Reese nearly dropped her mug of coffee, sshing it all over the kitchen table when she heard what Kay just said.


    She scrambled for some napkins, head down, frantically wiping at the mess.


    Kay caught the slip right away, her voice rising with concern, "He hasn''t even touched you, has he?"


    "Aunt Kay! That''s private! Can you not-?" Reese was all flustered, making the mess worse, now spreading the coffee everywhere. Some even dripped onto her dress and ran down her leg.


    She stared at the wet patch, her hand pausing as she nced at her prosthetic. The dampness crept down from her knee, but she couldn''t feel a thing. Her face darkened.


    Rupert hadn''t touched her.


    If he avoided her because of her disability, she''d ept it, she guessed. But Rupert was never cruel. Sometimes, when her prosthetic was bothering her, he''d kneel down and help her adjust it, never with a trace of disgust.


    But there was never... desire, either.


    Kay noticed Reese zoning out, so she grabbed a towel, swiped the table clean, and poured Reese a fresh cup of coffee, pressing it into her hands.


    Then, more seriously, she said, "Reese, your mom left you in my care. Of course I''m going to look out for you! He''s a man, honey-Rupert''s young and healthy. There''s no way he''s living like a monk."


    Reese shot her a suspicious look. "Aunt Kay, what exactly are you trying to say?" Kay clicked her tongue, frowning, "You''re always thinking of others, but you have no clue what goes on behind your back."


    Reese stiffened. "Behind my back? By who?"


    Kay raised an eyebrow, voice dropping as she said, "Sylvia."


    "You remember the whole Bridget Simpson scandal? Rupert and Sylvia made headlines for a fling-sure, it got swept under the rug, but now she''s back in the news for being ''kept'' by someone. Where there''s smoke, there''s fire, honey. People don''t just crash outside your house at Christmas by ident. You and Rupert are about to get married-what if she did it on purpose to get his attention?"


    Kay kept going, her tone heated. Reese''s frown deepened until finally, she pushed back her chair and stood, bristling.


    "Aunt Kay, Mr. Edwin already said it was a car issue. How could Sylvia have nned that? And all those rumors about her and Rupertwere cleared up ages ago!"


    She fixed Kay with a steely look. "Aunt Kay, you''re always talking about all the ways women are


    treated unfairly. Why is it, when.


    some tabloid spreads a rumore


    you''re the first to me the woman? Takes two, you know."


    Kay was caught off guard, her lips thinning with irritation as she stood up, facing Reese.


    "I''m just looking out for you, okay?


    You''re getting married, not signing


    up for a life of loneliness. Is it so ra


    wrong to be careful? Sylvia isn''t even really family-her and Rupert-"


    "Aunt Kay. Please, stop." Reese''s voice was tight, her face pale.


    "Fine, fine." Kay stepped closer, squeezing Reese''s hands. "I just want you to be happy, sweetheart."


    "Yeah."


    "I''ll leave you to rest, then. I''lle visit another day."


    Reese nodded distractedly, but Kay''s words wouldn''t stop echoing in her mind.


    Kay gave her a long look, a tiny smirk curling her lips before she turned and left.


    Once she was alone, Reese sat there for a long time, lost in thought.


    ...


    As Kay was leaving, she bumped into Tristan in the hallway. The two exchanged pleasantries.


    Tristan looked her up and down, offering a polite smile. "Ms. Winslet, you haven''t changed a bit. Still sharper than most men I know."


    Kay returned thepliment with a gracious smile. "Oh, I''m nowhere near as impressive as you were in your prime, Mr. Hayes."


    Tristan chuckled, then added, "It''s just a shame your own love life never quite worked out."


    Kay was still pondering his words when she nced across the corridor and spotted two familiar silhouettes on the opposite side.