Chapter Nine

Cupid’s Bow only had one men’s formal-wear shop, and it had been operating for over thirty years. Every so often, the owners did some minor redecorating to keep up with the times, but as Will stood waiting for the associate to bring him his tuxedo, memories swirled around him like smoke. He’d stood in this exact spot in the days prior to his junior and senior proms, both of which he’d attended with Tasha. And this was where he’d rented the tuxedo for his wedding—not that he’d ever needed to wear it.

With each month that passed, he thought about Tasha less and less. Yet, standing here now, he couldn’t suppress a sharp spike of anger. It wasn’t that he held any grudge for her breaking off their engagement; if she didn’t love him enough to make it work, better to find that out before they exchanged vows. But after all the years they’d had together and everything they’d meant to each other, couldn’t she have found a less humiliating way to end their relationship? Even after she’d skipped town, he remained an object of pity and speculation.

But he was here today as Cole’s best man. He needed to support his brother, not dwell on past wounds. Get your game face on. If Will struggled to make it through a simple tuxedo fitting without brooding, how was he going to handle the wedding day? He truly was happy for Cole and Kate. When he stood in front of their family and friends to give his best man toast next weekend, he wanted them to feel his sincerity, not any lingering bitterness.

To Will’s left, Jace slid open a floor-length curtain and emerged from a fitting room. He strutted toward the large mirror on the back wall and smiled at his own reflection. “Bond, James Bond.”

Will shook his head. “Dork, major dork.”

“You’re just jealous you don’t look this suave.”

“Give me a minute,” Will said, taking his tux from the returning associate, “and I will.” As he changed clothes, he couldn’t help wondering if maybe Cole should have asked Jace to be the best man. Will had been the best man in Cole’s first wedding...which had ended in divorce. And Cole was the best man on record for Will’s wedding that wasn’t. Our history is not auspicious.

Then again, Will thought, adjusting his bow tie, if Jace were the best man, he’d lose the rings and kidnap Cole to Mexico for some wild bachelor party weekend. Which Cole knew perfectly well.

Will exited the dressing room to await his turn while the tailor circled Jace, checking the fit of the shoulders and the back of the coat. The elderly man tutted to himself as he ran a finger beneath the collar. Cole, meanwhile, had already finished with his own fitting and changed back into his sheriff’s uniform. He and Will were both taking their lunch breaks; Jace didn’t work until this evening, and their father was running late because of an accident on the other side of town.

Will walked over to where his brother sat. “Not much longer until the big day. Excited?”

“I’d say I was the most excited person in the world, but I think the twins have me beat. They are ecstatic that Kate is going to be their mother.”

“And how are you and Luke doing with the impending stepson/stepfather situation?” Will asked. The two had gotten off to a rocky start when Cole busted Luke for shoplifting on his very first day in town.

“Luke’s a teenage boy, so he plays it a little cooler than my six-year-old daughters, but he’s started confiding in me. Asking my opinion on what classes to take next year, asking my advice about girls—”

“Ha. If it’s romantic advice he wants, he should come talk to his uncle Will.”

“Yeah.” Cole’s expression turned sly. “I heard new romance was brewing in your life. I thought you didn’t want Mom setting you up with Megan Rivers.”

“I don’t want Mom setting me up with anyone,” he said neutrally. “I’m a big boy. I can get my own dates.”

“Okay, but you do realize that she probably heard about you kissing Megan at the Leonard Tree Farm about five minutes after it happened?”

Will groaned inwardly. As a lifelong resident of Cupid’s Bow, he knew how swiftly gossip spread. But he hadn’t been thinking about the rumor mill when he’d realized the opportunity he’d been given. He’d only been thinking about the sensual gleam in Megan’s eyes as she’d glanced from the mistletoe to him, about the softness of her lips beneath his and the way she’d moved toward him. For all the times he’d teased her about being prickly, she’d been so sweet and eagerly pliant.

Cole whistled low under his breath. “Wow. You’re not even here anymore, are you? You’re thinking about her.”

He let out an exasperated breath. What the hell had happened to his poker face? No wonder his brothers had taken his money last time they played. “There was mistletoe. In the spirit of the holidays, I gave her a friendly kiss. I kiss women semiregularly, Cole. It’s not breaking news.”

“And do you also hang up Christmas lights for them? And buy barbecue dinners for their families? Abe Martin across the street from Megan plays bridge with Dad. And Leanne Lanier gave Kate an earful when she went in to pick up a rack of ribs last night.”

“Damn Cupid’s Bow,” Will muttered. This town was the original information superhighway.

“So, what’s happening between you and Megan?”

If the question had come from Jace, all smirking mockery, Will would have automatically deflected. But this was his big brother and Cole had always been there for him, including drinking with him until dawn the night Tasha broke their engagement. So he said honestly, “I don’t know. She’s...great.”

“No argument here. Kate and I like her more and more each time we deal with her.”

But however great Megan might be, the romantic relationships Will favored these days weren’t relationships at all. They were fun, consensual flings. Based on her past scathing comments about his love life, he strongly doubted Megan would consider a short-lived affair. But anything more than that between them would be fraught with unwanted complications.

They were next-door neighbors. How uncomfortable would life become after their relationship ended? Every time he went to the mailbox or took out the trash would be a potentially unpleasant encounter. Not to mention the awkwardness of running into each other with new lovers. Proximity was reason enough not to get involved, but her girls were an added factor. He and Megan had been lucky yesterday that the triplets had been distracted, but short of buying them a golden retriever, he couldn’t keep them from noticing if he and Megan were in a relationship. The first time his nieces, Alyssa and Mandy, had seen their dad kiss Kate, they’d asked if they were getting a new mommy. If the relationship hadn’t worked out, those girls would have been devastated. And Megan’s girls were even younger. It would be so difficult to manage their expectations or talk to them about the complexities of adult relationships.

He suddenly realized Cole was watching him intently, the way he might scrutinize a suspect he was about to question. “I spent months trying to get Megan to like me. Now she does, and we’re friends. End of story.”

Cole hitched one eyebrow in such a sardonic, skeptical expression that Will kinda wanted to punch him. Next to socking his brother, his strongest instinct was to deny, deny, deny. But protesting too much would only convince Cole he was onto something. So Will went with the unpredictable. “Maybe I’ll ask her to the wedding.”

The surprise that washed over his brother’s smug face was supremely satisfying. But Cole recovered quickly. “Um, she’s the florist. She’ll already be at the wedding, distributing corsages and making sure the pew bows are right, et cetera.”

“Well, this is depressing.” Shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket, Jace joined them. “I used to look up to my badass older brothers and now I find you discussing pew bows.”

“Wrong,” Cole said, “we were discussing Will’s date, the woman responsible for said bows.”

“This would be the woman you were making out with at Leonard’s Tree Farm?” Jace asked.

Will’s jaw clenched. “The tailor’s ready for me now. It would be rude to keep him waiting.” He stepped forward, but unfortunately, both of his stubborn brothers followed. “You two are making a big deal out of nothing. I’m allowed to have a plus-one, which would make the reception much more enjoyable, and it occurred to me that since she’ll be there anyway and since we’re friends, I might as well ask Megan.” Going on the offensive, he asked Jace, “And your date would be...?”

His brother glared. “I don’t have one. But I could if I wanted to! A family wedding isn’t exactly a casual outing, like bowling.”

“Which is why I didn’t ask anyone, either,” Will said. “But since Megan will be there, and I’ll be there, we might as well dance together and have a little champagne after the best man duties and the pew bows are all finished. Plus, if I have a decoy date, I don’t have to worry about Mom shoving single women at me all night.”

Jace looked suddenly horrified. “Oh, hell. I didn’t think about that. I’m going to be unprotected, vulnerable! And the ladies won’t be able to resist me in a tux.” He nodded at his own reflection. “This is the kind of suit I was made for, not red polyester. I’m far too young and sexy to be Santa.”

“What are you talking about?” Cole asked. “Did you bring a flask to the fitting?”

Will was starting to wish he had.

“The bar is doing a winter wonderland event, and my boss has decided that I should be Santa, so I’ve rented a Santa suit.”

Santa. Will had a sudden recollection of Iris throwing herself down on the sidewalk when she’d realized she was being denied her chance to meet Saint Nick. Her cries had been heartbreaking. “How long do you have this suit for?” He grinned as an idea struck him.

“I need to have it back Sunday morning, why?” Jace’s expression turned wary. “Oh, hell. I know that smile. I’m not going to like what you’re about to say, am I?”

“Nope. But you’re going to agree anyway.”

* * *

WHEN DAGMAR WALKED into the florist shop at one thirty, holding out a salad from the local deli, Megan suddenly realized how famished she was. She’d been so busy that morning she not only hadn’t made time for a snack, but she hadn’t even had a spare minute to register she was hungry.

“You are a lifesaver,” Megan said.

The short, silver-haired woman grinned. “That’s how I feel about you, too, mouse. Being able to sleep until noon is nirvana.”

“You don’t actually sleep until noon, do you?” Megan asking, rummaging through the deli bag for a fork and salad dressing.

“Just once. After my girlfriends and I went to a ladies’ night in Turtle.”

Megan laughed. “I’m not sure how to feel about my sixty-five-year-old honorary aunt out partying while I’m home reading Goodnight Moon.

“Maybe you should come with us next time.”

“Thanks, but the girls keep me pretty busy in the evenings.”

“So I hear,” Dagmar said with a cryptic smile. “Busy picking out Christmas trees, right?”

Oh boy. What else had her aunt heard? Like you don’t already know. Megan should have seen this coming. How many times had she overheard locals having animated conversations about each other’s lives right here in this shop or in line at the bank or while waiting for their food at the Smoky Pig lunch counter? It was rarely malicious, just nosy. People in Cupid’s Bow considered themselves family and seemed to think they had a right to know what their “relations” were up to at all times.

She decided to brazen it out. “Yep, the tree is at home in its stand. We’re planning to decorate it tonight, if you want to help.” She forked a piece of turkey in her salad. A person couldn’t be interrogated with food in her mouth. “I’d better hurry up and eat this. I have to deliver flowers to Jasmine Tucker, get Tommy from Kate and pick up the girls.”

Dagmar pursed her lips. “Too bad we didn’t get more of a chance to talk. But who knows? Maybe I will come by tonight for tree-trimming.”

It sounded vaguely like a threat, but Megan could hardly retract the invitation. Instead, she nodded gamely and hoped that the presence of her daughters would prevent her aunt from getting too personal.

After scarfing down the rest of her salad, she drove by Jasmine’s boutique a couple of streets over to deliver the flowers her boyfriend, Brody, had ordered. Then she drove to the church; since Kate had to be in town anyway, they’d agreed to meet there. They parked next to each other, and Tommy stayed asleep as Megan moved his seat from Kate’s car to her own van.

“Thank you so much for meeting me here,” Megan said, checking her watch. She was actually a few minutes ahead of schedule now. That never happened. “It’s been a hectic day and this is a lot more convenient than driving out to your grandmother’s farm.”

“Tell me about it,” Kate said with a laugh. “I lived there for months without resenting the drive, but as the wedding approaches, I can’t help thinking about how much closer to town the new house will be.” She and Cole had decided not to live in his house while they were engaged, instead choosing to move the whole family into the one they’d had built. Together.

“It won’t be long now,” Megan said. “I finished the girls’ bouquets, by the way.” Kate, her matron of honor, Crystal, and bridesmaid, Sierra, would carry a bouquet of fresh flowers, similar in shape but each a different color. But Kate had wanted silk arrangements for her stepdaughters that they could keep as a memento of the day.

Kate’s eyes shimmered. “I can’t believe I’m this happy. After my husband died, I never thought...” She swallowed hard. “Would you believe I actually fought it at first? I was afraid to be happy again.”

“I can understand that.” Even in the less drastic case of divorce, you walked away with emotional scars. When your entire life crumbled around you, you developed a new sense of vulnerability, an awareness of how easily joy and stability could be taken away.

Kate sniffed. “Good grief. I’m an emotional mess lately. The last thing I want is streaked mascara and puffy eyes in the wedding pictures. I don’t suppose you have a tissue?”

“Of course I do. I travel at all times with tissues, assorted first aid supplies and emergency crackers—so that Iris doesn’t waste away.” Megan leaned into her van to grab a tissue box. “You’ve never met a child who can go from perfectly content to faint with hunger so rapidly.”

“Ha! You’ve obviously never fed a teenage boy. Thanks,” Kate said, dabbing at her eyes.

“I’ll make sure to bring extras to the wedding,” Megan promised, “and have them stashed in all kinds of subtle, but accessible places.”

“About the wedding... We talked about your staying for the reception. You do know we mean that as a thank-you, not a you-being-on-call-for-centerpiece-emergencies, right? We want you to have fun just like the other guests. Have some champagne, dance with a handsome date.”

“Date?”

“Hypothetically,” Kate said, her expression innocent.

Megan pressed a palm to her forehead. “Is there anyone in town who didn’t hear about the Christmas tree farm kiss?”

“That’s kind of a mouthful. We’re calling it the Mistletoe Moment.”

“Right.” Her sex life now came with catchy, alliterative captions. Determined not to overreact, she told herself that one modest kiss did not equal a sex life. Maybe not, but it’s the closest you’ve come in years. She sighed. “I think it’s time I wake Tommy up and go collect the girls.”

“Meaning you don’t want to discuss the Moment?”

“I hate to disappoint you, but there’s not much to discuss.” At least, Will hadn’t seemed to think so. Mere minutes after making her toes curl last night, he’d helped her and the girls to the van, helped set up the tree, then taken Tommy home. There’d been no mention of what had passed between them. Of course, it wasn’t as if Megan had addressed the topic, either. Given her rather barren social life since the divorce, a kiss might mean something very different to her than it did to Will. Her hastily formed first impression of him as a womanizing degenerate was wrong, but the whole town knew he wasn’t exactly celibate.

She leaned into the car and unbuckled Tommy, speaking softly. “Hey there, buddy. Want to see the girls?” She knew from experience that he often woke up in a mood, and sure enough, his face was already scrunching up into a scowl. He let out a tentative cry, like an opera singer doing warm-up scales before a performance. She patted him on the back, her tone soothing. “Oh, I don’t think there’s really any need for that, do you? We’re all friends here. And friends do not assault friends’ eardrums.”

Kate chuckled. “He does get cranky when his beauty rest is interrupted, doesn’t he? Other than that, he’s such a good baby. You don’t think all of this is bad for him do you? Being passed around from caregiver to caregiver, all the new environments?”

“It takes a village, right? The important part is that he has responsible, loving people who keep him safe and healthy.” From what she’d heard about Donovan Anders, Tommy’s biological father might not have accomplished that.

Still, it eased her mind when she walked down the church day-care hall and Tommy gurgled happily when he saw the triplets. Sometimes Daisy startled him with her exuberance, but overall he seemed very fond of the girls. Maybe his current schedule was a little unorthodox, but he didn’t seem any worse for the wear. Likewise, the triplets didn’t seem to mind sharing their mother’s attention and limited time.

With all four children in a good mood, Megan wondered if she’d be pushing her luck by stopping at the grocery store on the way home. She knew lots of other moms with young children used their day-care time to run errands, but that was when she needed to be at the flower shop.

Starting the van, she made her voice as upbeat as possible. “Who wants to help me pick out dinner tonight?”

Unable to resist a request that cheerful sounding, all three girls chorused, “Me!”

“Okay. We’ll pop into the supermarket for a few minutes and maybe even see if they have any ice cream on sale.” She was able to get one of the huge shopping carts that was shaped like a race car at the end. With Tommy safely buckled in the front, Lily and Iris “driving,” Megan only had to contend with Daisy running wild in the aisles. She reviewed her goals—make sure she picked up some green vegetables, get a pack of Christmas cards for the girls to exchange at the preschool party, double-check that Daisy didn’t sneak items into the cart and get out of here before anyone had a meltdown.

She headed for produce first, so that they’d end in the frozen section on the other side of the store. No point in her ice cream melting while they shopped. “Okay, do we want bananas for snacks or—”

“Will!” Daisy called, taking off at a dead run. Iris and Lily both poked their heads out either side of the car to take a look. Megan turned to see three firefighters in uniform. Sure enough, Will was one of them.

He was currently high-fiving her daughter. “Guys, this is the wonderful artist I was telling you about. Daisy, I have your artwork with the bunny, fox and dinosaur hanging on my locker at the station.”

“You do?” They could probably hear her delight all the way back to the pharmacy.

While Daisy was quizzing the other two men on whether the fire engines had multiple steering wheels, like the shopping cart race car, Will walked over to say hello to the other children, saving Megan for last. She had hoped that by the time he turned to her, she would have squashed her juvenile urge to blush. So we kissed. Was it really that big a deal?

Her gaze zeroed in on his mouth. Yes. Trying to sound like a responsible citizen and not a sex-starved deviant about to drag a firefighter behind the cantaloupes to have her way with him, she went with the time-honored and socially acceptable “Hi.” If only she’d managed it without the squeak to her voice.

His self-assured grin told her that he’d heard it. “Just the woman I was hoping to see.”

“Did you tail me to the grocery store? I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to use county rescue vehicles for stalking.”

He laughed. “My being at the supermarket is strictly work-related. We make regular runs to stock up the station kitchen, but we’re still on duty.” He pointed to the radio he wore. “If a call comes in, we drop everything and go. Luckily, the store manager understands.”

“So, why were you hoping to see me?”

“I have a couple of questions for you. First, and I meant to ask this last night, but got...distracted, what is a ‘well-baby’? Apparently, Tommy has one on Monday.”

“That’s just a regularly scheduled pediatrician visit, not because the baby is sick, but because the doctor needs to monitor his growth and milestones. Like crawling.” Tommy had actually made it a couple of inches yesterday before deciding it was too much work and collapsing on his tummy.

“Got it. Now that you explain it, it sounds so self-evident I feel stupid for asking. Question number two, want to be my date for Kate’s wedding?”

“What?” She blinked, convinced she’d somehow misunderstood him. She’d been expecting another child-care inquiry. “But I—”

“Trent,” one of the other firefighters boomed. “Are you coming or what?”

“There in a sec,” Will called over his shoulder. “We’ll talk about this later, okay?” He turned toward his waiting crew members, one of whom was nudging the other with his elbow and smirking in Will’s direction. “Oh, crap. One last thing, Megan. There’s a distinct possibility that a few people around town have heard about our—”

“Mistletoe Moment?” she asked wryly. “Trust me, I’m aware.”

His expression was sheepish. “Are you angry?”

“The last time I was the subject of any community gossip, it’s because people felt sorry for the pregnant chick whose husband was screwing around on her—”

“That bastard!”

“—and they were speculating on how many lovers he had. So people chatting about the hottest guy in town kissing me is a step up.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You think I’m the hottest guy in town?”

“Mommy.” There was a sharp tug at the hem of Megan’s shirt, saving her from answering.

Grateful, Megan glanced down. “Yes, Daisy?”

“What’s bast-ard?” Daisy asked, saying the word slowly as if testing it out.

“Oh no, honey, Mr. Will said... Um. Batard.” She reached into the nearby bin of fresh-baked bread and pulled out of a loaf. “It’s one of these. Here you go, Will.”

Blue eyes laughing, he accepted it solemnly. “Thank you. Just what we need at the station. See you tonight, Daisy.” To Megan, he said, “We can finish our discussion when I pick up Tommy.”

Their discussion about whether or not she would be his date for the wedding?

There were multiple reasons why she should refuse. She was attending in a professional capacity. Mixing Will with business seemed potentially regrettable. Plus, weddings made her a little cranky; she wasn’t far enough beyond her divorce not to wince at vows of fidelity and “death do us part.” So tell him no. But if she said yes...the hottest guy in town might just kiss her again.

* * *

“LIKE THIS, BABY!” Iris got down on her hands and knees next to Tommy, demonstrating how to crawl. “I teaching him, Mommy.”

“I see that,” Megan said, supervising while she wrapped another strand of lights around the tree in the corner. They were saving the ornaments for after dinner.

Wanting to join in the fun, Lily dropped to all fours on Tommy’s other side. But she quickly got distracted by pretending that she was a dog, barking and “digging.” Rather than join in, Daisy looked mystified by the entire procedure.

“Why he not just walk?” she asked Megan.

“He’ll get there eventually.”

Daisy stuck her face down close to Tommy’s. “You should walk.”

He babbled happily at her.

“With feet,” she clarified.

More babbling.

Shrugging, she retreated to her room with a selection of library books.

“Don’t mind her,” Megan told the baby. “Everyone’s full of opinions. Best learn early not to take them too seriously.” The phone in her jeans pocket rang. “See? That’s probably someone calling with an opinion now. Hello?”

“Hey.” Just the sound of Will’s voice made her grin. “How has your afternoon been? Kids driving you crazy?”

“Not really. Daisy attempted a short-lived career as a motivational speaker for infants, and Lily decided she’s a dog. Pretty much the norm. What about you?”

“Well, I’ve left the station, but I’m not heading straight to the house yet. I have to pick up J— I have a stop to make. Is it okay if I’m fifteen or twenty minutes late?”

“Sure. If they haven’t driven me to a mental breakdown by now, I’ll probably be all right for another fifteen minutes.” She sat on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. “While I have you on the phone, I just wanted to say that I’m flattered you asked me to be your wedding date, but—”

“If you’re going to be so cruel as to reject me, don’t I deserve to hear it face-to-face? This is like dumping someone by text,” he grumbled.

“It is not! For starters, I can’t dump you. We were never dating.” And she had opted to take advantage of this phone conversation because she wasn’t sure she could turn him down face-to-face.

“Please, Megan. Go with me,” he persisted.

“How about a compromise? We’ll both be there anyway. I’ll save you a dance.”

He made a phhbbt sound, clearly not mollified. “You’re an only child, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I hope that you can understand this without thinking I’m a terrible brother, but Cole can be obnoxiously perfect. He’s a great guy, always has been. He didn’t beat up on his younger brothers, he didn’t get in trouble, he made all A’s. In comparison, I’ve always felt... I know this wedding day is about him and Kate, and I wish them all the happiness in the world, but there will be friends and family there looking at me, remembering my would-be wedding not too long ago.”

He was embarrassed to go without a date.

As someone whose pride had taken more than a few hits over the last couple of years, she empathized. “But why me? There were half a dozen women at the Christmas tree farm you could have asked who won’t be preoccupied with whether all the boutonnieres are pinned on straight or checking the arrangements every half hour to make sure nothing’s wilting.”

“I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. As Jace put it, a date to a wedding is a lot more romantic than, say, bowling. You know I’m not looking for a relationship. There are half a dozen women I could have asked, but I don’t want to lead them on.”

His blunt answer was a rather sobering reality check. What had she expected him to say? That he craved her company, that he wanted her to be his date because she was an excellent kisser? It was ludicrous that she could feel so let down when she had rejected him.

“Thank you for being candid with me. I just don’t think I’m your girl. Confidentially—and please don’t repeat this to any of my customer base—I don’t like weddings. I mean, I do in theory. But I’ve only been to a few since I divorced my cheating husband, and I’m still a little raw. A little cynical. I caught myself rolling my eyes while a groom was saying his vows,” she admitted.

“You think that’s bad? I’m Cole’s best man and I...”

The guilty edge to his voice made her rabidly curious. “Spill.”

“I have these warped daydreams about him sneezing during his ‘I do’ or dropping the ring or something. Nothing that would mess up their big day, you understand, just a tiny flub. Something marginally less than perfect.”

“Like the piano player hitting a wrong note.”

“Exactly. Or a draft blowing out the unity candle.”

“Or the minister getting their names wrong.”

“Or the flower girl—”

“Hey, you leave all flower-related details out of this.”

“Yes, ma’am. The flowers will be perfection.”

“Hopefully, so will everything else. We’re terrible people to even joke otherwise.”

“Which is why we’d make excellent partners for this shindig. I’m going to win you over, you know.”

“No, you aren’t.”

But he merely laughed as he ended the call.

After she put her phone back in her pocket, she kept replaying parts of their conversation, grinning. He’s a bad influence on you. But she’d been the responsible, stable person who’d had to hold life together for her and the girls. The idea of being a little reckless was tantalizing. Maybe just for one night?

She was going to the wedding. There were worse ways to spend the evening than dancing with a sexy man who made her laugh. She’d have to find a dress and a sitter either way. Dagmar had said she’d watch the girls if the teenager down the street couldn’t do it. You know what Dagmar’s vote would be.

Then again, this was Megan’s love life. Dagmar didn’t get a vote.

The doorbell gargled its terrible death rattle, and she pressed her hand to her head. She really did need to look up online instructions for how to fix that. She did her usual workout routine of stepping over the waist-high baby gate—doing that a few hundred times a day had to be toning some muscles—and answered the door.

Her mouth dropped open in a gasp she tried to cover. “Mom!”

Beth Ann beamed at her. “Surprised, aren’t you?”

“More than words can capture.”

“Good news. I’ve come to stay with you for the week!”