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Growing up in suburban South Dakota had www.samhainpublishing.com 45

    Moira Rogers
    hardly prepared her to discuss the foibles of high society, which was obviously where Nick had come from. Somehow Mackenzie doubted that the way her adoptive parents had spoiled her growing up would be considered ostentatious by a woman whose destiny had included museum committees.
    Nick just waved a hand as she carried her mug to the small round table in the middle of the bright yellow kitchen.
    “It isn’t rough, and if I ever say it is, smack me. When you’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted, whining about your life is just bratty.”
    “Hey, it’s still hard. My parents weren’t exactly thrilled when their daughter decided she wanted to study dance instead of engineering like her father. But they still helped me find the money to do it.” And somewhere in the apartment she’d abandoned was a picture of her parents at her graduation, her mother already frail from the cancer that would kill her two months later but beaming with so much pride.
    Nick’s mouth curved into a slight frown. “They’re not around anymore?”
    “No. They were older when they adopted me. My dad was almost forty-five already. My mom was younger, but when she got sick the stress was horrible on both of them…” Mackenzie let her voice trail off and shrugged one shoulder.
    “She got to see me graduate, though. Then she made my dad pay for bartending school so I’d have a way to eat while I tried 46
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    Crux
    to make a living dancing. And my dad came to every dance audition I had until the day he died.”
    “They sound wonderful.”
    “They were.” And the thought of how desperately she could have used her mother’s unwavering affection and her father’s pragmatic good sense over the past month was going to reduce her to tears if she didn’t change the subject. “I was really lucky. Even when they didn’t agree with me, they always supported me.”
    “Who needs parental support when you have a bar full good-looking men?” Nick proved herself plenty intuitive with a swift subject change. “Speaking of… What did you think of Jackson? Besides being blown over by his keen investigative skills, that is?”
    “He was nice.” She dropped into the chair across from Nick and tucked her feet under her. “Like I said, a perfect gentleman. Don’t meet a lot of those these days.” Nick nodded too casually and played with the end of her ponytail. “I try not to keep them around if they don’t have any manners. But Jackson’s a good egg. His partner is too, though not nearly as…affable.” She sipped her coffee. “I let them run up a huge tab at the bar. That way, whenever I need something, they have to pony up ’cause they owe me. It’s Machiavellian, isn’t it?”

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    Moira Rogers
    Mackenzie laughed. It seemed like it had been forever since she’d laughed as easily as she had in the last few days.
    “It’s brilliant, if you ask me. You can never have too many hot men owing you favors.”
    “That’s what I’m saying.” Nick tilted her head. “I heard you made quite an impression on Derek Gabriel.” Uh-oh. Mackenzie shook her head. “He was just trying to annoy his friend. Penny, I think?”
    Nick shrugged, but her cheeks colored. “Hey, Gabriel’s not bad, either. If you like him, you should go out with him.” Well, that answered the question of how Nick felt about Derek. After the past month, it seemed almost surreal to be sharing coffee with another woman and talking about men, but something about it felt normal , too. “I’m not really in a place where I should be going out with people.” Don’t you forget that, Mackenzie Brooks.
    “You may feel differently after a couple of weeks.” The look in Nick’s dark eyes was sharp and assessing. “I’ve got to get downstairs and do some inventory. Can you come down around two?”
    “Sure. Thanks, Nick. For