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had hinted, darkly, that it was his wife's threat to leave him that had caused Logan
Dane to risk his neck running with the bulls in Pamplona. Wilder had also implied
that the net result of Dane's death had been to leave Olivia holding a fortune in art.
From what he had seen of her private world, Jasper doubted that last bit. There
was not a single painting hanging on the wall. She gave every appearance of being
successful, but not wealthy. Everything he had seen thus far, including the Light
Fantastic studio and this condo, could be explained by her own hard work and
maybe a little assistance from her uncle.
"Where are your nephews now?" she asked.
"Both are at the university. They're taking summer sessions so that they can
graduate sooner. Paul's headed for engineering, I think. But I can see Kirby in the
academic world."
She flashed him an impulsive smile. "Like my brother, Todd."
Jasper glanced at her. "I thought you said he was a political consultant and a
speechwriter."
She wrinkled her nose. "He is now, but I'm hoping it's just a phase."
"What happens if Lancaster wins in November?"
"I'm a little worried, if you want to know the truth."
"About Lancaster winning?"
"No, of course not. She'll make a good governor. Maybe a great one. What
concerns me is that Todd is falling for her."
"Ah," Jasper said softly. "And you'd rather he didn't?"
She leaned back against the counter, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. "How
would you feel about having a politician in the family?"
He grinned. "Point taken. Personal sentiments toward politicians aside, what
really worries you about the possibility that your brother is involved in a
relationship with Lancaster?"
She hesitated, gazing thoughtfully into the middle distance. "Right now
Eleanor's on a political roll, thanks in large part to Todd's skill as a political
theorist. I guess I'm worried about what will happen to the relationship if Eleanor
loses the election."
"In other words, you're afraid Lancaster's feelings toward your brother have
more to do with the fact that she needs him as a consultant than with true love?"
"And, to be fair, vice-versa. I'm afraid that Todd is attracted to her, at least in
part, because she's given wings to all his policy theories and ideas. He sees her as a
sort of modern-day warrior queen, Boadicea leading the Britons against the
invading Romans."
"Got it."
"But what do I know?" She unfolded her arms and pushed herself away from the
counter. "I'm the first to admit that I'm not the world's best judge of what makes a
relationship work."
"Neither am I." Jasper was startled by the sound of his own words. He did not
know where they had come from. He had not intended to say them. But there they
were, hovering in the air alongside hers, stark admissions of past failures.
There was a short silence. And then Olivia got very busy taking plates down from
a cupboard. The microwave pinged. Jasper jerked open the door and took out the
steaming containers. He winced when his fingers came into contact with hot spots
on the plastic. He grabbed a towel.
Sharing a kitchen and being threatened by a blackmailer could promote only so
much togetherness between two people who had very separate agendas, he
reminded himself.
Five minutes later, dinner was on the table. Olivia managed to wait until she had
finished her lasagna and salad before she swept her plate aside and fixed Jasper
with a steely gaze.
"Well?" she said. "You've been fed, and you've had a chance to think. Got any
ideas about how to handle Zara's problem?"
He took his time savoring the last of the lasagna. Then he put down his fork
"First we need a list."
"A list of what, for heaven's sake?"
"Of all the people Zara knew in the good old days."
Olivia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That would probably be a very long list."
She gave the subject a few more seconds of reflection. "It could take ages to check
out every person who worked with
had hinted, darkly, that it was his wife's threat to leave him that had caused Logan
Dane to risk his neck running with the bulls in Pamplona. Wilder had also implied
that the net result of Dane's death had been to leave Olivia holding a fortune in art.
From what he had seen of her private world, Jasper doubted that last bit. There
was not a single painting hanging on the wall. She gave every appearance of being
successful, but not wealthy. Everything he had seen thus far, including the Light
Fantastic studio and this condo, could be explained by her own hard work and
maybe a little assistance from her uncle.
"Where are your nephews now?" she asked.
"Both are at the university. They're taking summer sessions so that they can
graduate sooner. Paul's headed for engineering, I think. But I can see Kirby in the
academic world."
She flashed him an impulsive smile. "Like my brother, Todd."
Jasper glanced at her. "I thought you said he was a political consultant and a
speechwriter."
She wrinkled her nose. "He is now, but I'm hoping it's just a phase."
"What happens if Lancaster wins in November?"
"I'm a little worried, if you want to know the truth."
"About Lancaster winning?"
"No, of course not. She'll make a good governor. Maybe a great one. What
concerns me is that Todd is falling for her."
"Ah," Jasper said softly. "And you'd rather he didn't?"
She leaned back against the counter, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. "How
would you feel about having a politician in the family?"
He grinned. "Point taken. Personal sentiments toward politicians aside, what
really worries you about the possibility that your brother is involved in a
relationship with Lancaster?"
She hesitated, gazing thoughtfully into the middle distance. "Right now
Eleanor's on a political roll, thanks in large part to Todd's skill as a political
theorist. I guess I'm worried about what will happen to the relationship if Eleanor
loses the election."
"In other words, you're afraid Lancaster's feelings toward your brother have
more to do with the fact that she needs him as a consultant than with true love?"
"And, to be fair, vice-versa. I'm afraid that Todd is attracted to her, at least in
part, because she's given wings to all his policy theories and ideas. He sees her as a
sort of modern-day warrior queen, Boadicea leading the Britons against the
invading Romans."
"Got it."
"But what do I know?" She unfolded her arms and pushed herself away from the
counter. "I'm the first to admit that I'm not the world's best judge of what makes a
relationship work."
"Neither am I." Jasper was startled by the sound of his own words. He did not
know where they had come from. He had not intended to say them. But there they
were, hovering in the air alongside hers, stark admissions of past failures.
There was a short silence. And then Olivia got very busy taking plates down from
a cupboard. The microwave pinged. Jasper jerked open the door and took out the
steaming containers. He winced when his fingers came into contact with hot spots
on the plastic. He grabbed a towel.
Sharing a kitchen and being threatened by a blackmailer could promote only so
much togetherness between two people who had very separate agendas, he
reminded himself.
Five minutes later, dinner was on the table. Olivia managed to wait until she had
finished her lasagna and salad before she swept her plate aside and fixed Jasper
with a steely gaze.
"Well?" she said. "You've been fed, and you've had a chance to think. Got any
ideas about how to handle Zara's problem?"
He took his time savoring the last of the lasagna. Then he put down his fork
"First we need a list."
"A list of what, for heaven's sake?"
"Of all the people Zara knew in the good old days."
Olivia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That would probably be a very long list."
She gave the subject a few more seconds of reflection. "It could take ages to check
out every person who worked with
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