Now we’re having a staring contest, and I don’t think I’m winning.

The door to Mr. Madigan’s office suddenly swings open, and Reed has to look away from me to face his dad.

“Okay, which son is this?” The older man rubs his chin. “Weston, right?”

My ex actually pales. “It’s Reed, Dad. Jesus. Are you okay? Why didn’t anybody tell me things had gotten so out of hand?”

Mark Madigan lets out a shout of laughter and grabs his son by both shoulders. “Reed! When did you become so gullible? Aren’t you always telling me that you’re the shrewd one in the family? You think I can’t recognize you? Christ—you’re wearing this same tie in your email avatar. Who shows up at a ski resort in a tie?”

Reed glances down at himself. “I came from work!”

A laugh gurgles out of me. Reed’s bafflement is too much. That suit, unfortunately, looks sharp as hell on him. It’s expertly tailored, and the white shirt shows off the subtle olive tone of his skin. The women who work at Reed’s office in Silicon Valley probably enjoy the view every time he walks through the office…

Stop it, Ava, I admonish myself. I don’t like Reed Madigan anymore. I wish he’d never turned up today, and I can’t wait to find out when he’ll be leaving.

I hope it’s soon.

“Dad, we need to talk,” he says.

“This is about the sale, yeah? I thought you might show up to ‘advise me.’” Mark makes air quotes with his fingers. “But I got a hell of a price for the place, Reed. And there’s a lot of cash upfront. Even you won’t be able to say this is a bad idea.”

“Cash upfront,” Reed says slowly. “How much cash are we talking about, here?”

His father raises one bushy eyebrow. “You worried about your cut?”

“No,” Reed spits. “Not at all. But I know how these deals work. I know the math. I know the pitfalls. I know where the bodies are buried, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Yeah?” Mark regards him quietly for a long beat. “If you care so much, maybe you should come home more often than every ten years. How’s that for math? You want a voice in what happens here? Then where the fuck have you been?”

Uh-oh. I brace myself, because Mark Madigan doesn’t raise his voice very often.

But Reed doesn’t yell back. His calmness is one of the things that drew me to him in the first place. He takes a slow breath, and I watch him visibly master himself. “Okay,” he says slowly. “Fair point.”

They stare at each other for another beat, until Mark lets out a sigh. “Look, come to the house with me. Meet Melody. Say hello…”

“Melody,” Reed says quietly. Like he’s trying out the word on his tongue.

“You’ll love her,” the boss says even as Reed’s face grows more skeptical. “We’ll have a few of her lavender shortbread cookies, and then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about the offer from Sharpe.”