“Oh, Killian.” Marliss’s sigh was even louder than his. Let me get a cup of coffee so I can wake up my brain. Then you can tell me how you’ve made a mess of things.”

He waited impatiently until she picked up the phone again and told him she was ready. It took him a while, and he wasn’t sure he was coherent at all times. His mother listened without interrupting until he got it all out. When he finished, he blew out a breath and waited for her to tell him he was full of shit. What ...