"Or the calculation was simple enough that it didn't take long," Jake said.
"What was the calculation?"
"I have my own reasons for helping you and Great Grandmother was very convincing."
He looked at her directly.
"At the end of the day, I am also part of this family."
Nila studied him with the expression she'd worn since they met, the careful assessment of someone cataloguing information for future use.
She was quieter than her sister and her cousin, her intelligence expressing itself through observation rather than action, and Jake understood that the quietness was a choice rather than a nature - she could speak when speaking served something, and right now it was serving her curiosity.
"Do you always speak about yourself like that?" she asked.
"Without the disclaimers?"
"Disclaimers waste time," Jake said.
A small smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, brief and contained.
"Sura hates you," she said.
