to inherit everything, anyway."
"Maybe not," Mitch said. "There appears to be a wife."
Nick's jaw dropped. "He married Stormy?"
Tess moved in closer. "Who's Stormy?"
Nick put his arm around her. "Forget her. I never dated her. He married her?"
"Nope. Somebody named Barbara Ross." Mitch looked at him thoughtfully. "Why didn't you date Stormy?"
"Barbara Ross? That shellacked blonde from the Junior League?" Nick frowned, perplexed. "Not Armand's type at all."
"Why didn't you date Stormy?" Tess echoed.
"She said no." Nick's frown smoothed out. "I've got it. It was the money. Barbara Ross is old money. This was just Armand looking for cash again."
"She said no?" Tess's voice was full of amazement.
"Stormy was faithful to Armand," Nick told her. "She never cheated on him. God knows why."
"So who else did you ask out?" Tess said and Mitch went to Nick's rescue.
"Listen, any guy would try for Stormy. She's fantasy material."
"Is she?" Tess turned to her husband. "Tell me about it."
"I don't have to." Nick turned her gently around and pointed over her shoulder. "That's her. The redhead."
Stormy had drifted into the room, incandescent in a black lace suit. Every man in the room turned toward her.
"Oh," Tess said. "I see."
"I got to know her during the trial." Nick stood with his hand on Tess's shoulder, his mouth close to her ear, but Mitch could still hear him. "To tell you the truth, there's not much there. She's very nice, but..."
"She has the attention span of a fruit fly," Mitch finished. "I get the feeling she has a hard time remembering to mourn."
"Well, she's not the only one," Tess said. "Mae should have hired professional weepers for this gig."
"I thought about it," Mae said, and they all jumped.
"Don't sneak up on people like that, Mabel," Mitch said. "It's rude."
Mae folded her arms. "I didn't sneak, I walked. If you hadn't been drooling over Stormy, you'd have seen me coming a mile away."
"I was not drooling," Mitch said with dignity. "I was observing."
"How very professional of you." Mae turned to the Jamiesons who were watching them with interest. "Have you all been introduced?"
"Of course," Nick said before Tess could speak. "We've known Mitch Peatwick for years."
"Who?" Tess said.
"Peatwick," Nick said, emphasizing the syllables.
"Absolutely," Tess said.
Mae blinked. "How do you know one another?"
Nick froze. "Uh, tell her, Mitch."
"I did some work for Nick," Mitch said, wondering how Nick got his reputation as the fastest lawyer in town if he couldn't think any faster than that.
"Right," Nick said.
Mae shook her head at Mitch. "If you think I'm buying that, you don't know me."
"I know you plenty." Mitch jerked his head toward June who was exiting with an empty tray. "I notice June is wearing her clothes again, not you."
Mae waved this away. "We share sometimes."
"I also notice they fit her."
Tess broke in. "So exactly how long have you known each other?"
"Three fun-filled days," Mae told her.
"You're kidding," Tess said.
"Oh, no." Mae looked past her, and they all turned to follow her eyes.
A tall, skeletally thin, blond woman draped in black crepe was posed in the doorway. She looked like death with big hair.
"That's Barbara," Mae said as she pushed past Mitch.
Nick moved to lean against the sideboard beside Mitch. "This should be good. Where'd you get that drink, anyway?"
"Take mine." Mitch handed it to him. "Somebody's going to have to head off Stormy." He moved away, hot on Mae's trail.
"Barbara, how lovely to see you," Mae burbled, trying to keep an eye out for Stormy.
"At such a terrible time," Barbara reminded her, offering her heavily made-up cheek to Mae.
Mae air-kissed her, which seemed to please her, and then shot a quick glance over her shoulder in time to see Mitch steering Stormy in the opposite direction. Mitch looked as unhappy as he looked determined, a knight in a really bad tie, and she felt a wave of affection for him roll over her.
"Such a terrible
"Maybe not," Mitch said. "There appears to be a wife."
Nick's jaw dropped. "He married Stormy?"
Tess moved in closer. "Who's Stormy?"
Nick put his arm around her. "Forget her. I never dated her. He married her?"
"Nope. Somebody named Barbara Ross." Mitch looked at him thoughtfully. "Why didn't you date Stormy?"
"Barbara Ross? That shellacked blonde from the Junior League?" Nick frowned, perplexed. "Not Armand's type at all."
"Why didn't you date Stormy?" Tess echoed.
"She said no." Nick's frown smoothed out. "I've got it. It was the money. Barbara Ross is old money. This was just Armand looking for cash again."
"She said no?" Tess's voice was full of amazement.
"Stormy was faithful to Armand," Nick told her. "She never cheated on him. God knows why."
"So who else did you ask out?" Tess said and Mitch went to Nick's rescue.
"Listen, any guy would try for Stormy. She's fantasy material."
"Is she?" Tess turned to her husband. "Tell me about it."
"I don't have to." Nick turned her gently around and pointed over her shoulder. "That's her. The redhead."
Stormy had drifted into the room, incandescent in a black lace suit. Every man in the room turned toward her.
"Oh," Tess said. "I see."
"I got to know her during the trial." Nick stood with his hand on Tess's shoulder, his mouth close to her ear, but Mitch could still hear him. "To tell you the truth, there's not much there. She's very nice, but..."
"She has the attention span of a fruit fly," Mitch finished. "I get the feeling she has a hard time remembering to mourn."
"Well, she's not the only one," Tess said. "Mae should have hired professional weepers for this gig."
"I thought about it," Mae said, and they all jumped.
"Don't sneak up on people like that, Mabel," Mitch said. "It's rude."
Mae folded her arms. "I didn't sneak, I walked. If you hadn't been drooling over Stormy, you'd have seen me coming a mile away."
"I was not drooling," Mitch said with dignity. "I was observing."
"How very professional of you." Mae turned to the Jamiesons who were watching them with interest. "Have you all been introduced?"
"Of course," Nick said before Tess could speak. "We've known Mitch Peatwick for years."
"Who?" Tess said.
"Peatwick," Nick said, emphasizing the syllables.
"Absolutely," Tess said.
Mae blinked. "How do you know one another?"
Nick froze. "Uh, tell her, Mitch."
"I did some work for Nick," Mitch said, wondering how Nick got his reputation as the fastest lawyer in town if he couldn't think any faster than that.
"Right," Nick said.
Mae shook her head at Mitch. "If you think I'm buying that, you don't know me."
"I know you plenty." Mitch jerked his head toward June who was exiting with an empty tray. "I notice June is wearing her clothes again, not you."
Mae waved this away. "We share sometimes."
"I also notice they fit her."
Tess broke in. "So exactly how long have you known each other?"
"Three fun-filled days," Mae told her.
"You're kidding," Tess said.
"Oh, no." Mae looked past her, and they all turned to follow her eyes.
A tall, skeletally thin, blond woman draped in black crepe was posed in the doorway. She looked like death with big hair.
"That's Barbara," Mae said as she pushed past Mitch.
Nick moved to lean against the sideboard beside Mitch. "This should be good. Where'd you get that drink, anyway?"
"Take mine." Mitch handed it to him. "Somebody's going to have to head off Stormy." He moved away, hot on Mae's trail.
"Barbara, how lovely to see you," Mae burbled, trying to keep an eye out for Stormy.
"At such a terrible time," Barbara reminded her, offering her heavily made-up cheek to Mae.
Mae air-kissed her, which seemed to please her, and then shot a quick glance over her shoulder in time to see Mitch steering Stormy in the opposite direction. Mitch looked as unhappy as he looked determined, a knight in a really bad tie, and she felt a wave of affection for him roll over her.
"Such a terrible
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