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is. Dad is officially late. This is a first.” He winked at Mira. “You and Dad are never even thirty seconds behind schedule.”
    “Nope,” Mira agreed smugly. She was punctual to a fault and hated when others weren’t. She leaned back in her seat and stared at the choppy bay beyond the patio. From the terrace, it was easy to feel like you were on an ocean liner in the Mediterranean. Mira liked being surrounded by water. She just didn’t like being in the water. “If Dad’s late, blame Lucas,” she added. “He’s probably got Dad delivering puppies at an animal shelter.”
    “That’s not a bad idea, Mirabelle.”
    Mira heard Lucas’s even-keeled voice and froze as he appeared at their table. “The animal-compassion angle would work great at campaign time,” he added, revealing a mouth full of perfect veneers. “But as for today, the reason your father is detained ,” he enunciated, “is because he had to sign some paperwork with your mother.”
    “What kind of paperwork would that be?” Hayden pried.
    Lucas answered Hayden’s question with one of his own, a habit that drove Mira nuts. “They don’t make you wear ties at school anymore?” He touched Connor’s shirt, and Connor stuck his tongue out at him when Lucas turned around. “Hayden, at least, had one on earlier, I believe.” Hayden fumbled for the crumpled tie in his pocket as Lucas looked Mira up and down with disdain. “No time to dry your hair at the country club? You three better step up your act before this campaign gets in full swing.”
    “It’s a family dinner, Lucas,” Mira said, keeping her tone light. She was polite with adults, but at twenty-nine, Lucas didn’t really feel like her elder.
    Lucas nodded approvingly as Hayden knotted his tie again. “That’s a little better,” he said, and placed his hands in the pockets of his expensive suit. “So, now that we’re presentable, let’s catch up. How was the rest of your summer?”
    Connor rolled his eyes at Mira. None of them liked talking to Lucas. They didn’t get why their dad liked the guy so much. Okay, so maybe he had led two other state senators to victory in their U.S. Senate bids and he’d only been on the job for three years, but Lucas was still a complete snake. Their dad, however, loved the guy’s ambition.
    “Summer was fun once we actually got to do stuff,” Connor muttered. Lucas laughed.
    “Touché. I did keep you guys busy. But it’s all for your dad, right?” Lucas patted Hayden on the back. “We want to get him to Washington, don’t we?”
    The patio doors opened before Mira could really think about her answer to that question. Mira’s parents walked in looking like they were ready for a meeting with the governor. Her mom wore a fitted navy dress with pleats, and her long pale blond hair was pulled back to show off the simple trinity diamond pendant she wore almost every day. Their dad was in a suit (shocker) and his slightly graying brown hair had its usual Kennedy-style pouf. The only thing that looked off about her parents was their strained smiles.
    “Cute dress, Mirabelle,” her mom said, sounding unusually tired. “Sorry I couldn’t give you a ride here. I had to cancel everything on my calendar today, including the EC Greeters meeting and tennis.” Mira’s mom pushed her hair behind her ears. Mira knew her mom did that only when she was getting ready to relay bad news. But then her mom’s green eyes lit up. “But I ran into the school headmaster this morning, and guess what? They are changing your uniforms next year! I told him it’s about time. They really need something more flattering for the girls.” Her mom’s BlackBerry vibrated, and she quickly started typing something as she walked over to greet Connor and Hayden.
    “Hi, sweetheart.” Mira’s dad kissed her on the cheek. “How was the club?” He folded his large arms across his chest. “Did Mr. Connick like my gift?”
    The joke in Emerald Cove was that Bill