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“Who are you?” David asked Sonny.

“Sonny Riley.” He extended his hand. “I’m a friend of Hazel’s.”

David ignored Sonny’s gesture and crossed his arms in front of himself. “She’s not available.”

“She owes me,” I said.

“How do you figure that?”

“Well, to begin with, I was alone as a kid. She could have taken me in.”

“You know she couldn’t have done that, Hazel. You know that.”

“I don’t.”

David shook his head. “She’s not available.”

“David, let them in,” Susan called from somewhere in the vast house.

I tried not to smirk, but my face beat out my good manners. Again.

David leaned toward me. “If she shows any sign of distress, I’ll push you both out of here myself.”

“Only if you can catch us,” I challenged.

He sent me the best withering look I’d ever seen, and I had been the recipient of many, but I didn’t let it deter me.

Reluctantly, he let us in and closed the door behind us, leading us back to the same room Susan and I had been in before. She sat on the same chair.

I walked in. “You know where my father is, don’t you?”

“Sit down, Hazel. Please. Introduce me to your friend.”

Sonny approached Susan and introduced himself to her. She shook his hand and smiled. “Aren’t you adorable?”

“Thank you,” Sonny said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He looked at me.

On the ride, I’d told him who Susan was and what my goals were in visiting her again. He’d been supportive but had tried to talk me into giving myself a few more days to heal before throwing myself into a possibly contentious face-to-face. I told him I couldn’t wait a day longer, and he didn’t argue further.

I nodded at him. He let go of Susan’s hand and took a seat next to me on a couch.

I said, “Just tell me, Susan. Everything.”

“I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you enough.”

“I’m listening.”

Susan began with something that kicked me in the gut.

“Your father and I had been seeing each other.”

“What?”

Sonny’s hand went to my knee, which I only noticed somewhere in the back of my mind. He wasn’t holding me down but reminding me that he was there if I needed him. I would thank him later.

She nodded. “Yes, Hazel. It started twelve years after your mother, my sister, died. Wilmot and I had frequently been there for each other. Shoulders to lean upon, ears to bend and such.”

“I don’t remember you at all.” I had no doubt that I hadn’t seen her around back then.