Hot blood rushes to my cheeks. “Good Lord . . . no. It’s nothing like that. Mia was Annie’s babysitter a couple of years ago. After Caitlin was murdered, Annie kind of lost it. My mother’s living near the prison where my father’s being held right now, so Mia offered to help.”

“I see.” But Serenity’s eyes say the opposite.

“Do you?”

She pooches out her lower lip. “Aren’t we in the middle of a semester? There isn’t a college in Natchez, is there?”

“Mia goes to Harvard. Everything blew up during her Christmas break. She took off a semester to help.”

This time Serenity’s nod is slower but more definite. “Now I see. Well. Did I just ruin my invitation?”

“No, no, it’s fine. You’re just wrong about Mia. You’ll see after you’ve been here awhile.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

She gets up lightly and heads for the stairs. “I’ll just grab my bag.”

“You need any help?”

“Nope. I travel light.”

While Serenity retrieves her bag, I run upstairs to the kitchen to work out her sleeping arrangements with Annie and Mia. Annie is overjoyed to hear that she’ll be staying with us—Mia, less so.

“With Mom coming in Sunday night, you guys will have to double up, and the biggest room is the old master bedroom on this floor. Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah!” Annie says, not even looking at Mia, whose mouth has tightened. “Tee’s probably going to need the bodyguards. Especially if she picks up where Keisha left off.”

“Mia?” I ask. “I know that’s asking a lot, you giving up your privacy. You could use the sofa bed in my office in the basement.”

“With the security guys on cots down there?” Annie asks. “No way.”

“That old master bedroom is plenty big enough for Annie and me,” Mia says, covering her displeasure so that Annie won’t pick up on it. “Where will you put Serenity? The upstairs guest room at the end of the hall? By your room?”

“Gram needs that one,” Annie says. “It’s closest to the hall bathroom.”

“Serenity can take the small room on the other side,” I decide. “Hell, she’d probably be happy with the basement. She lived in a tent in Iraq.”

Annie laughs. “We need to put sheets on that bed upstairs. I’ll do it.” She slaps Mia on the arm and runs into the hall.

“Right behind you,” calls Mia, who continues to stand at the counter, watching me, as the drumbeat of Annie’s feet on the stairs resounds in the hallway.

“What is it?” I ask, a little uncomfortably. “You need your own room?”

“No. I’m such an ass. I can’t believe I was staring at Serenity like that. Because of the skin color thing.”

“It’s okay. Seriously. I was staring, too.”

“Did she say anything?”

“About that? No.”