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though she didn’t look innocent at all, and squeezed Cordelia’s hand.
    Ariel shook her head and rose, wandering out of the kitchen, surprising them when music suddenly blared. “Oops,” she called out from the living room. “Sorry.”
    “It’s Evie’s old radio,” Olivia said.
    The three of them pushed up from the stools and walked through the arch that led to the rest of the apartment. “Remember how Evie would turn it on and make us dance with her?” Portia said.
    “Yeah, and not to classical music.”
    “Swing.”
    “And rock.”
    “Punk!” Olivia cried out with a laugh.
    Portia couldn’t help herself: She twirled the dial, and the minute an old eighties punk song came on, she started dancing. “Come on! Let’s dance!”
    The others stared at her. But then Portia pulled Olivia in. Once Olivia got going, they turned to Cordelia.
    “Oh, no. I’m too old for this.”
    “You’re never too old for dancing. Besides, just a minute ago you swore you were twenty-eight.”
    Portia dragged her onto the floor, and she felt her sister’s stress start melting away. All three of them danced and flailed. They turned in hops and sweeps toward Ariel, who looked half-wistful, half-disdainful, and they extended their hands.
    “No way. I don’t know how to dance.”
    “Knowing how doesn’t matter,” Olivia bellowed.
    Then suddenly Ariel was in their midst, gyrating and waving her arms, shouting out random words from the chorus.
    “Dance, baby!”
    At the end of the number, Olivia swirled the dial, then smiled. “I love this one.” She turned it up louder, then sang along to a crooning Brad Paisley ballad. She hooked her arm through Cordelia’s, and Portia saw their older sister shake her head, but she smiled. And soon they all were singing. Even Ariel got into the act. Until the music snapped off mid-verse.
    “What’s going on here?”
    Portia nearly tripped at the sight of Gabriel Kane.
    He appeared every bit as powerful as he had earlier in the day, though now there was no trace of a smile. If possible, everything dark about his eyes grew darker as he took her in, his gaze sliding over her in a heated sear. She could have sworn he seemed confused, as if he couldn’t reconcile the woman on the steps with the woman standing in the apartment.
    “Dad!” Ariel laughed. If she was aware of the darkness, she didn’t show it. “Come dance it out with us!”
    Dad didn’t look amused.
    “Ariel, go upstairs.”
    Ariel’s smile turned to a gape. “What did I do?”
    “Upstairs.”
    “Dad!”
    “Up. Stairs.”
    Portia watched Ariel march to the kitchen, stuff all her belongings back into her backpack, then sulk off. Cordelia, she noticed, quickly smoothed her already smooth hair, looking surprisingly uncomfortable. Olivia, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t put off by Gabriel’s tone. She looked him up and down. “Hi, I’m Olivia,” she said, stepping closer.
    Portia felt an instant flash of irritation.
    “Good God, Olivia,” Cordelia groaned, walking forward and extending her hand. “I’m Cordelia Callahan. Olivia and I sold you our portions of the town house.”
    “Gabriel Kane.” He shook her hand.
    He nodded briefly to Olivia, polite, but that was all, before turning back to Portia. She felt that same sense of vertigo she had experienced on the front steps, the world reeling a bit at the sight of him.
    “This is our sister Portia,” Cordelia put in.
    Gabriel didn’t look away from Portia. “We met. This morning.”
    Cordelia gaped for one silent second before saying, “You’ve met?”
    Olivia only considered her.
    “Sort of,” Portia conceded.
    Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t realized she was the woman who—”
    The words broke off, and Portia filled in the gap: “ who backed out of selling me the apartment.”
    He brow creased, his voice growing hard. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were earlier?”
    She grimaced and shrugged; the best answer she could come up with