Liz got up, too. “I’ll help you.”

She followed Tara into the kitchen.

Nathan was in there and she was struck by how much he’d matured in the past few years. He was taller, and had picked up a lot more muscle. He wore his hair shorter now, and it was a darker brown. Though still young, he was no longer a young boy. Now he was a young man.

“Hi, Nathan,” she said.

He smiled at her. “Hey, Liz. How’s it going?”

“It’s going good. On errand duty?”

He grinned. “Always.”

A tall, quite gorgeous young woman carried a bag in. “Where do you want this one, Mrs. Riley?”

“On the counter, Sonja. Thanks.”

The girl had to be nearly five-eleven or maybe even six feet tall. Considering Nathan had shot up his senior year to six-four, he was still taller, but wow. She was beautiful, with café au lait skin, honey colored eyes, and sleek black hair.

Wow.

“Oh, Sonja, this is Nathan’s Aunt Elizabeth, but we all call her Liz.”

Liz stuck out her hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Sonja.”

“Same here. And I’m probably never going to remember everyone’s name so I’m going to apologize if I have to ask it again.”

Liz laughed. “That’s okay. Ask away.”

“Hey, I warned you I had a big family,” Nathan said, casting a grin at his girlfriend.

“You did.”

“Where are you from, Sonja?”

“A small town in southwest Texas that no one’s ever heard of. Nathan wanted to drag me here to see more big-city life.”

“Well, St. Louis isn’t exactly a huge city.”

Sonja leaned against the counter. “Bigger than where I grew up, that’s for sure.”

“What’s your major?”

“Marketing with a minor in communications. And I play for the UT basketball team.”

“She’s good at it, too. One hell of a guard,” Nathan said. “You should keep your eye on her, Liz. She might go pro.”

Sonja laughed. “I don’t know about that. I’m just happy to have the scholarship so I can get my education.”

“Yeah, and she’s being modest. She really is good.”

“Then I’ll definitely keep my eye on you.”

“Liz is a sports agent,” Nathan said to Sonja. “She could get you a great deal.”

“Nathan,” Liz warned.

Sonja just looked at her. “I’m not even thinking that far ahead. I just want to get a degree.” She elbowed Nathan. “Quit being so pushy. You’re making your aunt uncomfortable.”

He shoved back into her. “Hey, I believe in you.”

She laughed. “Whatever.”

He put his arm around her. “Come on. Let’s go hang out.”

“Dinner’s in about thirty,” Tara said.

“Okay.”

After they left the room, Tara asked. “So? What do you think?”

“I think she’s stunning.”

“I know. Isn’t she? Like fashion-model beautiful. And she’s very smart. Nathan said she has a 4.0 GPA, plus she plays sports, too. She’s outgoing and she really seems to be into Nathan and he’s obviously very much into her.”

And she very obviously wasn’t at all how Liz had imagined her. So she relaxed on that count. “She’s very sweet. Nothing like that first love is there?”