By unspoken agreement, nobody brought up the little incident at the bar. It was painful to watch, yet their attention was glued to it like bees to honey.

Kit trained her gaze not on her baby sister, but the woman walking in front of her. She was being harsh about Tina, yet she couldn’t help herself.

“Hey beautiful,” the older Porter got up and hugged her baby sister, releasing the woman to give a quick hug to Tina. “Tina.”

“It’s been a long time, Kit,” Tina tried not to let her surprise show. She had expected Kit to go off on her and when it wasn’t forthcoming, it was a relief.

“Where’s Shane?” Alice asked, knowing full well the answer.

“Did you really need to ask?” Kit chuckled. “Oooh the Marina look-alike is back.”

“What?” Helena frowned as she tried to follow Kit’s line of sight. “Who’s Marina?”

Alice shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”

Helena nodded, turning her attention back to the mystery woman. “Pretty hot.”

“What do you think, Tina?”

Kit’s question was a double-edged sword and Tina knew it. The false sense of security was gone, replaced by a bubble of doubt. The setup was perfect, the execution flawless.

Tina did a quick once-over, then casually replied, “Too short.”

Behind her drink, Alice sighed. So much for a happy night out. “So this look-alike comes here a lot?”

“Mmmhmm,” Kit confirmed. “She’s one of Shane’s ‘friends,’ I think.”

“Goddamn lost puppies,” Alice mumbled under her breath.

“How’s my Angie doing?” Kit smiled to lessen the tension at the table. “Angus keeps telling me how fast she’s grown.”

Tina beamed at the mention of her daughter. “She certainly is. I’m just waiting for the day to come home to her composing a concerto.”

“What do you expect? She takes after Bette,” Alice slurred.

“She is her mother’s daughter,” Tina replied as she watched for Bette’s reaction. “Speaking of which, I better go. Bette, I’ll see you tomorrow at 10.”

Bette nodded and quickly finished her drink. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Three sets of eyes stared at her in disbelief, then shifted to the blonde when she snapped around. They weren’t sure what to make of Bette’s request, but none of them were alert enough ponder it further.