Dumbly, he picked up his phone, which he’d taken to silencing because the only person he generally texted in the middle of the night was currently in his house—and in this case, his bed. The notification screen contained two messages from Sebastien that were short enough to read in their entirety.

Sebastien: Parents back!

Sebastien: Mother on her way to you!

Well, damn.

Mother’s eyes widened. She was struck dumb, which normally would have amused Max, given how rarely that happened. She knew about his reputation, of course. It was a frequent topic of “discussion.” But he’d never brought a woman to the estate.

Not that Dani was “a woman” in that sense. But to argue that, given how this looked, would be ridiculous.

He cleared his throat. “Mother, this is Daniela Martinez. Daniela, this is my mother.”

Neither woman said anything immediately—they were both like deer caught in headlights. Max Minimus barked as if annoyed to be left out.

“Right,” Max said. “And this is . . .” Oh lord.

“McMuffin,” said Dani quickly, and god bless her.

His mother raised her eyebrows. “How . . . charming.”

Max Minimus started growling, and Max had to stifle a laugh.

Dani rose from the bed, shot the dog a look that silenced him, and extended her hand as if she weren’t wearing pajamas. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your estate is lovely.”

Mother’s “good” breeding kicked in, and she fake smiled. “How nice to meet you, Ms. Martinez. If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of Leonardo Ricci’s . . . people.”

“Was there something you wanted, Mother?” Max said loudly.

“There are many things I want, darling, but we can’t always get what we want, can we?” she said, still looking at Dani. After a beat of silence, she transferred her attention to Max. “I came to tell you that we’re back early from our holiday.”

“I can see that.”

“I came to discuss dinner plans, too, but perhaps another time is better.”

“I think so.”

Max remained still while Mother made her way out of the room, waiting until he heard the front door close before he turned to Dani. How was he going to apologize?

She burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she started waving her hand in front of her face as if she were apologizing for laughing.

It was contagious. How extraordinary. Laughter was not Max’s customary reaction to encounters with his parents. Even Max Minimus joined in, barking happily alongside them.

“I’m sorry,” Dani said when she got control of herself. “What a . . .” She was still shaking with aftershocks. “What a disaster. What do we do now?”

“I suggest we make ourselves as scarce as possible for the rest of the day.”

“So basically you’re saying we should hide.”

“No ‘basically’ about it. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Over lunch in a café in Riems, Max received a curious text from his mother.