"What  do you think is going on, Maria?"

She was now just picking at her muffin, while baby Matty slept on, oblivious.

"I'm afraid you're going to tell me that I was right all along. That Joey's gotten into trouble. That having him do any work at all at OFC this summer was a huge mistake."

Tito watched his sister's eyes fill up with tears. "I can't go through this all again, Tito."

"Maria. That not what this is about. Joey does a great job, and he's not in any trouble. He's been helping me plan the sailing trip. What's more, so far none of participants in OFC have gotten into trouble, and I've been getting great reports back from the sponsoring companies."

He grinned. "So much so that we're going to have a full crew of them on Jack's boat. So don't tell me you're having second thoughts about Joey coming along. He's a born sailor and we're going to need him showing the other boys the ropes." He paused, then added, "literally," and to his relief, Maria laughed.

But the worried look was still in her eyes.

"If it's not that," she said, "then it must be the meeting you had with that lawyer and whoever set up that trust. It has something to do with Bradford Thornton, doesn't it."

Tito studied her. "Yes, it does, but not in the way you think."

"Just spill it all at once, Tito," she told him.

So he did.

Everything from Eleanor's professed only recent discovery that there had in fact been two babies, not one, and that they had not been given up after birth by their mother for adoption. That they had struggled. That her husband and son had known everything and told her nothing until her husband was practically on his deathbed. And that a ten million dollar trust was about to be handed over to him and Maria.

"I don't want it," was the first thing Maria said.

Tito leaned back in his chair. He had to give her time to let it all sink in. He wanted to say that's fine for you to say, living in your million dollar home with your millionaire husband launching your successful art career, but he didn't. He had to give Maria the chance to absorb the shock of all this new information.

"This kind of money can mean a lot to what I'm doing with OFC," he said mildly, instead. "It can take us to a new level helping these kids."

Maria sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just . . . every time I think of his smug, condescending face when he told me the only reason my painting was at the charity auction in the first place was because I was obviously trying to get ahead by having sex with Ritchie, I just lose it. And the things he said about our mother. Tito, how can you even think about accepting this? It's tainted money because it's coming from him."

"He's dead, Maria. And it's not coming from him. It's money from Eleanor's side of the family. That asshole Thornton and his asshole father have nothing to do with it."

"She's the asshole's mother," Maria pointed out. "And asshole Sr.'s wife."

"That's why I need to get to know her better. So I can decide. So we can decide."

"I don't like it."

He leaned forward, put a hand on hers. "Eleanor wants me to move in with her for three months. On her house on Fisher Island."

"Oh, hell, no," Maria said, loudly enough that a few people at the counter glanced their way, and the baby stirred in his sling. She lowered her voice. "Please tell me you aren't even considering it."

When he didn't answer immediately, Maria stared back at him, comprehension dawning on her face.

"You aren't just considering it, are you?" she asked slowly. "You've already made up your mind."

* * *

By Friday, Caylee had started to relax. No more weird phone calls. No floral deliveries. She was starting to think that the phone call on Monday might have been Gregory's kind of last hurrah. One more dig at her before he focused his attention on a new victim.

Not victim. She hated the word victim.

Target. A new target for his annoying and potentially dangerous obsessions.

Not that anyone but her seemed to think he was dangerous, she reflected. She thought about mentioning the flowers, the phone call, to Tito, or maybe to Jack. But Tito had his own issues to be concerned about, with the reveal of the grantor of the mystery trust, and the unexpected invitation to move in with his newly found grandmother.

And she couldn't stand it if Jack brushed this off like every other member of her family had, the first time it happened.

Caylee pulled the car Sam and Camilla had given her the use of into the driveway. She really needed to think about buying one herself. She hadn't needed one in New York, where parking was a nightmare and public transportation was just so convenient. But it was different here.

She was considering what her options might be while she opened the side gate, then closed it behind her and walked around to the patio area where the entrance to the pool house was. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost tripped over the small package that was sitting just outside the door. Just wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with some kind of twine. 

Caylee picked it up and turned it over. Odd. There didn't seem to be any shipping label on it. A sick fear started to grow in the pit of her stomach as she pictured Gregory bolding walking through the gate and around the house. The house where Sam and Camilla's kids lived.  

Right now the kids were in the pool - toddler Sophia in a swim vest sitting on the first step watching her brother JD do back flips into the pool and clapping her hands in delight. Olivia was sitting on a chair under the pergola working out some complicated chord progression on her guitar and keeping an eye on the two of them.

"Hey," Caylee said, holding the package.

"Oh, hi, Caylee," Olivia said, looking up from her guitar. "I didn't see you come around."

"Do you know where this package came from?"

Olivia nodded. "Some delivery person brought it to the front door. Since it was for you I set it out here so I wouldn't forget."

"Was it UPS? Fed Ex?" Caylee turned the package over again. "There's no label on it."

"No, it was just some random delivery guy," Olivia said, and Caylee's heart started beating a little faster.

"Oh, wait, hold on." Olivia set the guitar down and stood up. "There was some kind of delivery slip with it. Keep an eye on the littles for a minute, OK? Let me go get it."

"Hey!" came an indignant voice from the pool. "I'm not little!"

Caylee looked over at JD and smiled. "No, you're not. And that's some impressive back flips."

"Thanks!" Appeased, he executed another one into the pool, making a huge splash, and Sophia squealed.

Seconds ticked by while Caylee waited for Olivia to come back out.

"Here it is," Olivia said, waiving a piece of paper. "It was just sticking to the outside of the package but it came loose. I was afraid if I left it out here it might blow into the pool."

She handed the paper to Caylee, and Caylee stared at it for a moment then started to laugh.

"What's wrong?" Olivia said.

"Nothing, actually. I ordered this myself, and forgot. It's a present for your sister, a thank-you for the hospitality." Caylee sat on one of the chairs outside the poorhouse and pulled the outer layer of the packaging open. "It's a bracelet I saw in an little hand-made jewelry boutique and I thought of her." She looked up at Olivia. "I'd show you, but underneath the brown paper it's already gift wrapped."

She revealed the gold foil wrapped box, with a brightly colored bow.

"Cool," Olivia said. "You know, you didn't have to buy her a gift. We like having you here."

"Thanks, I like being here," Caylee said, even as the thought running through her mind was that she really needed to find a place of her own.

Olivia went back to her guitar and Caylee went in the pool house and set the package on the kitchen island. She was not paranoid. Yes, this had been something she ordered herself - the one in the display case had a loose piece in the gold link fastening the mother-of-pearl starfish charm to the polished green agate that made up a delicate bracelet of pearls, opals and precious stones - all pale pink or green - that she was sure would look amazing on Camilla's wrist.

But it had been too easy for the store delivery person to walk right up to the front door which was opened by teenage Olivia, home alone with the two younger children.

What if it had been Gregory? Gregory who had told her he would see her soon. The thought of coming home and finding him here waiting with Camilla's unsuspecting sister and children made her blood run cold. No, he'd never physically hurt her in the past, but she'd seen the potential in him every time she rebuffed his advances. She didn't know what he was capable of or how far his delusion that she was now or ever had been in a relationship with him might go. How many stories had she read about stalking turning into something much darker?

By living here she was putting Sam and Camilla's family at risk, even if it was a small risk since she still didn't believe he would go so far as to just show up in Miami. But he could. She needed to find a condo, preferably one with excellent security. And she needed to do it now. It was a much stronger priority than the new car purchase she'd just been daydreaming about.

She'd start looking tomorrow.

When her cell phone rang she assumed it was Tito. They had tentative plan to do something tonight but hadn't decided what yet. He'd been busy this week making plans for the OFC sailing trip. Since she was going along, maybe she'd also better spend some time this weekend figuring out what she needed to buy or bring. Most of what she would usually wear sailing was still up in New York. She had enough for an afternoon on the water, of course, but an entire week? It might be time to do some shopping.

She pulled out her cell phone and was surprised to see Jack's name, not Tito's on the screen.

"Hey," Jack said, "I'm glad I caught you. I'm at the airport, and I have someone with me who's dying to see you. Are you free for dinner tonight?"

"Who is it?" she asked, her mind still conjuring up images of Gregory. But it couldn't be him. That was ridiculous.

"So are you free?" Jack evaded her question.

"Um, I'm supposed to do something with Tito tonight."

"Excellent! Bring him along. You can continue carrying out your mission. I'll pick a restaurant with many forks."

"You are so not funny."

"How's that going, by the way?"

"I told you. I like Tito exactly the way he is."

"I still say a little polish wouldn't hurt. There's a charity thing in a couple of weeks that the two of you-"

"Did you forget? Tito and I - and you and Bailey - will be on your sailboat with a bunch of Tito's OFC kids. Maybe you want me to teach them all what fork to use."

"Not a bad idea," Jack said, chuckling. "Grab Tito and meet me at 8:00." He gave the name of one of the new trendy restaurants in South Beach. "The reservation is under my name."

"I'll see what I can do," Caylee promised reluctantly. She'd actually been hoping for an evening alone with Tito, since they'd barely connected all week.

"See you then," Jack said.

"Wait! You didn't tell who you are brining to dinner," Caylee said.

But Jack had already hung up.

Author's Note: Who do you think the mystery person is coming to dinner?