[This exchange occurs shortly after the end of Guardian Knight: On Time.]

Michael Knight entered Devon's office, saying, "You wanted to see me, Devon?"

"Ah, Michael. Yes, I did. Do come in and please have a seat." Devon went over to the sideboard and poured himself a whiskey. "May I offer you a drink? I even have a bottle of beer, if you prefer."

"Um, sure." Devon handed him a beer. "Okay, what's all this about?"

Devon sat down in a chair, not at his desk. "Well, dear boy, I felt we needed to talk."

"Annul performance appraisal time again already?"

Devon chuckled. "No, Michael. This about Melissa."

"Let me guess: she's misbehaved, and you need me to tell her she's grounded for a week."

"Of course not." Devon sounded shocked. "Melissa is a very well-behaved young lady. And always has been."

"Too bad."

"Pardon?"

"She's sixteen, almost seventeen. She's supposed to be acting up."

"You're her legal guardian, Michael. You're responsible for her. Which gets me to the point of this meeting." Devon took a sip of his whiskey. "Michael, I was surprised – not as surprised as you were, of course – to learn Wilton had made you Melissa's legal guardian."

"I still can't believe you of all people didn't read Wilton's will."

"Wilton was a billionaire, Michael, with a B. He made a lot of bequests, and his will was over 100 pages. The section dealing with the Foundation was 20 pages on its own. There was a team of lawyers responsible for carrying out his last wishes. I read the summary of the provisions applicable to me."

"And you were distracted by your grief over Wilton's death," said Michael kindly. "And your work for the Foundation. Which meant you didn't notice the summary was silent about Melissa's guardianship."

"Correct." Devon had another swallow of whisky. "However, I came to realize that Wilton had – as usual – made the right decision. At Melissa's high school graduation, as a matter of fact."

"Really? I don't remember anything out of the ordinary happening."

"Which is precisely my point." Michael looked quizzical, so Devon explained, "I told her Wilton would have been proud; you told her she had done well."

"Well, to be honest, I didn't really know Wilton that long or that well."

"I suspect that even if you had, you still would have congratulated Melissa on her accomplishments rather than on what her father would have expected from her." Devon had another sip of whiskey before continuing. "Wilton, Elizabeth, and Garthe are all dead. That leaves me as the only living person who knows certain things about Melissa. As her legal guardian, Michael, you are entitled to that information. You deserve it."

"Such as?" Michael took a swig from his bottle.

Devon took another sip of his whiskey. "To be clear, I am not talking about amusing anecdotes from when Melissa was a baby –"

"Save those for when she brings her boyfriend over for dinner."

"Indeed," said Devon with a smile. "No, I am talking about events that may have left . . . landmines you would do well to avoid."

"I already know how she fractured her hip," said Michael, a serious tone in his voice.

"How . . .?"

"I asked her about life with Garthe." Michael held up a hand to forestall Devon. "Obviously, I didn't know what I was asking. And I gave her the choice of whether and what to tell me or to send me to ask you. Or even tell me it was none of my business."

"What did she tell you?"

Michael shook his head. "Doesn't work that way, Devon. She needs to trust me, if this is going to work. Which she won't if she thinks I am sharing everything she tells me with you. If you want to know what she told me, you have to ask her."

"I . . . see," said Devon thoughtfully.

"What else do you have?"

"Melissa has Elizabeth's beauty and Wilton's coloring. She has Wilton's intelligence and Elizabeth's long-range planning. She has a double dose of, shall we say, tenacity. However, unlike Garthe, Melissa can be reasoned with. Usually. Though she can certainly dig in her heels, as the saying goes."

Michael nodded his understanding. "Anything else for the moment?"

Devon stared sadly at his glass. Michael gave him time to gather his thoughts.

"Melissa was, for all intents and purposes, an only child surrounded by adults. She had friends, of course. But it wasn't like she could easily go to their houses or have them here." Devon sighed. "And then after Garthe threw her out that window . . . Well, she became very withdrawn. She finally began coming back out of her shell, just in time for Wilton to be diagnosed with his fatal illness."

"From what I've seen, she's doing well."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps she just hides it well. She won't lie, of course. At least, not to you or me. And she is a very responsible child, owning up to her actions."

"Comes from growing up with Garthe as an older brother, I expect. Probably why she is, as you put it, well-behaved."

Devon nodded. "Indeed. However, that doesn't mean she is entirely forthcoming."

"Anything else?"

"That's what comes to mind for the moment. Do you have any questions?"

"Not at the moment." Michael finished off his beer and stood up. "Well, I'm off to see Melissa. And encourage her to behave like a normal teenager."

Devon shook his head as Michael left. But after Michael was gone, he stared thoughtfully after the younger man. "Good luck with that, Michael. Though if anyone can teach Melissa to relax and enjoy herself, it would be you."

And with that, Devon finished his drink and returned to his paperwork.