“Are you staying at the hotel tonight?” Chip asked. “There must be rooms you haven’t gotten to yet.”

Claire nodded, gathering her things. “Yes. I’m on the first floor tonight. What time do you want to meet tomorrow? I think Ken is supposed to bring some plans.”

Chip shrugged. “You’re the boss. You tell me.”

“I don’t feel like the boss,” she said, shaking her head. “But how about eight?”

“Sounds good to me.”

She said her goodbyes and rushed back to the cabin, worried that it was late enough that Marty might already be asleep.

That quickly stopped being her main worry, however, when she got to the cabin to find a car parked in the driveway. Her stomach dropped and her breathing froze. She had to force herself to keep driving.

She crept up the driveway slowly and when her headlights swung onto the car, her panic faded as she recognized it. It was Lucy’s car.

Claire opened the cabin door to find a bit of a scene – Lucy was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, staring at Marty.

“Lucy!” she said, throwing her purse down. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit!”

“And I didn’t know you had company,” Lucy said, eyebrows raised. “I thought this guy might’ve broken into your cabin.”

Claire laughed. “Oh, well, not exactly. Haven’t you met?”

Lucy stood up, shaking her head and giving Claire a hug. “No, we haven’t. I got here twenty minutes ago and he wouldn’t tell me who he was.”

“Well,” Marty said, “that’s because I sort of did break into the cabin and I wasn’t sure who you were.”

Lucy’s eyes darted between them. “Is this a prank or something?”

Oh dear. Claire had her work cut out for her. “Lucy, honey, why don’t you take a seat?”

“What? Why?”

“Because what I’m going to tell you is quite shocking.”

“Oh no.” Lucy lowered herself onto the couch, never breaking eye contact. “Is he your boyfriend?”

Claire’s mouth popped open in shock and Marty laughed.

“No,” Claire said quickly. “Of course not.”

Lucy giggled. “Sorry. I was just kidding.”

Claire took a seat on the chair next to the couch. “Do you remember the DNA test that you girls got me for Christmas?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes?”

“Well, because of that test, I found your cousin. Meet Marty.”

Claire watched Lucy’s face go through the stages of understanding – first confusion, then excitement, and finally a scowl. “A cousin? How is that possible?”

Claire stood. “Let me make some tea. This will take some explaining.”

She put the kettle on and started to tell the story to Lucy, who stopped her no less than a dozen times to interject her comments and questions.

Marty was quiet, mostly, laughing occasionally and watching them both.