“You look great, April. Really.”

Better than he did. For the last decade she’d worked hard to repair the damage she’d done to herself, detoxifying with endless cups of green tea, hours of yoga, a little nip and tuck.

He tugged on a small skull earring. “Do you remember how we used to laugh at the idea of a rocker over forty?”

“We used to laugh at the idea of anybody ever reaching forty.”

He stuffed a hand in his pocket. “AARP wants me to pose for the cover of their fucking magazine.”

“Damn their black hearts.”

His crooked smile hadn’t changed, but she wasn’t going to wander down memory lane with him. “Did you see Riley?”

“A couple of minutes ago.”

“She’s a sweet kid. Blue and I have been quite taken with her.”

“Blue?”

“Dean’s fiancée.”

He pulled his hand from his pocket. “Riley came here to see him, didn’t she?”

April nodded. “Dean’s tried to stay away, but she’s persistent.”

“I wasn’t the one who told Marli about him. She had a fling with my former business manager last year and weaseled out the information. Until I got your message, I didn’t know Riley had found out.”

“This is a hard time for her.”

“I know. I had some things I needed to take care of. Marli’s sister was supposed to be watching out for her.” He glanced toward the cottage. “Riley said she left her jacket.”

“No. She wasn’t wearing her jacket when she came here.”

“She was stalling, then.” He slipped his hand in his shirt pocket, as if he were looking for cigarettes. “I could use a beer.”

“Afraid you’re out of luck. I’ve been a teetotaler these many moons.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I lost the urge to die.”

“Not all bad, I guess.” He had a way of looking at people as though he really saw them, and he turned that intensity on her. “I hear you’ve done well for yourself.”

“No complaints.” She’d built her career one client at a time, with no one to rely on but herself, and she was proud of that. “What about Mad Jack? Now that you’ve won the rock wars, what do you do for an encore?”

“The rock wars can’t ever be won. You know that. There’s always another album, another shot at the top of the charts, and, if that doesn’t happen, the inevitable reinvention.” He made his way to the edge of the pond, picked up a rock, and flung it far out into the pond, where it made a quiet splash. “I’d like to see Dean before I leave.”

“So you can reminisce about the good times? Lots of luck. He hates you almost as much as he hates me.”

“Then what are you doing here?”