Jovi, having deposited the elderly woman at her door with theatrical warmth, turned back toward the group. Her smile was radiant.

Her eyes found Vance first, instinct, always looking for her husband's approval, even now.

She saw him looking at Nerissa.

Not a glance. Not a casual observation. Looking. The kind of look she'd never received from him in seven years of marriage. The kind that suggested the person being watched mattered.

Her smile faltered for just a fraction of a second. Then she smoothed it back into place and walked toward them, Zane slightly behind her.

"What a sweet lady!" she called out. "She invited us for coffee, can...