The four of them looked at me as if I had two heads. But rather than answer their questions, I asked one of my own. "Where's Ms. Rankin?"
"Oh, she said she needed a couple of minutes to freshen up. She is in the upstairs guest bathroom." responded Fiona. "She won't be long."
Soon we heard the rumbling of male voices as the adults made their way to the dining room. I could hear dad say he was going to grab a few bottles of wine, maybe even champagne, and suggested Alpha Paxton assist him in the selection. Dad is a bit of a wine buff and has a climate-controlled wine cellar in the basement. So off the two of them went. Much to my amusement, Ms. Rankin chose that moment to enter the dining room. I could see her looking around and inhaling deeply.
"Lila," she said to mom. "I swear to heave
