“I know. I saw you both at the restaurant. I was there. Actually, I just saw your backs when you rushed through the kitchen door. I saw that you had been to my house and assumed it was to see if Alpha was ready to go back to the mountain. Your son left the mountain to see Senator Wyne, so don’t pretend it was to see me and apologize. He went to my house to see Alpha. Do you have any cake or pie, Kyros?”

Kyros stared at the young woman dressed in his son’s pajamas. “You were at the restaurant? You recognized us? I didn’t see you. I’m sure Kollar didn’t see you either, or he would have said something. No cake or pie, but I have some peanut butter cookies.”

“I’ll take them. Three or four would be nice. Yes, the whole team was there. We were dressed up like nuns. Hawkins and Kayla’s brother wore clerical collars. Like you two, we were in disguise. It sounds kind of silly now when I say it out loud. It doesn’t matter if you know this now or not because it’s over. We were there to confront the senator. It had nothing to do with Slick, Hawkins, or Joey, Kayla’s brother. All the rest of us had at one time thought we were married to the playboy senator. We threatened to go public, so the senator resigned. After he paid each of us ten million dollars. That’s probably more than you wanted to know, Kyros.” Sam slid off the counter stool. “Thanks for the food. Do you know where my clothes are? It’s going to be light soon, and I want to go home.

“Do you want to hear something funny, Kyros? I thought of this as home for a whole year. I couldn’t acclimate once I left here. I missed the team, the mountain. I missed you, too. I cried myself to sleep every night for a month. You’re a wonderful cook.” Hot tears pricked Sam’s eyelids, but she blinked them away.

“Did you miss my son?”

“About as much as I’d miss a bad itch. You’re so nice, Kyros, how did you ever get such a son?”

Kyros laughed. “The luck of the draw. He had a no-return policy. In case you don’t know it, my son is in love with you.”

Sam laughed so hard the pajama bottom fell to her ankles. “Where are my clothes?” she managed to gasp as she pulled up the pajama bottom and clutched it in her hands.

“I put them in Kollar’s house on the coffee table. I’m not sure if your boots are dry. He does love you. Ask him. Kollar has never, to my knowledge, told a lie.”

Sam laughed bitterly. “Like I’m really going to do that.”