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14 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 1, 2026
















“Maybe little Herbie needs a medical treatment, and now they can’t afford it. Or sweet young Ernestine has to give up her dream of being a concert pianist because you can’t pay for the lessons.”
Roarke waited a beat, then reached for the door. “If we ever have children, I’m in charge of names.”
“I like dumplings, but where do they get that name? Dumplings? They’re sort of soft biscuits that go inside the stew. Or on top of it. Dumplings sound like some little thing you dump . . . Okay, that one makes weird sense now.”
“Thank God, as I’d have pondered over the question for hours.”
“Does it make you go gooey when he calls you darling like that?” Peabody checked the menu on the AutoChef.
“Do I look gooey?”
“It would be inside where nobody can see. Sort of melty-gooey on the inside, like a good grilled cheese sandwich.”
“And there she is, my own darling Eve.”
She framed his face with her hands. “There he is, my own Irish gazillionaire. I love you. I’d love you even if you were only a paltry millionaire. Under that, it could get shaky.”
“You’ve got that old button in your pocket, don’t you?”
“Well, of course.” He slid it out to prove it.
“How come I don’t have a sloppy, sentimental good luck thing?”
“What would it be?”
“I don’t know. You don’t ever lose anything. Wait. I know. Give me one of those leather ties you use for your hair in serious work mode.”
“Really? I’ve just the one on me right now.”
“You’ve got more. You have more of everything.”
“You know . . .” Peabody pursed her lips in thought. “I think it’s dots because they’re not distracting. You’d be tempted to fill in other shapes along the way instead of just following them.”
“Hmm. But maybe filling them in leads to other angles and theories.”
“Now I’m confused. Or maybe I’ll create those connect-the-dot puzzles using a variety of shapes. And if you fill in the right ones, you get other solutions. Whee. I could make a fortune.”
“Yeah, you do that in your spare time.”
“No, I know you. You make me proud.”
For a moment, she struck him speechless.
“I rag on you about the great gobs of money, the business, all that because I can. And it’s fun. But I don’t think to tell you, at least not just that way, you make me proud of what you do. What you do, it’s what Redman wanted to do. You make the world better. People like Wyst, Banner, it’s all about the money, the power and influence. You get all of that, but you make the world better, never aim to fuck over the little guy. So you earn it.”
“You undo me,” he murmured.”