“Perish the thought. I never nag. I remind. And occasionally persuade. At the moment, I’m reminding you that you made me a promise. I could tell Dean was disappointed that you hadn’t taken the time to call.”
“Poor man. I’m sure he’s just waiting around for me to touch base with him again.”
“That’s right, why not? You’re not only a fascinating woman but you come of equally wonderful stock. I’m pretty damn fascinating myself. Who wouldn’t want to have me for a mother-in-law?”
Kendra chuckled. “I can’t imagine. But you’re going too fast. I went on a blind date and now you have me on my honeymoon? You’re scaring me, Mom.”
“Turnabout is fair play. You scared me when I saw you yesterday morning. And now Adam Lynch is sending you doctors and hovering over you. Didn’t you tell me they call him the Puppetmaster? I don’t like mystery men. I particularly don’t like mystery men who manage to convince you to do things you don’t want to do. When are you going to call Dean?”
She sighed. “After I take my shower and have a cup of coffee. Talking to him should be a pleasure after having you run over me.”
Silence again. “I don’t want my pushing to turn you off him. He deserves a chance.”
“Your pushing drives me nuts, but I still love you. It won’t prejudice me from realizing that Dean is a good guy and probably deserves more than I can give him. Now let me go, so I can start my day … and squeeze that call to Dean into the mix.”
“Okay. You’ll tell me how it goes?”
“It’s just a phone call.”
“But one thing leads to another. I really like him, Kendra.”
“And so do I. But I’m not going to report back to you all the time.”
“Oh, very well.” She was clearly disappointed. “I’ll accept occasional—”
“Mom.”
“Good-bye, Kendra. You take care of yourself.” She hung up.
Kendra was shaking her head as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. It hadn’t gone as badly as it might have. She’d been able to avoid telling Diane about the events of yesterday by throwing in Lynch’s action as a distraction. And her mother was so focused on Dean that she’d allowed Kendra to get away before she bombarded her with many questions.
But there was no doubt she’d have to call Dean right away and put her mother’s mind at ease. She’d made her a promise, and she’d keep it.
She stripped down and turned on the shower.
Just as soon as she checked to see if Griffin knew yet how Myatt had gotten into her condo.
* * *
AGENT DONALD NELSON WAS sitting at Olivia’s kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee when Kendra walked into the room thirty minutes later. He was staring at Olivia in bemusement, and she was obviously exerting her not inconsiderable charisma.
“Hi,” Kendra said. “Is there enough coffee for me, Olivia? I just talked to Mom, and I need bolstering.”
Agent Nelson jumped to his feet. “Let me get you one, ma’am. I was just—”
“Sit down. Finish your coffee.” She moved to the cabinet and got a cup from the shelf. “If Olivia managed to lure you away from the hall and that stern sense of duty, then you must have really needed it.”
“I’m finished.” He turned to Olivia. “You’ve been very kind, ma’am.”
She smiled brilliantly. “My pleasure, Don. Anytime.”
“Thank you.” He turned and left the kitchen. The next moment, the front door closed behind him.
“Naughty,” Kendra murmured as she poured her coffee. “You dazzled the poor lad.”
“You heard him.” She grinned mischievously. “I was just being kind.” She shrugged. “You slept late. I was bored. I needed company.”
“And you wanted to see if you could lure him away from hard-and-fast duty.”
“He was closer to you in here.” She sipped her coffee. “And I’ve never seduced an FBI man before. I wondered if all that training and indoctrination made a difference in how they responded. Not that I actually wanted to go to bed with him. I was just exploring the preliminary steps.”
“To see if you could do it.”
She nodded. “You know that some men are uncomfortable and repelled by interaction with a blind woman and others are fascinated and drawn. I’ve been working on turning the odds totally in my favor.”
“He was dazzled,” Kendra repeated. She sat down and lifted her cup to her lips. “Why not? You’re gorgeous and full of life and—”
“Blind,” Olivia said. “But as I said, I’m making headway on all fronts.” She changed the subject. “Your mother was difficult?”