“I have a new chicken dish in the oven and I took out an apple pie about an hour ago.” Pippa took the salad from Nari and gestured her toward the sofa, where Brigid had already settled back with a glass of white wine. “You want red or white? I have both open.”

“Red, then.” Nari smiled at Brigid and walked toward her, flopping onto the adjacent seat.

Brigid’s red hair curled around her soft face. “Rough day?”

“You have no idea.” What was Nari going to do without seeing her friends every day? “The leader of my new team doesn’t like me.” She smiled when Pippa returned and handed over a full glass of red. “It could be because we dated and I nearly destroyed his career, but I’m just guessing.”

Pippa stopped in midstride to the kitchen and flipped around. “What?” Her blue eyes widened.

Nari took a healthy sip of the drink. Ah, Cabernet. So good. “This is delicious.”

Pippa hustled around the table and sat next to Brigid. “Oh, you’re telling all. Right now. The chicken is still cooking.”

Nari told them the entire story while enjoying her wine. “So, there you go.”

Stunned silence met her tale.

Brigid spoke first. “Your da is the deputy administrator of the HDD?” Her Irish brogue came out full force, while her emerald-colored eyes sparkled.

Nari blinked. Oops. “Didn’t I tell you that before?”

Pippa chuckled. “You know you didn’t.”

Nari winced, her neck heating. “Well, he’s just my sperm donor, to be honest. My mom remarried when I was around twelve and I love my stepdad. I call him Dad. He lives in California with my mom and he’s the one I love.”

“Does Angus know you’re related to our boss?” Brigid asked.

Pippa laughed full-out this time. “Oh, that’s going to be a fun discussion.” She sobered. “I mean, if we see him again. I can’t believe he actually said goodbye last night.”

Well, for Nari it had been that morning, but she wasn’t ready to share that much. Not yet anyway. “I was surprised he left with a serial killer on the loose. Even if we know the killer isn’t Lassiter, when Angus gets his teeth in a case, he doesn’t let go,” Nari murmured. Maybe he’d just had enough. It wasn’t like one night with her would change his mind.

She crossed her legs, and a bite mark on her thigh twinged.

A soft knock sounded and then Millie Frost bounced in. “I come bearing rolls.” She held up a basket. “I bought them.” The tech wore jeans with a little bit of dirt around the hems and a sweater. Her hair was all blond this time. “Serena called me on the way—she got stuck in some faculty meeting at the college. Says to start dinner without her, but she’ll still try to make it.”