The reception was soon over, and I had to make my decision. Should I go back to my apartment, or should I take Cruz up on his offer and go home with him?

“What do you make of Heidi’s brother?” Lela asked, coming up behind me. “I don’t like him.”

“Why not? He doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Hunter likes him.”

“Don’t you think there was a reason that Heidi never spoke to him?”

“She also never spoke to her mother,” I pointed out. “She didn’t even go to her funeral. I think there’s something going on here that neither one of us understands.”

“I think you should figure it out.” Lela sipped her wine.

“What? Why me?”

“He’s obviously interested in you. Besides, don’t you think something fishy is going on? You and I both know that Heidi didn’t die of a heart complication.”

“What are you insinuating?” I picked at the end of my uneaten strawberry, my stomach churning into knots. I had my suspicions that her death wasn’t a mere accident, but I didn’t want to come across as the crazy theorist, especially with my history.

“That something happened. I don’t know what, but something bad happened.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so modest. You’ve hunted down the facts for your novels thousands of times before; why can’t you do it for Heidi’s death?”

“But that’s different.”

“How is it different?” she asked, placing her wine glass on the table. “This had to be foul play. Heidi was one of the healthiest people I knew.”

“I just don’t think we should jump to conclusions…”

“Do you really want the same thing that happened to you to happen to Hunter? How is he going to feel if he finds out that his mother was murdered but no one tried to get her the justice she deserved?”

I looked around the studio, the hair on the back of my neck standing on edge. “Not so loud…” I hissed.

“What are you two girls whispering about?” Cruz materialized in front of us, giving me a start. I accidentally tripped over the edge of the rug and lost my balance. I fell forward, bracing myself for a fall, my arms outstretched.

To my surprise, Cruz reacted with lightning fast reflexes. His arms wrapped around me tightly. His chest collided with my own. “Whoa, are you okay?” He looked down, his eyes locking with mine. “I know I’m handsome, but I didn’t expect you to fall for me this quickly.” He smirked, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement.

Quickly, I pulled away. “I just tripped,” I said as I straightened myself out, easing the wrinkles from my dress. The hem had hiked up my thigh, nearly exposing my underwear.

Cruz’s eyes, however, never left my face.

“Nothing,” Lela said, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“I’m starting to think you don’t like me very much.”

“I don’t.”

“I don’t really understand what I did to upset you so badly.”

“If Heidi didn’t talk to you, then I don’t see a reason for me to trust you.”

Cruz sighed. “I guess that’s fair. I would explain the story to you, but Hunter is getting tired, and I should be getting him home.”

“Make sure you give him a bath before you put him to bed,” Lela advised.

“I know. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past two nights. He’s a smart kid. Been putting me in my place.” He chuckled. “He’ll be one hell of a boss when he grows up.”

“He wants to be an architect.”

“Does he? I’ll have to buy him a Lego set…”

“He has some at home. Haven’t you been to Heidi’s house yet?” Lela had her arms crossed over her chest.

“No. Her lawyer said he was going to send me a key so I could go through her belongings, but I haven’t received it yet.”

Hunter walked up to us and tugged on Cruz’s pant leg. “Cruz…?” He rubbed his eyes, looking sleepy. “Can we go now?”

“Of course. I was just making sure Amelia didn’t want to come home with us.”

Hunter looked up at me with great big eyes. “Cruz is a lot of fun. You’d like his house.”

Lela nudged me forward. I couldn’t understand her. She didn’t like the guy, yet she wanted me to go home with him. How did that make any sense? But then again, if I wanted to learn more about Heidi, maybe spending some time with her brother was the best avenue for information.

“Sure, let’s go,” I finally said.

“Good job, buddy.” Cruz pounded his fist against Hunter’s, the two boys grinning madly.

“Was that all a ruse to get me to go home with you?” I asked, a little surprised that he had stooped to using a five-year-old to pick me up.

“Maybe.” He smirked. “The kid is quite the actor, isn’t he?” He affectionately ruffled Hunter’s hair.

“It’ll be a lot of fun!” Hunter exclaimed. “I can show you all the nice toys Cruz got me.”

I couldn’t say no to the boy’s cute face, so I nodded, following them out to the car. Once again, Cruz opened the door for me, acting like the perfect gentleman. On the surface, he had a bit of awkwardness about him, but deep down, he seemed like a nice guy. Or the kind of guy who pretended to be nice to get in your pants… I studied Cruz closely, wondering what his angle was.

“After you.” He helped me to my seat, steadying me by the elbow. Anyone else would have taken the opportunity to lay a hand on my hips, or even my ass, but Cruz seemed different. He wasn’t trying to overstep any personal boundaries, which I appreciated, but still, a part of me felt like he was too good to be true.

As he started the car, I leaned back into my seat, wondering if I was about to get myself into a night of trouble or one of the best nights of my life.