Dayana leveled a look at him, weighing the safety of her child in the care of a stranger.

“Doggy!” Keaton squealed from Maggie’s arms as Kevin trotted up and barked.

“One doughnut, no feeding my son to your dog, no dog tongue to the face, and no caffeine,” Dayana decided wearily.

“You got it,” Sy said, scooping the boy out of Maggie’s arms like it was a handoff they’d performed a hundred times before. “Come on, bud. Let’s go play with power tools.”

Dayana gave Maggie a smack on the shoulder the second Silas disappeared through the front door with Keaton. “Hot Landscaper Guy is even hotter off-screen,” Dayana hissed.

Maggie blew out a breath. “I know. It’s painful to look at him sometimes.”

“Why is he mad at you?” Her sister eyed her shrewdly.

“You can tell?” Maggie was impressed.

“The sparks that flew out of that man’s eyes could ignite underwear at ten paces.”

It was the truth. “We’re kind of seeing each other,” she admitted.

“Like ‘dinner and a movie, let’s see where this goes’ or getting naked?”

Maggie was not used to girl talk and felt rusty at it. “Both, I guess? Also, he doesn’t know anything about your—our—father. I haven’t told him. Or anyone. I mean, obviously Dean knows, but he wouldn’t say anything.”

Dayana cocked her head and gave her an inscrutable look. “Uh, okay.”

“Let’s get back to you,” Maggie said quickly. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Donald’s cheating on me,” Dayana said over a fresh cup of coffee minutes later. Her manicure had chips in it, and the nails on her index fingers were both chewed down to the quick, Maggie noticed. Day’s nail-biting had been another source of constant frustration for her mother. “And you don’t look surprised by that.”

Maggie winced and nodded toward the French doors. “Let’s walk and talk,” she suggested. They headed around the house, into the backyard. She’d met Donald on three occasions and had disliked him instantly. There was something smarmy about the guy. And not just because he wore a tie to lounge around his own house on a Saturday afternoon. He gave off a vibe of needing to be liked. Needing to feel respected. Needing to be the most important person in the room. Which was a problem, given who Dayana’s father was. No one else could be the most important person in the room if Sebastian was in it.

“Why isn’t anyone surprised by that?”

Maggie hesitated. “I don’t want to say anything that would cause problems if you two reconcile.”