Joelle’s brow crinkled. She was clearly perturbed by this revelation.

“I mean, my parents took me to the Grand Canyon when I was, like, five, I think,” he added, like that would somehow soften the blow.

“Well, that’s just sad,” she said bluntly after a moment, before shaking it off. “No worries, though, I’m sure Damon will take you with him to the family estate in Italy this Christmas; it’s tradition, after all. Let me tell you, the European countryside is beautiful in the winter.”

Micah shot Damon what he hoped was an inconspicuous look. He doubted the man planned on taking him on some grand vacation, and Micah had no intention of leaving the country with him even if he did. “That sounds lovely,” he said, anyway, because what else was he supposed to do?

Joelle beamed.

“Of course, there’s plenty of exciting things to get up to without ever having to leave the country,” Fernando pointed out. “We live in New York City, after all, the greatest metropolis in the world.”

“Of course,” Joelle immediately agreed. “There are plenty of adventures to be had in the city. So, what do you get up to in your free time, then, darling? I mean, besides making poor schmucks like my brother fall head over heels in love with you?”

She shot the man a teasing grin at that before returning her gaze to Micah.

Micah felt heat creep up his neck despite the complete inaccuracy of her statement. “Nothing that interesting,” he said, pushing the last couple of bites of food around on his plate. “I like to exercise to stay in shape. My friend drags me out sometimes, but mostly, I stay in. I follow the Mets and binge a lot of documentaries on Netflix.”

All in all, his life sounded pretty pathetic when summed up like that. But the truth was, until he’d met Damon, Micah’s life had basically revolved around work – just not the type of work anyone at the table thought he did.

“What sort of documentaries do you watch?” Sophie asked politely.

“True crime, mostly. Some historical stuff, too.”

Marco raised his eyebrows in interest, but it wasn’t until a second later, when he began asking questions, that Micah realized he may have made a mistake. “Crime documentaries?” He shot Damon a particular look. “What kind of crime documentaries?”

Shit.

“Oh, you know,” Micah said, waving his hand in a way he hoped looked casual, “just the typical stuff: serial killer interviews, mysterious disappearances, infamous cold cases.” He made sure to make no mention of organized crime.

Marco looked him up and down. “You’re one of those people who romanticize crime then?” he pressed.