.

off.”

      They both seemed to relax at that. “Well, thank you for coming.”

      He headed for the door, then abruptly, without warning, turned back. He grasped her by the shoulders and kissed her. A quick, urgent kiss.

      The bell chimed as he walked out. Something had to be done and quickly. Jon was becoming far too important to her.

      Wednesday night, both Allison and Eddie were in their bedrooms doing homework, or so Rosie assumed. There was nothing she could stand to watch on television, so she threw a load of wash in the machine. She preferred to do her laundry at the house. The washer in the apartment was at least twenty years old and had already ruined one good blouse. With money so tight, she didn’t want to risk destroying any more of her limited professional wardrobe.

      The phone rang, but Rosie knew better than to answer it. Allison considered it her right to grab all calls. Not only that, she couldn’t let the phone go unanswered, as Rosie was often inclined to do these days, especially in the evenings.

      Five seconds after the first ring, her daughter stuck her head out the bedroom door. “It’s for you,” she said in an incredulous tone. “It’s Dad.”

      Wonderful! Rosie could only imagine what Zach had to complain about this time.

      “Don’t be long,” Allison said tartly. “I’m expecting a call.”

      This was a less-than-subtle reminder that the eccentric judge who’d set up this joint custody arrangement had more or less awarded the house to Allison and Eddie. So the phone belonged to the children—or that was the way Allison seemed to look at it.

      “I can’t imagine we’ll talk long,” Rosie assured her.

      Allison closed her bedroom door without comment.

      Rosie took the call in the kitchen, thinking this was the room where they were least likely to be overheard. She took a deep breath before lifting the receiver. “Hello,” she said cheerfully. She wanted to give the impression that she’d been having the time of her life and his call was an interruption.

      “It’s Zach,” he said stiffly. “I thought you’d want to know your boyfriend phoned.”

      Her boyfriend? It was news to Rosie that she even had a boyfriend. Oh, he must mean Bruce. Good grief, she’d only seen him that one night. One date was all it’d taken for both of them to realize that the only thing they had in common was loss. They were friendly, and they chatted now and then, but that was it.

      “I thought you should know,” he said again.

      “I’m sorry if the call disturbed you,” Rosie said, forcing a light tone into her voice. “I’m sure he forgot which nights I’m at the house.” She purposely allowed Zach to think she was seeing Bruce a lot.

      “Does he phone often?” Zach demanded, then paused. “Never mind, I don’t have any right to ask that.”

      “No, you don’t.” It felt good to tell him that. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll get back to Bruce right away.”

      “Before we hang up, can we talk,” he asked, “just for a moment?”

      “Okay, but I promised Allison I wouldn’t tie up the phone. She’s expecting a call.”

      “She’s always expecting a call,” Zach muttered. “Speaking of Allison, how are the two of you getting along these days?”

      “Really well. Why?” As long as Rosie stayed in one part of the house and Allison in another, they could cope, but there was no need to tell Zach that.

      “She’s got nothing but attitude with me,” he confessed reluctantly.

      Rosie realized this must be hard on him. Zach and Allison had always been close. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      “What time are you getting home from work these days?” he asked.

      “Same as always—around five, sometimes five-thirty. Depends on where I’m subbing. What makes you ask?”

      “Allison is home when? Two-thirty?”

      “Around then.” Their daughter’s interest in after-school activities had ceased following the divorce. She’d recently dropped out of volleyball, a sport she’d once loved. Allison had decided against trying out for drama club, too. That disappointed Rosie, who believed Allison had a real flair for it, but no amount of discussion could persuade her daughter to reconsider.

      “I think Allison’s got too much time on her hands.”

      “I agree.” Rosie abandoned all pretense. She was desperately worried about her daughter and particularly about whatever might be happening with the boyfriend. Thankfully, there’d been no sign of Ryan’s presence in the house during the past two weeks, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been there. Since Eddie’s school wasn’t dismissed until almost four, Allison had ample opportunity to see Ryan without anyone knowing where she was or with whom. The thought terrified Rosie.

      “What should we do?” she asked Zach.

      “Any suggestions?”

      “None,” she admitted.

      “Me, neither.”

      “I guess we need to talk more about this,” Rosie said. “Figure something out.”

      Zach agreed. “Listen,” he said next. “Do you and this Bruce guy get along?”

      She was about to remind him that her dating life was none of his concern, but changed her mind. “We get along all right.”

      “What do the kids think of him?”

      “I haven’t introduced him yet.” She had no intention of doing so, since it was unlikely she’d go out with him a second time.

      “Oh.” Zach exhaled slowly. “Rosie, I want you to know I wish you and Bruce well. I sincerely mean that.”

      Rosie felt like weeping and she struggled to hang on to her pride. “Thank you,” she murmured. “If Janice makes you happy, then that’s what I want for you, too.”

      They were silent for half a minute or so.

      “My most important job now is to be a good father to my children,” Zach said.

      “The children are what’s most important to me, too,” she told him, but as she replaced the receiver, Rosie wondered if her failure as a wife and mother was what had gotten her into this predicament in the first place.

      Pastor Dave Flemming planned to get in one last round of golf before the November rains arrived. Monday was his traditional day off, and he was prepared to take full advantage of the last bit of autumn sunshine. He stepped onto the lush green course at McDougal Woods and, to his surprise, saw Bob Beldon. Bob and his wife, Peggy, had recently started attending Cedar Cove Methodist. Peggy taught a Sunday school class and Bob had agreed to coach the youth basketball team. Dave liked Bob, and Peggy was one of the best cooks he’d ever had the privilege of knowing. The last church social, she’d brought a peach cobbler that had been the talk of the evening.

      “Are you looking for a partner?” Bob asked.

      “Sure,” Dave said affably; he welcomed the company.

      They teed off at the first hole, then jumped into the cart. “Actually, we didn’t meet by accident this afternoon,” Bob admitted. “I called the church, and your secretary told me you were going to be here.”

      Without a pause Dave reached for his five iron. “Something on your mind?”

      “You could say that.”

      Staring at the other man, Dave saw that he was pale, with dark shadows under his eyes. Bob had aged perceptibly in the last little while.

      “I was hoping you might be able to give me some advice.”