Sweet Sinful Nights

“I knew you’d split up, and you were busy working on West Side Story, but I think he was just trying to find out how you were,” her grandmother said, stopping to take a drink of water.

That lump in Sha

“I’m seeing Brent tonight,” she blurted out, desperate to tell someone she could trust.

“You are? About the business deal? Or maybe about more,” her grandma said in a sly tone.

Sha

“Some things are worth second chances.” Then her voice turned cold, as she held up a finger. “Other things—one must never grant a second chance.”

“I know, Nana. I know.”

Then the softness returned. “For what it’s worth, I always liked him,” her grandmother said.

“Liked who, Nana?” asked one of her brothers.

Sha

“Liked you, my love,” she said patting her eldest grandson on the cheek. “I’ve always liked you.”

Michael narrowed his eyes. “Hmmm. Doubtful,” he said skeptically, but continued into the garage.

Once he was out of sight, her grandma hugged her. “Some secrets are just between us girls.”

“Girl power,” she whispered, as her grandmother winked in response, then headed to her room to change out of her yoga clothes. Sha

“Just going to make some more marinade,” Colin said. “My marinade rocks.”

“It’s not better than mine. We might need to have a taste test contest,” her grandfather chimed in, and Sha

“Are you going to bring one home to Joh

“Of course. Nothing but the best for man’s best friend,” he said.

Like all her brothers, Ryan towered over her, but she was used to being surrounded by those sturdy men. Ryan’s brown hair looked lighter in the noonday sun, as if several strands were streaked with gold.

He flipped a burger. “You go

“Maybe. Maybe not. Don’t give me a hard time just because I don’t eat like a grown man or a teenage boy,” she said, nudging him with her elbow. They’d always teased her because she’d never been a big eater. With a petite frame and a dream to dance, she’d never been a big foodie. Though, truth be told, she was saving her appetite for di

She’d asked for the reservation partly because she knew Brent would be able to pull it off. He loved challenges, so she’d given him the kind he craved. The consummate man about town, he was known for greasing wheels and opening doors. Sha

Ryan glanced carefully at the house. “Hey,” he said in a low voice. “Did you hear from Mom?”

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s the same old, same old.”

“But is it?” Ryan asked, holding up the barbecue tongs as if punctuating a point. “What if she’s right?”

Sha

“But what if she’s right that there were others involved?”

“Well, there were others involved. The other guy is also in prison because his fingerprints were all over the gun,” Sha

But the murder was never about the money in Thomas Paige’s wallet. Thomas Paige had a $500,000 life-insurance policy. Dora Prince was the beneficiary. And Jerry Stefano had been promised ten percent of that if he could get away with it.

It was murder for hire.

Ryan shook his head. “I know, but what if, Shan?” He dropped his voice to the barest whisper. “Listen, a buddy of mine in the DA’s office said one of the attorneys visited Jerry in prison recently. Hasn’t been there in years, but wanted to ask him some questions. See if he knew about some other crimes.”

Sha

Ryan was undeterred. “We should at least visit her again.”

“She’ll do her usual routine. Like she did at Christmas. She’ll try to manipulate us.”

She didn’t share Ryan’s sympathies. Not one bit. She harbored guilt though. Too much guilt over her mother, and all those years when she and her mother were as close as a mom and daughter could be. Her mom had been there for her, for every dance, every recital, every performance, every moment. Maybe that was why Sha

Deeply.

Ryan seemed to sense an opening because he pressed. “Look, if you didn’t want to see her, why’d you give her your new address when you moved back to town a few years ago? So she can write to you. Michael and Colin never did. They cut her out completely. They never see her,” he said, then leaned in closer, and clasped her shoulder. “But you did, and I did. I’m not saying she’s i

She gritted her teeth. Visits with her mother were exhausting. They wore her thin. But as that kernel of guilt pulsed through her veins, she threw him a bone. “I honestly don’t know if I’m up for it again so soon. But let me know when you go, okay?”

“I will.”

As she headed into the house, she glanced at the time, grateful that the clock was ticking closer to her date. She wanted to speed up the next several hours, run through them in fast forward, because she needed something that felt good. Something that was the complete opposite of her fucked up family story.

* * *

After she tied the slim strap of her charcoal gray top at her neck, she smoothed her hand across her black skirt, which hit just above her knees. The material was soft to the touch. As Sha

Was she truly so easy with him that the sliver of a memory ignited her? But the answer seemed self-evident in the way the goosebumps rose on her flesh, and heat bloomed between her legs. And, really, that was all she wanted from him anyway. That was why she’d agreed to di