Bennett’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Of course not,” she said, pocketing the key as she stood up. “When have you known me to disobey the council?”

Max tipped back his head and laughed. “Yes, exactly,” he said, getting to his feet. “And now I suppose I need to wish you farewell. I’m sure you’ve got some loose ends to tie up before you leave.”

“Not really. We’ve had six months to plan, and Lisa took charge of most everything,” Bennett said, moving toward the door. “I had to remind her more than once this week not to pack up all my clothes so I’d have something to wear on the plane.”

Max chuckled. “New love. New home. New life. It’s understandable.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Speaking about the home, your lovely Lisa called me last week trying to pry information out of me. I can’t believe you haven’t told her about the Tuscany estate yet.”

Bennett turned around and smiled. “Some things are better left to be seen, don’t you think?”

“Yes, especially a seventeenth-century villa in the countryside. The frescoed walls in the main rooms alone will undoubtedly keep her enthralled for days.”

“Not to mention the stables and the gardens.”

“Don’t forget the olive grove.”

Bennett’s smile grew even larger. “I haven’t, and thank you for not spilling the beans to Lisa. I’m sure this wasn’t the first time she asked you about it.”

“I think it’s the fifth, but who’s…drat.” Max suddenly spun around and returned to his desk.

“Problem?”

“No. I just forgot to give you something.” Max returned to Bennett and handed her an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“I took it upon myself while I had a houseful of guests to gather some odds and ends they used during their stay. I had my people use it to run their DNA.”

Bennett scowled. “Since when are you that intrusive, and why bother? If Lisa is a daywalker, that means Finn and Gunnar have the marker, too.”

“Yes, they do, but you have more guardians than that. I’m assuming you’re going to offer Gus and his wife the same choice, aren’t you?”

“In time, yes.”

“Then you should have those reports. At the very least, they’ll bring a bit of, shall we say, clarity to what your future could hold depending, of course, on their decisions.”

Bennett eyed Max and then glimpsed at the envelope before she looked back at Max. “What are you saying?”

Max pursed his lips, pausing in order to choose his words carefully. “To paraphrase my dear old friend, William, the world is your oyster, Bennett, and as you know, some oysters…contain pearls.”

Chapter Fifty-Six

“Okay, that’s so weird.”

Bennett followed Lisa’s line of sight to a young man in the concourse with a lime green Mohawk. “Since when do you judge people by how they look?”