“And every time we moved to a new place,” Shanna continued, “Caitlyn was the first to pick up the new language. She was incredible. I swear she could learn a language in a month.”

Caitlyn’s face grew warm as all the women expressed amazement.

Emma watched her closely. “Is it true you know over a dozen languages?”

Caitlyn nodded. She had an odd suspicion that Emma’s interest in her was more than casual.

“How long does it take for you to learn a language now?” Emma asked.

Caitlyn hesitated before answering. “A few hours.” Her face burned hotter when the ladies gasped. It wasn’t like she’d mastered some fantastic skill. It was simply a weird gift she’d been born with. Once she’d figured out she was a psychic linguist, she’d honed the talent to her present level of expertise. It wasn’t something she usually talked about, since most people refused to believe she could understand any language she heard. They either thought she was lying or loony.

“That must have been extremely useful for your job with the State Department,” Emma observed. “They were wrong to let you go.”

Caitlyn stiffened and glanced at her sister, who stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I told Emma you were looking for employment.”

“How did you know?” The State Department had done a good job of hushing up her big mistake.

“I called Mom to invite her to the birthday party,” Shanna continued quietly. “After she gave me an excuse for not coming, she told me what had happened to you and that you were here in New York, looking for a job. She said Dad wanted to hire you for his team. I wanted to give you an alternative, so I asked Emma to find you.”

Emma smiled. “I’m one of the owners of MacKay Security and Investigation.”

So that was how they’d tracked her down at her hotel. Even so, Caitlyn was stunned that her mom hadn’t wanted to come to her grandson’s birthday party. “I don’t understand why Mom and Dad aren’t here. Or why Dad told me never to come here.”