“Our paths cross now and again. The last time was when Max and I were in Germany in 1990. We’d only just moved there when Simeon decided he wanted to pay Max a visit. Knowing how I felt about Simeon, Angelique rang me up and suggested she and I make other plans, which we did. We met up at a wonderful little hotel in Munich and spent a fortnight getting reacquainted before she left with Simeon and his crew to go to Portugal. I haven’t seen her since, although we speak occasionally. Just touching base. Stuff like that. Why? Are you jealous?”

“No, but I am confused.”

“About what?”

“You said something about how you felt about Simeon. I mean, I know he was rude and all, but you put him in his place. He’s the one who lost the chess game. Why would being around him be such a problem for you?”

Bennett took a slow breath, and a fleeting scowl crossed her face. “The issue wasn’t the chess game, and I’d rather not go into that right now if it’s all the same to you. It would be um…it would be out of order…out of context.”

The change in Bennett’s mood wasn’t lost on Ruby. Not only had her voice lowered to a whisper, but her expression had for a fleeting moment become etched with pain. “Okay.”

Bennett swung her legs out of bed and got to her feet. “I’m going to refill my glass. Would you like anything?” she said, putting on her robe.

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

Bennett stopped as she reached the door. “Oh. When I get back, you get one more question, and then that’s it for the night,” she said. “So, you’d best make it a good one because the rest of the evening won’t be spent talking.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bennett came back into the bedroom just as Ruby was coming from the bathroom, the furrow born from her curiosity deeply set between her eyes. “Well, did you come up with your final Jeopardy question?” Bennett said, placing her glass on the nightstand. “Or am I free to have my way with you right now?”

Ruby made her way to her side of the bed and dropped her robe. “Sorry ‘bout your luck,” she said, slipping under the sheets. “But that’ll have to wait for a few more minutes.”

“Must be a simple question if you’re allotting me only a few minutes to answer it.”

“I’m not sure if it’s an easy one or not. It’s about something you said earlier tonight.”

Bennett slipped out of her robe and tossed it aside. “I already told you, I have no intention of delving further into my schooling by Angelique. You’ve sampled the end result, and that’s all you need to know.”