He came into the room and immediately laid claim to Anne, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead, winning himself a sweet smile. An athletic physical presence at six-three, he had a lion’s mane of wavy salt-and-pepper hair and a mustache meant to distract the eye from the small round scar on his cheek. The scar marked the entrance of a mugger’s .22-caliber bullet that had never left his head. Otherwise fit and happy, he was stronger and more vibrant now than he had been when he had come to Oak Knoll five years prior. Family life agreed with him.

“You talked to Cal?” Mendez said with a lopsided smile.

“I saw him at the gym this morning. He told me this Ballencoa clown threatened to sue,” he said. “You’d better mind your p’s and q’s, junior.”

“Meanwhile, Ballencoa can terrorize Lauren Lawton, and that’s okay. I can’t even put a tail on him for fear of him screaming harassment,” Mendez complained. “I found out today the city of Santa Barbara gave him fifty K to shut up and go away. He went up to San Luis Obispo and threatened to sue them too. Now we get him.”

“Imagine what a nightmare that is for Lauren,” Anne said, handing him his beer.

“I don’t have to imagine. I’ve seen firsthand what it’s done to her,” he said. “She’s hanging on to the ledge with broken fingernails. If we can’t head this off at the pass and get some kind of resolution for her, we’re going to have a bad outcome one way or another.”

“Uncle Tony! Look at my giraffe!” Haley called, coming into the room with a stuffed toy half as big as she was. Antony tagged along behind, holding his stuffed gorilla on top of his head.

Mendez squatted down for a closer look. “That’s beautiful, sweetheart.”

“Mine too!” Antony said.

“Yours too!”

“I’m not a sweetheart, though,” Antony said.

“Yes, you are, Vincent Antony Leone,” Anne declared, bending down and snatching her son close for a kiss.

“No, I’m not! I’m a g’rilla!”

Haley scrambled up onto a barstool at the island. “Daddy, tell Uncle Tony about how the giraffe licked me.”

“I will, Haley Bug,” Vince said, stroking a big hand over his daughter’s tousled curls. “We’ll both tell him all about it later. But right now Uncle Tony and I have to go talk some business. You stay here and help Mommy keep your brother in line, okay?”

Haley rolled her big brown eyes dramatically. “Oh, brother!”

Vince poured himself a glass of cabernet from the bottle on the counter and led the way out to the pool.

“Have I told you yet today what a lucky stiff you are?” Mendez asked, twisting the top off his beer.