“THIS MEETING OF the Winchester Town Council will come to order.” The sharp rap of a gavel on wood brought the room to silence. Elodie glanced around the gallery of the old courtroom and tried to calm her runaway nerves. She spotted some familiar faces—Joannie from the café and Susanna, the glass artist who had fixed her window. Even Jimmy Joe had turned up for the proceedings.
Elodie caught sight of Dev standing at the rear of the room. Instead of his casual summer uniform, he was dressed in finely pressed khaki, his badge on display on his chest, his gun holstered at his hip. When he saw her, he gave her a thumbs-up. But he didn’t smile. In truth, his expression was downright grim—matching many of the council members’ expressions.
Had her fate already been decided in some back room? Were they just here to deliver the bad news and then move on to a discussion of garbage trucks or potholes? Maybe she was expected to pay a bribe for a favorable decision. Was that the way things worked in Winchester?
Elodie wouldn’t be surprised. It was certainly the way her father had worked, and until recently, her father had been Winchester. Though the townspeople elected the council to represent them, its members had always deferred to her father on any decisions that affected the mill or his millions.
“Come to order. I’m Irv Solomon, president of the council, and I’ll be running this meeting. I’m warning you now, if there’s any trouble here tonight, I’ll have you tossed out. Chief Cassidy is here and he’s not afraid to make arrests if the behavior warrants.” Solomon eyed the crowd, then continued. “The agenda was published in the paper, but since most, if not all of you, are here about the Elodie Winchester proposal, I move that we table other business and get right to her presentation. Miss Winchester, why don’t you step to the podium and address the council. After you’re finished, we’ll take questions and comments from the public before we make our decision.”
“Thank you,” Elodie murmured. “So, shall I begin?”
A man stood up and shouted, “We don’t want any Winchesters here no more. They’re all thieves and grifters. As far as I’m concerned, we ought to be changing the name of the town and put her and the rest of her people in the rearview mirror.”
A woman stood up. “I second the motion. Those who agree say ‘aye.’”
“That isn’t a proper motion,” Solomon said, banging his gavel. “You’ll be allowed to speak after Miss Winchester is finished. Now, you all sit down and shut up.”
The half of the audience standing reluctantly took their seats, but that didn’t lessen the grumbling and whispering.
Elodie took a deep breath and began to explain the importance of the Winchester mansion to the history of the town. She admitted that her father had ruined her family’s reputation and had caused many people harm, but she hoped to make up for what he had done with the gallery. She argued her plan would help promote local artists as well as draw tourists to town.
She talked about the art fair that the gallery would sponsor every year, and the possibility of redeveloping the old mill into shops and artists’ lofts. She cited examples from other towns where a similar idea had worked. By the end, Elodie was satisfied she’d done her best to convince the townspeople that art was powerful enough to bring Winchester back to its former glory.
Elodie gathered up her papers and sat down, her gaze scanning the council for the members’ reactions. Not one person in the group of seven was smiling. Elodie quickly stood. “I’d be happy to answer any of your questions.”
Unfortunately, no one had any questions. There were, however, plenty of grudges and resentments and accusations that some of the townsfolk wanted to share. Elodie sat quietly and listened, but as the meeting dragged out, her patience was beginning to wear thin.
Tears pressed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over in front of everyone, and it took every ounce of her determination to fight them off. Finally, she heard a familiar voice at the microphone and she turned to see Dev standing at the podium.
The crowd grew silent, and Dev cleared his throat. “Now that you’ve all off-loaded your old baggage, I’d like to speak for Elodie Winchester. She came back to this town without any expectations. But when she got here, she realized there was a way she could contribute, a way she could make our lives better. I know you’re all still angry, but Elodie wasn’t even living in Winchester when all that happened. Is it really fair to blame her?”
A few voices shouted “no” and Elodie smiled.
“Don’t you think your opinion might be a bit slanted, Chief?” another person shouted. “You are sleeping with the woman.”
That caused quite a stir, and Elodie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“I have something to say.” Jimmy Joe Babcock stepped up to the microphone, and Dev patted him on the back. “Miss Winchester is good people. I’m an independent businessman and she hired me to do some work around the mansion. And isn’t that what we all want—more jobs? People are going to have to work to make her plans happen. And I wouldn’t mind having a share of that.”
“She gave me a job, too.” Susanna Sylvestri spoke up from the back. “And with a gallery to show my work, I’ll be able to make a better living. Jimmy Joe is right, that’s what we all want.”
A few more people stood up to speak for her—Joanie from the café and Jeb Baylor’s wife. In the end, the council decided to table the decision for two weeks in order to study her proposal more closely.
“When we come to a decision, Miss Winchester, we’ll let you know,” Solomon said and rapped his gavel.
As Elodie walked out of the town hall, she couldn’t help but feel defeated. She’d spent so much time getting every detail of her proposal right, but none of it had made any difference. This decision would be a referendum on the Winchester family.
When she reached the street, Elodie couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. The tears overwhelmed her and she brushed them away with an angry curse. What the hell did she care what these people thought of her? She didn’t need them!
“Ellie! Wait up!”
Elodie glanced over her shoulder to see Dev approaching and she sped up her pace. “Go away,” she cried. “Leave me alone!”
“Elodie, come on.” He finally reached her side and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. “It’s not over. They haven’t made their decision yet. I understand how difficult that was for you to just sit there and take all that crap. I’m not sure I could have done it with such grace and dignity.”
“I’m not sure why I bothered,” Elodie said. “I should just sell the damn house and be done with it. Someone else can live in this hateful town.”
“The buyers...they made an offer?” Dev asked.
“Yes, they made a formal offer late this evening. It isn’t close to the asking price, but it’s enough,” she murmured. “I could walk away and never look back.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek in his palm, turning her face up to his. “Is that what you want? Really?”
“No,” she said. “I mean, not for us. But I don’t know whether I have the strength to fight everyone’s hatred and anger, and I don’t want them to focus it on you. I don’t belong here.” She drew a ragged breath. “You do.”
“We can change their minds,” he insisted. “You just have to give everyone a little more time. I swear, they’ll listen to me.”
Elodie shook her head. “Or they’ll start attacking you next. No. I don’t want you riding in to save the day like some white knight.”
“You aren’t going to accept help, then? Why is my help worth less than what you’d get from anyone else?”
Elodie could see that he’d misunderstood. But she didn’t know how to explain. She just needed to do this on her own, without Dev’s interference. Sure, he might be able to change their behavior, but he’d never really change what was in their hearts.
“I’ll wait to hear the decision, but if it’s negative, I’m going to sell the house and leave,” Elodie said.
“You won’t appeal?”
She shook her head.
“And what if I find out I’m a Quinn?” he said softly. “What will that mean for us?”
Elodie laughed. “Wouldn’t that be an ironic shift of fortunes.”
“We wouldn’t have to change the mansion into a gallery. We could live in the house and set up the gallery downtown, in one of the empty shops. Or at the mill. You have other options.”
“But those take money,” she said.
“Which I have. Or will, if the DNA comes out as we believe it will.”
“You can’t use your money on me. I won’t let you. You could find a place away from here.”
“Is it so bad that I want to find a place for the both of us? We could take that money and build a brand-new life. I could come to New York. Or you could come here. Or we could both move to Tasmania.”
Elodie forced a smile as she backed away. “We’ll talk about it later. I promise. I just have so much to sort through. I’ll call you for breakfast.” She hurried down the street, her heels clicking on the sidewalk. How was she expected to decide the rest of her life while standing outside the Winchester town hall? She needed time and distance, and she wasn’t going to find either here in Winchester.
* * *
DEV SIPPED AT his coffee—his third cup that morning. He pretended to read the newspaper spread in front of him, but his mind was on the events of the previous evening. He wondered how Elodie was feeling. She’d broken her promise to call him for breakfast. It was nearly eleven and he had been wasting his morning waiting around for her call.
“That was quite a meeting last night. I felt a bit sorry for Elodie. I don’t know how she kept it together through it all,” said Joanie.
“She’s a pretty amazing woman,” Dev admitted. “Last night was proof of that. I just wish the council would have made their decision last night. It isn’t fair that she has to wait.”
Joanie nodded. “I think that was more about crowd control than Elodie’s project.” She paused, then cursed beneath her breath. “I’m not really sure I should be telling you this but...”
“What?” Dev asked.
“They’ve already made their decision. They made it last night. They just didn’t want to announce it with the crowd there.”
“She didn’t get it?”
Joanie shook her head. “It was a unanimous vote. Dev, you have to remember, most of those guys worked at the factory.”
“So it was just retribution?”
“Pretty much,” Joanie said. “What can you expect?”
“I guess I expected them to give her a fair shake.” Dev cursed softly. “Now, I’m going to have to tell her.”
“Or not,” Joanie said. “If I were you, I’d approach each of those guys separately and try to convince them to change their mind. And once you had their votes, I’d urge Elodie to appeal.”
“And what if I can’t get them to change their minds?”
Joanie shrugged. “Is it really necessary to turn the house into a gallery? There’s shop space downtown. Plenty to choose from. And what about the old mill? That’s already zoned commercial.”
Dev’s radio squawked and he plucked it off his belt and answered. “Yeah, Sally. What’s up?”
“I’ve got a gentleman here at the station who insists on seeing you. When are you going to be coming in?”
“I don’t have time this morning. Tell him to make an appointment for next week.”
“But, boss, he says he’s come all the way from—”
“Sorry, Sally. I’m just too busy today.” He signed off, then gulped down the rest of his coffee. “Keep that news to yourself,” he said. “I’m going to try changing some minds before I say anything to Elodie.”
“You really love her, don’t you?” Joanie said.
Her statement caught him by surprise, but then, Dev realized the truth in it. He was working so hard to keep her in Winchester because he loved Elodie. He’d started loving her when he was a kid and now it had come full circle.
“I do,” Dev said.
“Have you told her?”
He shook his head. “That would be the one sure way of getting her to leave town.”
“I’m not so sure,” Joanie said. “She looks like the kind of girl who has been dragging around a rather large torch. She might be in love with you.”
“She’d tell me if she was,” he said. “Elodie is always up-front about how she feels.” Her honesty was one of the qualities that Dev respected most in Elodie. But it had also been the most difficult for him to handle.
She’d been clear that she wanted distance, and he hated to let that happen. But he understood that Elodie needed to make the decision to stay or return to New York without any consideration of what they’d shared.
“No,” Dev murmured. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t love me.” He drew a deep breath. “I have to go. I’ll see you later.”
“If you run into Elodie, let her know that there’s a small group of us here in town who support her idea.”
“I will,” Dev said.
He walked out of the coffee shop into the blazing noonday sun. The temperature was hovering around eighty, but there was a nice breeze blowing over the Blue Ridge Mountains that hinted of an afternoon thunderstorm. Dev hopped in his cruiser and turned around, heading the car toward Elodie’s place.
He needed to be certain that Elodie was still determined to make her plan work. Joanie did have a point. If Elodie couldn’t get the zoning variance, why not consider relocating the gallery? She could sell the house and still stay in Winchester.
Dev pulled the car up to the curb, noticing another vehicle with rental plates parked in front of the gate. Elodie had mentioned a buyer for the house. She couldn’t have made that decision already, could she? Dev jogged up the front walk. He could hear voices inside as he rapped on the screen door. A few seconds later, Elodie appeared at the door, pale and flustered. “Dev! Oh, thank God you’re here. I just called the station and—”
Dev’s radio squawked and he grabbed it. “Boss, you better get over to the Winchester mansion. Elodie called and she said it was an emergency.”
“I’m already here,” Dev said. He met Elodie’s gaze. “What’s happening?”
“It’s your mother,” she said. “She needs you.”
Dev pushed past her and found Mary sitting primly in a chair, a dark-haired man standing nearby. Her eyes were filled with tears and she held a piece of paper and stared at it.
“Mom?”
“Oh, Dev! Look, look. You have to tell me if this is real. This man, Mr. Stephens, just gave me a check for almost five hundred thousand dollars. He says it’s an inheritance, because my father was the—the—” She turned to the man and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t recall the particulars. Could you explain again?”
“Mr. Cassidy, I’m Ian Stephens. I represent the Irish author Aileen Quinn. You recently sent in a DNA sample and the test confirmed that you and your mother are both descendants of Lochlan Quinn, Aileen’s older brother. As part of Aileen’s family, you are also due your share of her considerable estate.”
“But you say she isn’t dead?” Mary asked. “That she wants us to visit her in Ireland. Do you hear that, Dev? Ireland.”
Dev crossed the room and slipped his arm around his mother’s waist. “Are you all right?”
“Just a bit taken aback, dear. Do you think he’s telling the truth? Am I rich?”
“Here’s all the paperwork,” Ian said. “Along with a letter from Aileen inviting you and your mother to stay with her in Ireland as soon as you can make arrangements for the trip.”
“She’s just giving all this money away to complete strangers?” Dev asked.
“Not entirely. In order for you to collect the other half, you’ll need to pay her a visit. She’s determined to meet every last descendant of her four older brothers.”
Dev frowned. “What brought you here to the Winchester house?” Dev asked.
“You weren’t available and your dispatcher gave me the location of your mother’s workplace, so I thought I’d start here. I do hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not,” Dev said.
Ian glanced around the room, then grabbed his briefcase and coat. “I’ll let you two discuss this, let it sink in. I’d like to meet again at your convenience so I can answer any questions you may have. Perhaps we could make arrangements for the trip to Ireland. Miss Quinn is getting on in years and we never want to keep her waiting. Perhaps lunch at some point this week?”
“Lunch would be lovely,” Mary said.
Elodie showed Ian to the front door. When she returned, her eyes were bright with excitement. “Can you believe it? He just showed up at the door. Like Publishers Clearing House.”
Elodie hugged Mary. “I’m so happy for you.” She turned to Dev and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And you, too. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”
Some of the shock and suspicion had worn off, and Dev grabbed Elodie’s waist and picked her up off the ground, kissing her thoroughly. When he set her down, her face was flushed.
“Congratulations.” She stepped back. “Now, I do believe I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge. We should celebrate!”
Dev drew his mother over to the window seat set into the big bay window. “You’re shaking,” he said. “Sit. Relax.”
“Do you understand what this means, Dev? I don’t have to work. I can buy anything I need. I could buy a little house. Or maybe start a business. I always wanted a flower shop. But of course, I should give some to charity.” She sighed softly. “After all this time, good fortune has decided to shine upon us.”
Dev looked up to see Elodie watching them from across the room. Her eyes were filled with tears. “I think a flower shop would be perfect for you. We haven’t had one in town for years. And there’s that pretty little storefront on the corner of Maple and Main that’s been for sale forever. I bet you could get it for a song.”
Mary stood up and tucked the check into her uniform pocket. “I think I’ll make a trip to the bank.”
“I’ll take you, Mom.”
“No, no, I’d like to walk. I want to spend some time with this check before I turn it over.”
“We should probably keep this to ourselves for now,” Dev warned. “I’ll call Bob Burnett at the bank and let him know you’re coming. Go right to him when you get there.”
Mary hugged Dev again. “What are you going to do with your windfall?”
“I’m not sure,” Dev said. “Invest it, I suppose.”
Mary hurried out of the house, the screen door slamming behind her. Elodie crossed the room and handed him a champagne flute. “I’ve never seen her so happy.”
“Neither have I,” Dev said. “She’s had such a hard life. If this money can buy her a little happiness, then I’m forever grateful.”
“To Irish ancestors,” Elodie said, holding up her glass.
“To DNA tests,” Dev countered.
They both drained their champagne flutes, and Elodie refilled them. “You said you were thinking of investing the money. In what?”
“In us,” Dev said.
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I was talking to Joanie about the meeting last night and she made a good point. If they don’t pass your zoning variance, why not consider another spot for the gallery? There are a lot of empty shops downtown. You could even renovate a small part of the factory.”
“Both of those take money,” Elodie said.
“Which I have. Let me invest in your idea, in this town. You were going to go to New York to find investors. Why not find one here? I can’t think of a better use for this money.”
Elodie smiled, shaking her head. “I know that a million dollars seems like a lot of money. And it is. But when it comes to a project of this magnitude, a million dollars is just a drop in the bucket. A drop that will evaporate overnight. You can’t afford to lose this money. I need to find someone who can. Someone with much deeper pockets.”
“It’s a start,” he said. “I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
Elodie wrapped her arms around his neck and dropped a kiss on his lips. “I’m sure I can persuade you,” she teased.
“You can’t. My mind is made up.”
She ran her fingers down his chest, then slipped them beneath his shirt. “Are you sure? Because I suggest you stop thinking with your mind.”
Her palm smoothed across the crotch of his pants, and Dev groaned. “This isn’t fair at all.”
“Oh, I don’t know. You might find it very fair once you’ve taken off your clothes and crawled into my bed.”
“I’m on duty.”
“I have two words for you. Lunch break.”
“It’s nine thirty.”
“Breakfast break,” she said.
With a low groan, Dev pulled the radio from his belt and called dispatch. “Sally, I’m taking a short break for breakfast.”
* * *
THE NEXT DAY, Elodie rolled over in the tangled sheets, curling her naked body against Dev’s, her arm thrown across his chest. The sun had been up for hours but they’d lingered in bed because Dev had the morning off.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“It’s nearly eleven,” Elodie said. “We still have a half hour. I can make you some breakfast—or lunch.”
“I need to take a shower.”
“I like it when you smell of my perfume,” she said, resting her chin in his chest. “That way, other women know to stay away.”
“Is that what you want? Because there are easier ways to do that than dousing me in your scent. We could just tell everyone that we’re—locked down.”
“Locked down?”
“Yeah, Jimmy Joe told me I should lock you down. You know, get things settled. Have an understanding.”
“You’ve been talking to Jimmy about our relationship?”
“Actually, he’s been giving me unsolicited advice. He seems to understand an awful lot about women. Although I’m beginning to think that most of his advice comes from the music he listens to. There’s also something about putting a ring on it.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that one.”
“Beyoncé?”
Elodie nodded. “Let’s rule that one out for now, though, shall we?”
Dev pushed up on his elbows. “Why? I don’t understand why we can’t talk about a future together. A future that may contain diamond rings and wedding plans and children. Why can’t we talk about that?”
“Because we’ve only been together for five weeks.”
“We’ve known each other for years.”
“All right. Because I don’t trust myself to make the right decisions when it comes to you. You’re too...easy.”
His expression grew cloudy, and he cursed. “Because we messed around the very first night you were in town?”
“That’s not the kind of easy I’m talking about,” Elodie said. “Choosing you, to be with you. It’s easy because we get along so well. We’re perfect for each other. And when we’re together we’re blissfully happy.”
“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that the kind of relationship you want?”
“That’s the way it was with my parents,” she said. “They were infatuated with each other. And then the business went bust and they had to deal with the stress of a family catastrophe. Suddenly, things weren’t perfect, and they didn’t know how to navigate a crisis. Money had always solved their problems. They ended up hating each other. They don’t even speak anymore.”
“I used to think that the only thing standing between us was money,” Dev said. “And now I realize it’s true. Only this time it’s my money.”
Elodie crawled out of bed and began to search for something to wear. “You are entirely too impatient about getting this ‘locked down.’”
“I understand why you can’t commit. It would mean committing to living in this town for the rest of your life.”
“What about Tasmania? You’re not going to take your million and run?” she asked.
“You know I won’t.”
She bent over the bed and kissed him. “And that’s why you are the best man I’ve ever met.”
“Elodie!”
The sound of Mary Cassidy’s voice rang through the house, and Dev sat up. “What is my mother doing here?”
“We’re going downtown to look at some properties for her shop,” Elodie said.
“She’s taking you and not me?”
Elodie shrugged. “It’s a flower shop. Not really a guy kind of thing.”
“Is she coming up here?”
Elodie glanced around the doorjamb. “I’ll be right down, Mary.” She grabbed a cotton sundress and pulled it over her head, then slipped her feet into a pair of comfortable sandals. She kissed him again, pushing him back onto the bed until he groaned softly. “Get dressed and go down the rear stairs. There’s no reason to embarrass your mother with your slutty behavior.”
Elodie hurried down the stairs to find Mary waiting for her. She wasn’t wearing her usual gray uniform, but had chosen a light floral blouse and trim capri pants. It was as if twenty years had disappeared from her face overnight. “You look lovely,” Elodie said.
“Is Devin still here?” she asked.
“Devin?”
“Don’t be coy, dear. His car is parked out back. I’m well aware he spends most of his nights here. I hear the gossip around town. Is he still here?”
Elodie heard the kitchen screen door squeak, and she shook her head. “He just went out.” A few seconds later, the police cruiser drove past the house and out onto the street. Mary let out a tightly held breath.
“Good. I have something I’d like to discuss with you and I couldn’t risk Dev overhearing what I had to say.” She glanced around. “We need tea. Or maybe coffee? Which would you prefer?”
“Coffee. Come on, I’ll help you get it.”
They walked to the kitchen together, and Elodie pulled up a stool for Mary while she put the teakettle on to boil. Then she moved to fill the coffee filter with fresh grounds and water. When that was brewing, she turned back to Mary.
“Is everything all right?”
“No,” Mary said. “I have to ask your advice, but when I tell you this story, I fear it will change the way you see me. You may not like me at all. But I’m not sure what to do and you’ve always been so sensible.”
“Tell me this story,” Elodie said.
“I’m not sure how much your parents informed you about my past. Or how much Dev may have revealed. Though he doesn’t really know a lot of this story, and some of what he believes to be fact isn’t exactly the truth. What is true is that my father deserted my mother when I was four years old. She died when I was fifteen and your family took care of me. I worked in their house as a maid while I finished school.
“I worked for your family for seventeen years and when I was thirty-four, I met a man. He was handsome and charming and he swept me off my feet. I ran away with him and I thought our life would be perfect. I’d waited so long for love that I was willing to convince myself of anything.”
“Where did you go?” Elodie asked.
“We moved around a lot. This man made his money outside the law. I guess you’d call him a con man. We had Devin and he seemed pleased to be a father. But a year after Devin was born, I got pregnant again and my husband deserted me. I returned to your father’s house to ask for my job back. He agreed to rehire me, but as a condition, he strongly suggested I give up my baby for adoption. He and your mother would find a good family and in exchange, he’d provide a house for me and Devin.”
Elodie gasped. “My father made you give up your child?”
“He was right. I wasn’t prepared to take care of two children and hold down a job on my own. And he promised that my son would be better off. I needed the job, I needed a place to live, so I agreed.”
Elodie was stunned. Her first memories of Mary came from when she was five or six years old. She would have been a toddler when all this had happened. Her older brothers would have remembered better. Why had they never mentioned it? Why hadn’t Dev— Then she understood. “You never told Dev he had a brother.”
Mary shook her head, tears flooding her eyes. “I’ve always meant to, but the time never seemed right. And now, I can’t possibly reveal the truth because he’ll never forgive me.”
Elodie slid over and put her arm around Mary’s shoulders. “And this has come up because of the inheritance? Because this son that you gave away deserves his share, as well?”
Mary nodded. “With the money, I could find him, hire detectives.”
“My father would know where he is.”
“I couldn’t ask him. I promised we’d never speak of it again.”
“I could ask. I could make him tell me.”
“If we just found out where he was, then I could give the information to Mr. Stephens and he could send him a check. I’d never have to say anything to Devin.”
Elodie took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Mary, I think he deserves the truth. He has a brother. If it were me, I’d want to know.”
“And would you hate me for keeping the secret for so long?”
Elodie shook her head. “I might be angry for a little while. But I’d come to understand eventually.”
“Do you really believe your father will reveal where my son went?”
“I’m going to have to pay him a visit. It’s not something I can ask over the phone, but yes, I’ll get the answer.”
Mary gave her a hug, followed by a wavering smile. “Will you be there when I tell Devin?”
“Of course.”
“I never had a daughter, but I often thought of you as my own. I was there for most of your childhood. I helped you through the rough teenage years. And when you and Devin found each other all those years ago, I hoped that it would last and that someday, you’d be a part of our family. But if you can’t be my daughter, then I’m happy to call you my friend.”
Elodie took Mary’s hand. “Well, friend, let’s go out and see if we can find you a pretty spot for your flower shop.”
They decided to walk downtown, enjoying the warm, breezy day. But as they chatted about Mary’s plans, Elodie couldn’t put aside the revelations that Dev’s mother had made. She had no idea how Dev might react. Unlike her, he’d never had cause to question his loyalty to his family.
So many things had been tipped upside down in their lives. What would be next?