“She did marry me,” he said, hoping a blanket statement would cover all the gaps.

“Fair point. Then, do you know anything about her father?” she asked.

“She hasn’t said much.” Not a lie.

“That’s because I told her I didn’t know who he was,” Junie announced.

“Like, Mamma Mia style?”

“No, there won’t be four ashen ferrets showing up to vie for the privilege of being LeLe’s dad at this stage in her life.”

Trev burst out laughing. “Do you mean silver foxes?” Come to think of it, there might only be three potential dads in Mamma Mia, but he wasn’t an expert and he didn’t care enough to correct her.

Junie shook her head. “No, I heard my friend’s son say ‘ashen ferret,’ and it made me laugh, so I use it now myself.”

“It’s funny,” he admitted. “Have you considered ‘titanium tanuki’ for strong candidates?”

“I will now. Tanukis are Japanese raccoon dogs, right?”

“Yep.”

Deliberately, Junie unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. “I appreciate you giving me time to put my thoughts in order, but it really won’t help. I’m always like this.”

“I’m listening, whenever you’re ready.” He tried to keep his expression neutral.

“The situation is this. When I was young, I had an affair with a married man. He… I was a toy to him, a flavor of the month, I guess. I told him about LeLe, and he said to get rid of her. He had no use for either of us. I wanted her, though. And I tried my best to raise her on my own, but…I wasn’t great at it.”

“I see why you lied,” Trev said tightly.

Imagine being that much of a bag of dicks.

“Yeah. It was the right decision then, but the situation has changed.”

“How so?” he asked, as a bad feeling trickled in like slow-drip coffee.

“Her father is from a…prominent family.” Based on her hesitation, he suspected Junie had almost used a different word. “His wife has since passed away, and he’s become nostalgic in his old age after receiving an unfavorable diagnosis. He wants to meet LeLe before it’s too late. She also has three half siblings she could get to know, and…”

“And?” he prompted.

This was a hell of a lot to take in. If he felt overwhelmed, God only knew how Leanne would react. But like Junie said, this was a now-or-never decision, most likely. Depending on how dire the old dickbag’s situation was, the meeting might not keep until after the election.

“There could be multiple benefits,” she finally said.

“Like, inheritance? If I’m reading between the lines right.”

Junie didn’t meet his look, busy tracing patterns on the table. “Pretty much.”