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took her
arm when they crossed the street and held it after they were safely
across.
    “ I’m not going to run away,” she
huffed. “You can let go of me.”
    “ Walk on the inside.” He pulled her
toward the buildings and stepped to the street side of the
sidewalk.
    “ Why?”
    “ Because it’s safer for you,” he
said. “And my father would be ashamed of me for letting a lady walk
on the street side.”
    “ Your father sounds like a
gentleman.”
    “ You’d like him.” They had come to
the apartment. “And he would love you.”
    His intense gaze lent Teri a
fluttering near her heart.
    She inhaled deeply and let out a
long breath. “Against my better judgment, I’m going to invite you
up for breakfast. Let me make sure everyone’s decent.” Grabbing the
bags from him, she ran lightly up the stairs.
    Connie was scrambling eggs and
watching a pan of hash browned potatoes.
    “ Do you think it would be okay to
have a visitor for breakfast?” Teri asked. Clemmie was setting the
table for their repast. Miriam returned from the laundry room and
enthusiastically endorsed bringing Angel upstairs. Teri called down
to him and he sprinted up the steps.
    Angel grinned as he met each nun,
charming them with his looks and manners. It seemed to Teri that
each of the nuns was very interested in the young detective, for
various reasons. Sister Miriam managed to let him know that she
hadn’t taken her final vows yet. She blushed when Teri and the
others turned to grin at her.
    Teri took a moment to tuck the cell
phone in the bottom of her drawer before returning to the group.
They sat around the small table and said grace before breaking
bread.
    Teri poured juice in each glass and
placed the heated tortillas and pan de dulce on a
platter.
    Clemmie took on the role of hostess
and offered Angel coffee, pouring it when he held out his cup. She
passed him the eggs and potatoes.
    Angel glanced from nun to nun. “So,
how does this work? It’s like a sorority house here.” He shoveled
the eggs and potatoes into a tortilla and spooned on salsa before
rolling it up.
    “ The students call us the nunnies,”
Clem laughed as she spoke.
    “ I heard we were the nunettes,”
Connie said.
    “ That’s totally disrespectful.”
Miriam raised her brows as high as possible.
    “ It’s said with affection,” Teri
said. “The girls identify with us because we’re the closest to
their age.”
    “ And here we are on Saturday
morning, doing our chores.” Clem tore into her pan and dunked a
piece in her coffee.
    “ Just like real working women
everywhere,” Teri said.
    Angel skewered her with his
disarming gaze. “What would your sister be doing if she were still
in New York City? Did she do chores on Saturday
morning?”
    Teri met his gaze directly. When
she replied there was an edge to her voice. “She liked to sleep
late on Saturday because she and her boyfriend always went out to
dinner and to clubs on Friday night.” Teri took a sip of juice to
give herself courage. “When she woke up she did chores but not like
we do. She had a cleaning lady who came to the apartment twice a
week. On Saturday, she read the paper and drank coffee. Then she
dropped her clothes at the cleaners, had her nails done, shopped
for a few groceries and took a jog through Central Park. She might
meet a friend for lunch, play tennis, or go for a sail with Colin.”
Her voice trailed off as she looked around the table at the rapt
faces.
    “ That sounds wonderful,” Miriam
said. “She must lead a glamorous life.”
    Teri shrugged. “She’s really a
simple person. She fell into modeling and everyone treated her like
she was something special.” She caught Angel’s eye. “But she was
just like me in another time and place.”
    He raised his cup, his unwavering
gaze held her captured. “To another time and place.”
    After they ate, Teri rinsed the
dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Angel was escorted to their
living room and seated on the sofa.