“Did I hear a car in the driveway just now?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“Just a delivery van turning around,” I said, setting the bowl on the counter. “They must have been lost.”

Juliette’s face tightened.

She looked out the kitchen window, then back at me, her eyes narrowing. “Are you sure?”

“Very sure,” I said.

She pulled out her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen.

I watched her dial a number and put the phone to her ear.

“Yes, this is Juliette Sterling,” she said, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper. “I am calling about my order.”

She walked out of the kitchen, her heels clicking loudly on the hardwood floor of the dining room.

I stood by the counter, waiting.

A minute later, Dan walked in from the back deck, wiping sweat from his forehead with a paper towel.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking between me and the hallway.

“Everything is fine,” I said.

“My mother is furious about something,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “She’s pacing the hallway.”

“She’s probably just hungry,” I said.