Chapter Four

“Mom, you have got to be kidding!” Allie threw her handbag on the floor of her bedroom, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes.

Susan and Allie had just gotten back from a tour of their new house. Now Susan surveyed her middle daughter’s bedroom in their soon-to-be former home, and it was a wreck. Items were divided into either packing boxes, bags designated for charity, or things to be thrown into the trash, and the boxes Allie had brought home from school were stacked everywhere. There was barely enough room to walk from the door to the bed.

Susan felt completely helpless. “Allie, you’ve got to calm down. I know this is hard, but…”

Allie waded through the boxes, kicked aside a few bags of giveaways, and unearthed her laptop from under a pile of clothes on the bed. She sat down on top of everything, opened it and started typing furiously.

“What are you doing?” Susan asked, peering over her shoulder.

“I sent Brittany an email telling her about that tiny house.” Allie looked up at her mother and scowled. “How do you expect us to downsize from five thousand square feet to eighteen hundred?”

Susan sighed in frustration, but it dawned on her that there might still be hope. Allie’s close friend Brittany Martin, Emily’s niece from Oklahoma, might be a voice of reason in this fiasco. “Did Brittany reply?”

Allie groaned and turned her attention to the computer. “Yeah, she says, ‘I’m so sad about all this—Aunt Emily emailed me. Why don’t you come up to Chicago and visit sometime this summer? I’m going to be staying with Aunt Emily and Aunt Sara most of the month of July while my parents are off on a cruise to Greece. Some kind of second honeymoon thing.’” Allie lifted an eyebrow. “Brittany’s going to spend part of the summer in Chicago? Usually she stays home, working at that boutique to earn money for college.”

Susan felt like she’d just been thrown a lifeline, at least as far as Allie was concerned. “You should go. To Chicago, I mean. Spending time with Brittany away from all this might be just what you need.”

Allie shook her head. “I just left a few days ago, and you know how I hate all that urban congestion. I can’t even think about going back.” She heaved a sigh. “This is all Sharlene’s fault.”

Susan shook her head and picked her way across the cluttered room to the door. “Partly, but I’m also to blame. At least give Brittany’s offer some thought, okay?”

Allie slammed her laptop shut and collapsed face down on her bed. Susan slipped out of the room.

****

Caroline rapped lightly on Richard’s open office door. He was studying something on his computer and frowning.

“Come in.” He motioned for her to enter and pointed to his screen. “I just had a message from Sharlene about our recently blended families.” Richard was blushing, and Caroline thought it must be embarrassment at his sister’s antics. It had to be, because it wouldn’t have anything to do with her. Would it?

“What does she say?”

Richard blew out a puff of air. “She wants me at her house—your house—Daniel’s house—moving day. I have no idea what for, since as she says, she’s got ‘people’ to do all the actual moving.” He shoved his chair away from the computer, leaned his elbows on his desk, and rubbed his temples. “I still can’t believe my sister is married to your father.”

Caroline came all the way into his office and eased into a chair opposite his desk. “It’s so, I don’t know, like on that soap opera Mom watches all the time; everyone’s related to everyone else by marriage or something, and it gets so convoluted.” She gave him a rueful smile.

Richard laughed. He reached out for her hand resting on his desk but quickly drew back. He sat up straight in his chair and cleared his throat. “Now what can I do for you? And why are you still here at this hour?”

Caroline fiddled with the pencil holder on Richard’s desk. Being this close to him, joking around, was as wonderful as it was uncomfortable. “I had a few last-minute ends to tie up.”

Richard shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “You should go home. I’m sure you have packing left to do.” He moved the pencil holder back where it was, and then just started randomly moving items around on his desk. “How are Allie and Megan handling all this?”

Caroline stood up and was about to place her hands on Richard’s to slow his nervous energy, thought better of it, and instead moved closer to the door. “Not too well, actually, but it’s nice of you to ask. This is really hard on Allie, and bewildering for Megan.”

“She’s a tough kid, and I’m sure she’ll adjust. If you need any help…I mean, if your family needs any help…” Richard turned away, blushing again. After a moment of silence, he gave her a polite nod and said, “Well, have a nice Memorial Day weekend.”

“Thanks. You, too.” Caroline closed the door behind her and breathed deeply, willing her queasy stomach to calm down. She gave her desk a quick straightening before heading out the front door.

“Lucy! What are you still doing here?” Caroline asked when she reached the reception desk. Lucy was engrossed in a romance novel and didn’t even look up.

“Too much traffic. Besides, I have to come to work to get some rest, what with two helpless guys at home. And one of them isn’t even in diapers.” Lucy looked up and winked, making Caroline giggle. “I’ll leave in about half an hour after the traffic dies down.”

“Do you have plans for the holiday weekend?” Caroline asked.

Lucy turned a page in her book. “Jonathan and his brother have tickets to the Indy 500, so I’ll be home chasing after a toddler.” She looked up from her book. “Is there anything you need?”

Caroline shook her head. “No. Just wondered.”

Lucy shrugged. “Maybe you just need a little TLC.” She reached across the waist-high reception desk, stretching as far as her growing belly would allow, and gave Caroline’s shoulders a quick squeeze. “Don’t let Sharlene get you down, Caroline. That one’s a handful.”

Caroline smiled. “You’re a good friend, Lucy.”