Byron felt strangely nervous to see his father again. He arrived at the farm and knocked on the door, hoping Teddy didn't harbor a grudge for his recent lack of response to his emails. Of course, he couldn't have known his father was possibly dying, but Byron still felt guilty about it.Aitana greeted him like an old friend. They had already talked on the phone, and she had been gracious and welcoming, telling Byron he could come and stay as long as he wanted at the farm house."Come in," she said, "Wow, you look so much like Teddy!""Thank you, I think that's a compliment." He winked in a friendly way."Of course it is," Aitana said, smiling. "Make yourself at home, dear.""I know it's a difficult time for you," Byron said, "So if there's any moment when you feel you just want to be alone with your family without house guests disturbing you, just let me know.""Byron, you are part of this family! I've been asking Teddy to get in touch with you for years, but only lately he final

The time in California was both restful and emotionally draining for Emily. Each day that Teddy seemed to recover, she was worried that he would fall ill again. She plunged back into work as soon as she returned. It helped take her mind off the whole situation.And just like he had promised, Byron seemed to be taking it rather well. She only feared he might be depressed again if his hopes for Teddy's recovery were suddenly dashed.Aitana and her kids called them every couple of days to provide an update on Teddy's progress, and they always had good news.A couple of weeks later, the calls grew less frequent, but one evening Emily heard her laptop chime with the familiar call to video-conference. She called Byron to come into her home office, and they both sat down at the desk as Aitana's face appeared on the screen, her beautiful living room in the background."Hello my lovelies," she said, "There's someone who would like to speak to you."Teddy appeared on the screen as he lean

Emily could not believe what was happening. Now she knew how Byron felt when he witnessed his mother chatting up Carter Jacks. Katie and Carter were getting along like a house on fire. They were talking, laughing, sharing stories. It would have been really cute if it was anyone but Carter. Emily knew exactly how well he did when it came to committed relationships, and she didn't want Katie to get involved with someone so unreliable."I have to stop this," Emily said. "It's getting out of hand.""Young people don't want to be told who they can and can't date, so there's probably little you can do about it," Byron reasoned, "Unless…""Unless?""We could introduce her to my star employee Brandon Clarkson. That young man is going places, and if Katie is as ambitious as you say, she might prefer him to your layabout buddy.""Other than calling Carter a 'layabout', I think that's a great idea," Emily said. "Okay, I'll distract Carter," Byron offered, "while you introduce Katie to B

"You wouldn't keep bananas in the fridge for a whole month and expect them to be fresh," said a man in dark-framed glasses who sat beside Emily, "so why would you keep coffee beans in the fridge?"Emily loved coffee, but she didn't need to know that much about how to prepare it 'the perfect way'. The man just kept talking and talking. Just as she had expected, this business event was making her eyes glaze over with boredom.Katie seemed to be loving the event. She wore a matching skirt and blazer combo, looking very professional, and excited by whatever she and Brandon were conversing about.Emily's neighbor to the left was a woman in her thirties or so, who seemed to have no sense of humor. The man in the glasses, whose name was either Morty or Monty and looked to be in his fifties or sixties, kept lecturing everyone on the proper way to make coffee. Then his wife, a skinny woman with a blond pixie cut, made the conversation even more boring by talking about credit card insurance.

Emily was in the middle of brainstorming a new line for next spring when Katie strolled into the design studio, humming a jaunty tune."Well, if it isn't the lady about town!" Emily greeted her. "Are things going well?""Excellent," Katie reported. "I've gone on a date with each candidate, and I'm still undecided… but the dates were fun.""That's the spirit!" Emily said. She stuck to her resolve not to try to influence Katie's decision, trusting her protégé to figure out the best path forward on her own."Carter took me for a motorcycle ride—don't tell my parents! It was so awesome. I do think Carter is lacking in the career department, though."Just like Emily expected, it had not taken Katie long to realize that Carter was not the sharpest pencil in the box. "Carter is a free spirit. He values his freedom over career obligations.""I have an idea to help him move up in the world," Katie said brightly."Now this I'd love to hear." Emily folded her arms as she leaned back agains