. They all went to see a movie tonight.” One more bit of proof that my parents wanted something. It was too much of a coincidence that Katniss just happened to have movie plans the same night they wanted to go to dinner. Not that Katniss wasn’t constantly with one of my siblings and their families, but still…

As if on cue, my cell vibrated on the table. It was my father. I held it toward Mabel. “Looks like they’re going to be late.”

She reached out and patted my shoulder yet again. Even after all these years, I couldn’t figure out why the shoulder was the part of the body everyone felt they needed to touch to communicate undying sympathy.

“I’ll let you answer in private. But I’ll be right back with an order of my candied brussels sprouts and bacon for an appetizer.”

I watched her go for a second. Mabel’s candied brussels sprouts and bacon nearly made up for the overabundance of sympathy. After a moment, I turned back to the phone and swiped my thumb across the screen to reveal the text message.

I’m sorry, son. This was your mother’s idea.

I had to read it twice. Just as Mabel’s front door opened again, the text message made sense. Complete sense. I had been set up. By my mother, by my father, and by my sister, Amelia. Probably by her wife, Bethany, as well. No doubt they were all in on it.

The beautiful woman scanned the restaurant as she stepped through the front door, then smiled brightly as she found me. She hurried across to my table on six-inch heels as gracefully as if she were barefoot.

Goddamn it. How had I not seen this coming?

Because I’d let my guard down, that was how. Mom hadn’t pulled this shit in at least half a year. I thought I’d put my foot down. Apparently, not hard enough.

I stood as the woman arrived at my table, and unlike the ones who’d come before her, didn’t hold out her hand as a way of introduction, but threw her arms around me. “Hi! It’s so nice to meet you, Andre. You’re just as handsome as I remember.”

Remember? When her hug finally loosened, I leaned back, inspecting her. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her before. “I’m sorry. I’m drawing a blank. Have we met?”

“Oh, no!” She waved me off and then pointed to one of the empty chairs across from where I’d been seated. “Would you rather me sit here or beside you?”

“Uhm…” I supposed neither wasn’t an appropriate answer. “There is fine.”

She sat in a flourish, sweeping her long jet-black hair to the side so she didn’t sit on it. “We never met, but I saw you on TV, at the wedding.” She chuckled. “You know the one.”

I was going to kill my mother. And my father. And my sister and sister-in-law too, while I was at it. “Yes. I know the one.” I looked to the empty seats and then to the front door of Mabel’s. If I were a little bit more like my twin, I would run. He never met an expectation he didn’t push against. Instead, I sat down. I could do dinner. Long enough not to be rude, but not long enough to make it through dessert. The woman wasn’t responsible for the duplicity.

“The minute I saw you standing there as one of those groomsmen, I instantly knew I had to meet you.” She batted her eyes. She actually batted her eyes.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to murder the majority of my family, but it was going to be painful. For a split second, I thought about challenging her on that notion. That she’d picked me out on the few brief glimpses as the camera had panned over the bridal party. That she’d not only remembered, but wanted me, more than three years later. “Sorry, I don’t believe I got your name.” Not that it mattered. I planned on forgetting it by the time I got back outside.

That time she did hold out her hand. “Jennifer Lopez.”

I halted with my hand halfway to hers and couldn’t stop my jaw from hanging open.

She giggled. “No relation. Although people always say I could be her twin.”

I forced my hand to complete its journey and lied as I did so. “Oh. Definitely.” The woman was stunning, I’d give her that, but she was no Jennifer Lopez. More like a Latin Kelly Kapowski.

I had to hand it to my mother, she was consistent as she returned to her old ways, offering me a platter of one Latina beauty after another. Who knew why she bothered? None of them could compare. Not a one. Even if she managed to get to the real Jennifer Lopez herself, she couldn’t live up to the standards of the one who’d left me.

“Here we go.” Mabel placed the long narrow platter of candied brussels sprouts and bacon between us. Knowing, dark eyes glanced back and forth between Jennifer Lopez and me, not needing any explanation. Though the sympathy never left her gaze, there was hope in her voice. “Wine. The two of you need wine. Be right back.”

By the time dinner was half over, I was considering ordering a second bottle, and a third, both solely for myself. If I didn’t have to pick up Katniss in an hour, I would have. Anything to block out the experience of Jennifer Lopez.

As she talked—and talked and talked—I did my best to smile and nod along while keeping my attention flitting around the restaurant. When Will Epstein and his father walked through the door, I must’ve flinched as Jennifer paused and looked over her shoulder.

Feeling my attention, Will glanced my way, and our eyes met. He gave a little shake of his head, the thought Can you believe this shit? Send me strength! clear enough it was nearly audible. Then his gaze flicked toward Jennifer, his brows knitted then comprehension dawned. When he glanced back, there was both humor and understanding in his eyes before he trudged onward to one of the empty tables on the far side of the restaurant. He looked as defeated as I felt. And from the expression on John Epstein’s face as he followed his son, I had no doubt why. Just another day in the relatively new life of Will Epstein. At least we could commiserate at Blue Blossom soon enough.

Jennifer had twisted all the way around in her seat, not even attempting to make her staring a subtle event. Finally she sucked in a gasp. “Oh my God.” She whipped around, hair flying and met me with wide, smoky eyes. “Do you know who that is?” She waved her hands between us. “What am I saying? Of course you know who that is. You were there. That’s—”

I grabbed one of her hands, shutting her up before she screeched out Will’s name. “Yes. It is.”

“Wow! Talk about surreal. Didn’t think I’d see him in person. The poor guy. How humiliating.” She dared another look and turned back to me. “You don’t think he’ll be there, do you?”

“Will’s actually really great…” My blood ran cold as her word sank in. I sat up straighter. “Be where?”

She gave me a puzzled look, like I was a halfwit. “At the wedding.”

I thought the puzzle pieces had already clicked together, but apparently the picture they formed was much larger than I’d realized. “You’re going to the wedding?”

“Yeah.” Her smile widened and she batted her eyes. The fact that she could do that so ridiculously and remain beautiful spoke to just how attractive she really was. I had to remind myself that none of this was her fault and not stop her instantly. “You needed a date. When Harrison called to ask, I jumped at the chance. Like I said, I’ve wanted to meet you for ages. And you really are even more—”

I grabbed her wrist again, and once more had to remind myself that none of this was her fault. “Harrison?”

She nodded.

That puzzle piece didn’t fit. “How do you know Harrison?”

“I was one of the Titan cheerleaders. He and I would go on dates from time to time, publicly, you know.” She leaned closer, lowered her voice to a whisper. “So people wouldn’t find out he was gay. We had an agreement. And I kept his secret.” She leaned back again, her voice returning to normal, as she shrugged. “Not that it mattered after his sex tape.” She giggled. “His first sex tape.”

I groaned. One more person to kill. My brother-in-law. Although, he’d not had as much experience dealing with my mother as me, so maybe he could be forgiven. The only thing I knew for sure was that however Mom had managed to twist his arm, she’d done so without Adrian’s knowledge. He would’ve put a stop to it.

Jennifer seemed oblivious to my onslaught of realizations and my bubbling cauldron of fury. “I do hope he’s at the wedding, though I can’t imagine how hard that would be for him. Having to attend after being left at his own wedding, even if it was years ago.” She sighed in what was probably supposed to be sympathy. “I just can’t imagine anything worse. So humiliating. Why I bet it hurts more than having your fiancé die or something. At least then they didn’t choose to—” Her eyes widened once more and she covered her mouth. “Oh. Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry. I forgot. Your mother told me about your wife… I wasn’t thinking. I…”

“It’s fine. Really.” I paused long enough to take a deep breath. “Yes, Will probably will be at the wedding. It’s a founding family event, after all. We all have to be there, regardless of our desire to do so.” I leveled my stare on her. “Please don’t take this personally, it’s not because of anything you’ve said or done, but you will not be at the wedding. I appreciate you coming from… wherever you came from, but Harrison or my mom, or whoever you spoke to was misinformed. I already have a date for the wedding.”

Shock covered her face and then gave way to pure offense. “You do?”

“Yes, I do. And I simply can’t cancel on her. But you really are lovely, Kelly.”

At her deepening look of shock, I nearly laughed.

“Sorry, I meant Jennifer. You really are lovely, Jennifer.”

Half an hour later, I drove to pick up my date for Heather Kelly’s wedding. I took the long route to my sister’s house, to swing by the small graveyard. I could spend ten minutes or so and fill Meghan in on the events of the evening, how preposterous my family was. How the gorgeous woman my mother had set me up with, the truly final gorgeous woman, couldn’t hold one candle to her brilliance.

I stopped my car at the gate of the graveyard and then started off again. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to visit Meghan, at least like that. For the first year or so, I went every single day. Every goddamn day and poured out every thought, hurt, worry, every bit of fear and anger like she was still there. And then one day… Well, then one day, I didn’t. It became clear she wasn’t there. I couldn’t feel her presence anymore, didn’t feel her ghostly whisper by my ear like I’d convinced myself I had at the beginning. Now I only returned to her gravestone with Katniss on the anniversary of her death and on Mother’s Day.

I wished she was still there, that she was beside me as we went to pick up our daughter from movie night with her cousins. So that we could laugh at the ridiculousness of Mom’s choice of possible dates for the wedding. Which was a ludicrous thought. If Meghan had been alive, there would have been no reason for the parade of Latina beauties my mom had conjured up. Maybe the most ridiculous thing was that if some spark had happened between Jennifer Lopez and me, Mom would’ve been happy for all of five minutes before wanting to kill the woman. She would’ve despised her cheerleader ways.

That thought was nearly enough to make me change my mind and contact Jennifer and say that I needed a date, other than my daughter, to the wedding after all. It would serve Mom right.

I didn’t have it in me for that, though. Didn’t have it in me for anything.

As I finished driving the remaining blocks to Amelia and Bethany’s home, my thoughts drifted to a new fantasy that had been growing stronger lately. Leaving the town behind. Leaving the Rivera family behind. Hell, leaving Lavender Shores and all of its founding families behind. I could do it. I couldn’t imagine leaving Adrian, but we would make long-distance work. Other than a few dear friends, he was my only real reason to stay.

Amelia and Bethany’s front door was flung open before I was halfway up the cobblestone path, and in all her coltish, lanky ways, Katniss hurried toward me, looking like a carbon copy of her mother so many years before. “Dad!” She flung her arms tightly around my neck, and I pulled her to me.

Adrian wasn’t the only reason to stay.

I wasn’t sure how I could’ve forgotten, even for a moment. Katniss had lost too much. I couldn’t take her away from the only home she’d ever known, from a town that loved and protected her, and from a huge family that worshipped the ground she walked on. I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

“Hey, sweetheart. How was the movie?”

“Great!” She pulled back, still beaming and laughed. “Colin put too much butter on the popcorn and made himself sick. Madison and I tried to tell him, but”—she shrugged—“you know teenagers.”

I chucked her chin playfully. “You’ll be one yourself pretty soon.” And at that thought, I wanted to go to the graveyard. How the hell had Meghan’s and my little girl become this beautiful young woman?

“She’s not kidding. Colin made himself so sick that he’s been in the bathroom ever since we got home.” Amelia stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, her wife Bethany behind her, and their youngest, Madison, peering out as well. “Reminded me of that time you and Adrian snuck into the double feature your sophomore year.”

She was being just a little too reminiscent, as if trying to pull up fond memories to smooth things over. If that was her plan, she needed to do better than popcorn-induced vomiting. “Next time, Amelia, I hope you take my best interests over Mom’s demands.”

In the glow of the front porch lights, an apology flashed behind her eyes, but then she tilted her chin. “It was in your own best interests. We just want you to be happy.”

“I know you do. I really do. But it only makes it worse.” I took Katniss’s hand and turned before Amelia could respond.

She looked at me and her voice was tentative as we headed toward the car. “Dad? You okay?”

I smiled at her but didn’t stop moving. “We’re together, right, my little ocelote? As long as that’s true, I’ll always be okay.”