“No, I…” He dipped into his jeans pocket for his cell phone. As soon as he pulled it out, Bellamy reached over with one long, muscular arm and slipped it from his grasp—a crime equivalent to severing a limb in Andy’s world. But again, Rose’s kid brother didn’t overreact, didn’t throw a mental hissy fit. He simply let this stranger disarm him, all the while maintaining eye contact.

“Go on,” said Bellamy, daring Andy to dance around the lie.

“As I was saying…” The first quivers of remorse trembled Andy’s boyish, sun-kissed face. “I was just worried you were being taken for a ride, Mom. I-I was only looking out for you.”

“It’s all right, sweetie,” replied Blythe warmly.

No, it’s not, Rose wanted to add, but the soothing air that had descended on the kitchen felt like a salve on her desire to get even. Hers was not the right way to approach this, she knew that. She and Andy, if left to it, would only burn the situation to a crisp. What it needed was a touch of maple syrup.

“Why not ask your mother directly?” Bellamy asked him. “Why betray her trust like that? She’s never been anything but honest with you.”

Blythe cast Bellamy a sharp glance, as if to rebuke him, but instead said, “We can leave it there. Andy and I can talk about it later. There’s no more that needs to be said now.”

“Very well,” Bellamy replied with a curt nod, “If you’ll excuse me,” then he got up and left the room. On his way out, he turned and subtly motioned for Rose to follow him with a tip of the head. A butterfly sensation in her stomach told her it was something she absolutely wanted to do—go and be alone with this extraordinary and mysterious man—but she wasn’t quite finished in the kitchen.

She strode over to her brother, scooping up the plastic bottle of maple syrup on the way, and squirted a little into his face. Then she kicked his ankle and caused Andy to fall flat on his ass.

“That’s for calling me a slut, and for going behind my back,” Rose shot down at him. “Next time, man up and come to us first.”

Blythe threw her hands up and shook her head in despair, then bent down to help to Andy. “Why do I bother?” she said aloud. And Rose’s pang of regret for helping ruin her mom’s big family reunion made her sick to her stomach, but only for a moment. When she saw Bellamy waiting for her in the next room she felt better. Surer that things would turn out okay. That was a very strange feeling to have at a time like this, with her mom being so close to the end, but Rose couldn’t help it.