She broke the contact. “I’ll heat up—” She had to clear her throat. “The soup. I’ll heat it for us.”

“Good.” Miguel sat down at the table.

They ate in silence. They were on slices of Nella’s pie when Miguel said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Why don’t you wear your engagement ring?”

“Don’t have one.”

He smiled. “The Great and Wondrous Adam hasn’t shelled out thousands for a ring yet?”

“Actually...” She was pushing her piece of pie around the plate. “He’s never asked me to marry him.” At Miguel’s silence, she looked up.

He was staring at her. “Repeat that.”

She waved her fork about. “It’s an understanding between us, that’s all. After Kelly—”

“I know! I’ve heard it a thousand times. After Kelly graduates, you and Adam will go back to Africa or Marrakech or wherever the Hatten money takes you.”

His growing anger didn’t perturb her. “That’s mostly right. But one of my clients is a reporter. He’s just local but he knows things. We’ve talked a lot. I plan to become a reporter. I’ll tell the US about foreign situations. I wouldn’t be living off Hatten money. And the other thing is that I don’t plan to get married. Ever.”

Miguel leaned back in the chair, letting the quilt fall to his waist, exposing a lot of bare skin. “Aunt Forey thinks you and Adam are getting married in the fall, before you leave the country. She and your mom are planning the cake.”

“Too bad no one asked me,” Vera said. She was looking at him over her glass. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Adam told me that when he was in Africa, he wasn’t faithful to me.”

Miguel’s handsome face showed shock. Then he smiled in an inviting way. “It’s nice to hear that Hatten has a flaw. You want to sit by the fire for a while?”

“I’d love that,” Vera said. “And you’ll share your quilt with me?”

“That would be my fondest wish.”

They smiled at each other.

CHAPTER TEN

One month later

Kelly put down her textbook and looked at her watch. She had to be at Dr. Carl’s clinic in an hour. She stretched out on the bed, hands behind her head, and looked at the ceiling.

Everything was going well. Her mom and Forey couldn’t stop praising Adam for stepping in and working out a deal with Mr. Gresham. It turned out the man didn’t want to retire. He enjoyed seeing people every day, and he loved bossing around the two waitresses and the cook. He just didn’t have many customers.

Adam suggested he buy a new glass case and fill it with whatever Nella and Forey felt like baking. And maybe Mrs. Carl would add to the supply.