Sterling grabbed one, peeling back the napkin to present the rolls to Lola with a flourish. “Ladies first.”
“Why, thank you, Will. You’re a lovely boy.”
“You’re a lovely woman.” When she had chosen her roll, he selected one for himself. “Your husband must be very proud.”
“I’ve never married. I had a fiancé once, but he left me at the altar for another woman.”
Sterling touched her arm. “I’m sure he was sorry later. He had to have been an idiot.”
“He was killed during a thunderstorm, drowned in a flash flood. His wife was left a penniless widow. Of course, I would not have been penniless. And I might have had children to carry on the family business.”
Tony watched Sterling closely, but the only emotion he saw was concern for his dinner companion as Will said, “Your father probably appreciated having two daughters. I’m sure he knew you would take care of the business. Didn’t you say you’re in the restaurant trade?”
“We own Nash Brewery.”
“Oh, yes, that’s it.” Will turned to Howard. “And you were a postal carrier, weren’t you?”
“For forty years. I invested well before I retired.”
“And what is it you do, Will?” Kat asked.
“I’m a life coach. I help people develop positive patterns to become more successful in life and relationships.”
“That sounds fascinating,” she said. “Much more interesting than the number crunching I do. I’m a CPA.”
Tony almost did a double take. Kat seemed more the wild, artistic type.
“Kat, dear, tell them about your lottery win. I’m sure everyone will be most entertained. It’s such a cute story,” Lorraine said.
Everyone turned to Kat and waited expectantly.
She hesitated.
“Come on, Kat. You’ve got to tell us now,” Sterling prodded.
“Well, it happened about a month ago. I’d…broken up with my boyfriend and I have this breakup tradition. I buy lottery tickets, and the numbers I use are all the special numbers from the relationship. Our first date, his birthday, my birthday, things like that.”
Lola sighed, obviously a dreamer. “How tragic. And romantic.”
“It gets better,” said Lorraine. “Tell them the rest.”
“I bought tickets the day Zach moved out. And, well, I won with our special numbers.”
Clapping her hands, Lola pronounced, “Then Zach will come back to you. It was meant to be.”
From the way Kat had said her boyfriend’s name, Tony suspected she was well rid of him.
“More likely it means you did the right thing to kick the guy to the curb. Kind of like the universe smiling on your decision,” he said.
Kat selected a roll, taking her time tearing off a piece and slathering it with butter. “Fate is overrated. I think it means the little white balls simply dropped in that order.”
“Lorraine was right, it’s a great story.” Sterling beamed at Kat, his gaze warm. “We’re honored to have a millionaire in our midst.”
“Three millionaires,” Lola crowed.
Lorraine elbowed her sister, giving her a meaningful look.
Lola didn’t seem to notice. Tony wondered if she’d always been so guileless, or if a small stroke at one time had affected her judgment. Or it could even be the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
Kat held up two fingers. “Just a pair. After the jackpot was split among five winning tickets, and Uncle Sam took his chunk, I received a lot less than people think.” She blotted her mouth with her napkin. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fabulous thing and I’m extremely grateful. But I’m not likely to join the millionaires’ club anytime soon.”
“Still, it’s a nice windfall.” Lorraine leaned forward. “If you need the name of a top-notch investment firm, I can refer you to the one we use. Our advisor has been very helpful in growing and safeguarding our assets. A single woman can never be too careful.”
“No brothers to help?” Sterling asked her. “Or nieces and nephews?”
“No.” Lorraine’s voice was tinged with loss. “We had a younger sister, but she died as an infant.”
Tony could almost see the wheels turning in Sterling’s head. Him selecting a new victim meant Tony might find evidence. But it also meant the Nash sisters would get hurt.
Will leaned forward. “Tony, what is it you do?”
“I’m a security consultant.”
“I bet that’s fascinating work. Foiling corporate espionage and all that?”
“Yes. But because of the spread of identity theft, more and more of my work is securing client information. It’s become a real liability issue.”
“I can imagine. I’ve been meaning to update the security software on my computer to make sure my client files don’t fall into the wrong hands. Do you have a card?”
Removing his wallet from his back pocket, Tony pulled out a pseudo business card. “I’ll give you a discount, since you’re a friend.”
“Great. I’ll call you after I get back from vacation.” Sterling slid the card into the breast pocket of his button-down shirt.
The thought of getting his hands on Sterling’s computer practically made Tony salivate. It was the easy kind of lie that cons used to bond with people, but still…
Lorraine and Lola regaled them with tales of their youth until their meals arrived.
Tony had selected the top sirloin with mixed seasonal vegetables from the Phoenix Rising garden. A footnote on the menu had indicated guests’ help in the garden was always welcome.
“These vegetables are wonderful,” Kat exclaimed. “Why can’t I cook them this way?”
“My guess is they taste so good because they’re fresher than a lot of grocery store produce,” he answered.
“You cook?” She seemed intrigued in spite of herself.
“Not much, but I’m learning. My ex-wife was big on buying locally grown, organic. I don’t cook when I’m working long hours, but now that I have my own business I sometimes have slow times.”
She tried to turn to Sterling, but he was deep in conversation with Lola.
“Do you garden?” Tony asked Kat.
“No, I’ve always been busy, too. But I’m realizing just how close to burning out I was. It’s not good for me to work sixty hours a week and never take vacations….” Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know why I told you that. My life is fine the way it is.”
Tony was curious. On one hand, Kat seemed independent, with a streak of wildness, on the other she was solid and dependable.
He sipped his wine. “Sure, we all think our lives are fine right before we crash and burn.” He winced at the bitterness in his voice. Where in the hell had that come from? Striving for a more casual tone, he asked, “If there was one thing you could change about your life, what would it be?”
Man, he’d been spending too much time listening to marriage counselors.
She hesitated. “I’d quit expecting other people to make me happy. I’d do more things that were good for me, without considering what anyone else thought. All those activities I’ve