Lover Beware

five-year-old son, Johnny. And Johnny’s mother.
     
    “I’M NOT UPSET with him for not telling me,” Lily said, handing the bright blue plate she’d just washed to Nettie, then plunging her hands back in the soapy water. “Not exactly. He doesn’t owe me his life story, and besides, I knew he had children. I’d dug into his background in the course of my investigation.”
    “But you are upset.” Nettie stacked the dried plate on top of the others in the oak cabinet. “I suppose it’s one thing to know something professionally, another to unexpectedly sit down to lunch with the mother of your lover’s child.”
    That was putting things bluntly. “It’s the way he did it. Just like the way he let me arrive at his grandfather’s house without telling me Paul would be there. He’s putting me through some kind of tests, and I don’t like it.”
    Nettie didn’t answer.
    The two of them were alone in Nettie’s small, cheerful kitchen. Lily had offered to help clean up after lunch. Somewhat to her surprise, Nettie had accepted right away and delegated the washing to her. Everyone else had left after they ate, with Johnny and his mother going home with her friend, Paul to his grandfather’s, and Rule’s uncle back to work at the vineyard.
    Rule had said he needed to talk to a few people. “You can’t come with me,” he’d told her. “I’m sorry, but they won’t speak freely if you’re there. I’ll tell you what I learn.”
    “Will you?” She’d studied him gravely. “People hold things back. They want to protect those they care about, and tell themselves whatever they’re hiding couldn’t really matter.” Instinct, culture, history—all would shriek at him not to reveal too much to an outsider. To human authority.
    He’d hesitated. She’d had the idea he was weighing his response, making sure he could speak the truth. “I’ll tell you,” he’d repeated.
    Nettie stacked the last of the plates. “I take it Rule hasn’t told you a lot about Johnny and Paul.”
    “He hasn’t told me anything.” Lily scrubbed hard on the pot in her hand. “I didn’t know they lived here. I didn’t know Johnny’s mother was Nokolai.”
    “Johnny and Belinda do live here, but Paul is just staying for the summer. In August he’ll return to his mother in Washington. She’s a reporter for CNN.”
    Good grief. Rule’s former lover, the mother of one of his sons, was a reporter? “That’s almost as tricky for him as having a relationship with a cop.”
    “Almost,” Nettie agreed cheerfully. “Has it been difficult for you, balancing your professional duties with your feelings for Rule?”
    Lily took a moment to think about her answer, rinsing the pot thoroughly. Nettie should have been a cop. She was alarmingly good at getting people to talk. “He and I haven’t known each other long, and for most of that time our relationship was professional. It turned personal very suddenly.”
    “Did it? Still, I can understand if you were uncomfortable today. Our customs are different from what you’re used to.”
    That was certainly true. Lily grinned. “I think I would have been a lot more uncomfortable if Belinda hadn’t been accompanied by the gorgeous Dede.” The two women had, quite obviously, been a couple.
    Nettie smiled. “I’m glad you’re tolerant. Not everyone is.”
    “Really?” She rinsed the lid, handed it to Nettie, and opened the drain. “I had the impression this was an accepted and long-standing relationship.”
    Nettie shrugged. “Long-standing, yes. And lupi don’t consider much about sex truly sinful. But relationships such as Belinda and Dede have are discouraged.”
    “Why?”
    “Customs usually evolve for a reason,” she said vaguely, turning to put away the last of the silverware. “Dede and Belinda are good together, though, so most accept them. It’s not like having a true mate, of course—but then, few are that lucky.”
    “True mate.” Lily thought of the little girls she’d met. “Is that like true love?”
    “Something like that. You seemed to enjoy yourself at the school. I thought you might like to join the group learning woodcraft for a while this afternoon. Nick is leading them. He’s our woodsman.”
    “Sure.” Lily dried her hands. She knew when she was being herded out of the way. For now, she didn’t mind. It wouldn’t stop her from seeking answers. “Do you mind if I ask you something personal?”
    “Will it stop you if I