“I know your art history work backward and forward, but I didn’t know you sculpted too,” Reesa said to Lyra as they roamed through Gemma’s rose garden. Attention wandering from one flower bed to another, she admired the accompanying trios of statues. “They’re flawless. How marble can look so lifelike is beyond my comprehension.”

Lyra, who’d kept an arm around Reesa’s waist during their outing, gently pulled her into a side hug. “I don’t see them as ...