Cliff ignored what he saw as a provocative statement geared to precipitate an argument. ‘But what you got out there —’ he gestured toward the patio ‘“wasn’t what you came for.’ ‘No, it wasn’t.’ But oddly, his statement — and it had definitely been that; no hint of a question had colored his tone — instilled an element of doubt in her. Had she, on some subconscious level, harbored a hope that maybe, if she and Cliff were to see one another again, things might happen that would eventually lead them to an understanding? Lead them back together? ‘No,’ she repeated sharply, as much to reassure herself as in response to him. ‘I came because I... because I had to.’ He nodded. ‘You came because I forced you by not responding to your letters.’ “Yes. I thought at first it would be easier if we could do it all by mail, and through lawyers, not have to meet personally.’ It was her turn to laugh sourly at the irony of what she’d said. Their meeting had certainly become personal. Their gazes me

As the hotel, Lynne flew from the station wagon through the mercifully empty reception area, and up the stairs to her second floor room. As she’d driven, she’d been fully aware of the headlights sweeping along behind her, headlights that had caught up with her less than a minute after she had left Cliff's cabin. She locked the door and leaned against it, steeling herself for the knock she was sure would come. After long minutes, when there had been no footsteps in the hall, no hammering on the door, she tiptoed to the window and pulled an inch of drapes aside, peering down into the parking lot. His car was there, pulled in beside hers. Cliff stood, leaning against the hood, as if too tired to do anything else. Presently, he lifted his head, looked right at her window, stood erect and headed for the front doors. She dashed across the room to her door then froze, waiting, her body quivering, for his knock on the door. She didn’t know how long she stood there, the silence profound exce

‘Oh, Cliff. Surely, then, she wanted to know why you needed to know that?’ He shook his head. ‘I guess it didn’t matter to her. She was more concerned that Logan might come home and find me there. I could see how edgy she was. She kept looking past me to the street. My mother has always hated any kind of unpleasantness, and if Logan had come home while I was there, there’d have certainly been some of that. When he kicked me out, he said it was for good, and he meant it. My mother told me she didn’t remember if I’d even had mumps, let alone a bad case, and if that was all, would I excuse her because she had a lot to do. Darren was bringing his fiancée home for dinner. ‘She claimed Frieda was a wonderful young lady from an excellent family. Very well-to-do. Like Darren, she was in pre-law. Her face glowed when she talked about them, so I congratulated her, thanked her for the information and left.’ He shrugged again, gave Lynne a crooked smile that didn’t wipe away the bleakness in h

‘Nobody ever mentions little Michael’s father,’ Bella said into the thick silence that followed Lynne’s departure. ‘We think he must be dead.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ Cliff said, then looked at Louisa. ‘Truly sorry.’ ‘Not me you should apologize to,’ she growled, but when he began to rise, to offer his apology where he knew it was needed, she barked at him: to sit back down and eat. ‘Leave the girl alone. You’ve done enough damage for one night.’ He shoved his food around his plate until Louisa took it from him and replaced it with a slice of lemon meringue pie that quivered from the force of her slamming it before him. He took a bite. It tasted like glue in his mouth. He ate half of it before setting it aside and drinking the coffee the housekeeper poured. Then, with the other tenants busy doing whatever old ladies did in the evening, he took himself away from the scene of his stupidity, and walked for hours re-exploring the neighborhood he had once explored with Lynne at his side. As he s

Lynne swallowed the last bite of her pie — or possibly Cliff’s, since she’d eaten both pieces — and leaned back on the sofa, her stomach full, her eyes heavy with sleep. She knew she should get up and go to bed, but it was too nice, sitting here with Cliff close beside her. She breathed in the scent of his skin, felt the warmth of his body beside hers, looked far into the depths of his eyes and loved him, yearned for a lifetime of having him at her side. In only a few hours the kids would both be awake again. Her busy day would begin and there would . be no time for. . . them. And she knew they needed time, time to talk, to get to know one another properly. Time for her and Cliff. Would the month she had promised him be enough? Would a lifetime? Lynne gave Cliff a sleepy smile and said, “This is going to sound kind of dumb, coming from someone you’ve been married to for a couple of years, but how did you get from construction to accounting, and how come I never asked that kind of