“Did you read my mind or do I just look like a guy who wants a beer right now?”

“Perhaps a bit of both. Please, follow Moe’s lead, and sit. Be comfortable. I’ll just be a moment.”

“Is Pitte available?” Jordan asked.

“Certainly. I’ll ask him to join us.”

Brad waited until she’d left the room, then turned to Jordan. “Okay, I can’t stand it. Don’t just blurt out how you want this house and always have, or something lamebrained like that.”

“Do I look like I just fell out of the nest?”

“Ever bought a house before?”

“No, but—”

“I have. You’re a successful author with a string of bestsellers. They know you’ve got money. Add some sparkly childhood dream to that and you’re just asking to get taken.”

Jordan took a seat. “You know, I’m beginning to see why you irritate Zoe.”

Brad looked down his nose. “I don’t irritate her, I make her nervous. The irritation is merely a side effect of the nerves.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to get it, too,” Flynn put in, and flopped down in his chair, much like his dog. He perked up as Rowena came back, carrying a tray.

“Hey, let me give you a hand with that.” Flynn pushed to his feet, took the tray that held five pilsners of beer.

“Thank you. Please, help yourselves. Pitte will be right along.” She sat on the sofa, curled up her legs, and sent Flynn a silky smile when he offered her one of the glasses. “It’s an important day.”

He felt his stomach clutch when she looked at him. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

“You’re allowed to feel a bit off-center. It’s human. Ah, here’s Pitte.”

“Good afternoon. Rowena tells me we’ve things to talk about.” He sat on the sofa beside her, reached for a beer. “You’re well?”

“Seem to be,” Jordan answered. “Maybe I should start with what’s happened.”

He told them first of Kane’s taking Dana back into their past.

“It’s interesting.” Pitte studied his beer, considered. “More straightforward than one expects from him.”

“A method that matches his quarry,” Rowena said. “Clever of him. He doesn’t attempt to trick or deceive her. Rather he tells her precisely what he’s doing, allows her to see, and still experience. Yes, it was a very good strategy.”

“It might have worked. Nearly did. I don’t think we’d be where we are, at least not now, if Malory hadn’t given us both a push.”

“The six of you are part of one whole. Vital and individual,” Rowena added, “but stronger yet for your connection. How did you resolve this thing with Dana?”

“Do I have to tell you? I can just about see the little red hearts circling over my head myself.”

“I’d still like to hear what you say, and how you say it.”

As he complied, she nodded, slid her hand into Pitte’s. “It’s difficult,” she said, “to know what to let go of, what to hold. I’m happy for you both, that you held each other.”

“So am I, for purely personal reasons. But it plays into the rest, doesn’t it?” Jordan watched her face, wished he could read it. “It’s part of the quest.”

“In a tapestry, every thread matters. The length, the texture, the hue. He wished to separate you; you didn’t allow it. The thread between you is long, and rich, and strong.”

“Why is it so important that he separate us?”

“You’re more together than you are apart. You know that.”

“It’s not only that.” He leaned forward. “Help me help her.”

“You have. You will. I believe that.”

“She’s nearly out of time.”

“You’ve come farther than you think, so be careful. He’ll do whatever he can to break that thread.”

Jordan sat back. “He won’t break it. There’s another reason I’m here. I’m starting to wonder if it’s not part of the tapestry as well. I want to buy this house.”

Brad made a strangled sound in his throat that had Pitte shooting him a dryly amused glance. “Would you care for some water?”

“No. No.” With a sigh, Brad drank more beer. “No.”

“The big businessman over there figures I should tap-dance around, and we’ll play let’s negotiate for an hour or two. I don’t see the point. I don’t know what your plans are for the place once this is all done, but if you’re willing to sell, I’m ready to buy.”

Why doesn’t he just give them a blank check? Brad thought to himself. Access to his brokerage account, the deed to his condo in New York?

“Your business-minded friend has some excellent points.” Sending Brad a nod of acknowledgment, Pitte swirled his beer. “I’ve developed a number of business interests over time. I enjoy . . .” He gave Rowena a questioning glance.

“Wheeling and dealing.”

“Yes. It’s an entertaining hobby. This property, beyond suiting our needs during this period, is quite desirable. A house of this size and material, with its history and its location—which includes twenty-five point three acres, both cleared and wooded, a six-car garage, an indoor swimming pool, with steam room and . . .”

“Whirlpool tub,” Rowena supplied on a bubble of laughter. “We quite enjoy the whirlpool tub.”

“Yes.” He lifted her hand, nipped her knuckles. “As well as a number of other details and amenities—”

“Please.” Unable to hold back, Brad lifted a hand. “This place is an enormous white elephant. Amenities and history are one thing, but it’s twenty miles away from the Valley—”

“Eighteen point six,” Pitte corrected blandly.

“On a narrow road that twists straight up the mountain,” Brad continued. “It’s bound to cost a fortune to heat and cool. You put it on the market tomorrow, you’d be lucky to get a serious offer within the next decade.”

Pitte stretched out his legs, crossed his ankles. It occurred to Jordan that this was the most relaxed he’d seen Pitte in the weeks of their acquaintance.

“I would enjoy doing business with you,” he told Brad. “Perhaps, at some point, there will be an opportunity. I believe it would be very stimulating.”