“Probably.” He gathered up Maria with his eyes.

“Let's go."

"So," Rachel asked, entering the kitchen.

“Where's Jeremy?"

“He Left," Sarah said shortly, wrapping the remainder of the blackberry pie and shoving it viciously into the fridge. She banged the door shut and turned, trying to keep her Lips from trembling.

“But we're going out on Friday. Dinner. Then Alex's play over at COD."

“Well, good," her mother said, then paused and took a closer look at her face. "Isn't it?"

“Sure," Sarah said furiously.

“Everything is just fucking fine!" she shouted, well and truly losing her temper at last. She threw a fistful of forks into the dishwasher and slammed it shut, glaring at her mother.

“You and Daddy are humping Like rabbits in heat, and getting remarried. Alex and Maria can't keep their hands off each other. Hell, they just walked through here, so happy and caught up in themselves they couldn't even bother to say hi to me.

“And now, when I meet a man, not a boy, but a man, who's hot as hell and actually has a brain, who talks to me Like I'm a real person and not a cardboard cut-out, and I invite him upstairs for a quick get-to-know-you fuck, what happens? He takes off like I threatened to castrate him, rather than screw his brains out.

“What the hell is wrong with me?" she wailed, hot angry tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I know I'm not beautiful like you are, but is it asking too much for me to get laid every once in a while?"

"Oh, baby," her mother said. Before she knew it a pair of warm arms were wrapped around her. But that just made things worse, and she bawled like a little girl, even as her mother made comforting noises and rocked her gently. Even through her tears, she knew the scene was slightly ridiculous, as her tiny mother cradled her.

At last, the flood slackened. When she pulled away, her mother met her eyes firmly.

“Here is what I want you to do," she said. "Go upstairs and take a quick shower. Clean yourself up. Put on something comfortable. Then come down here. You and your father and I need to have a talk and get to the bottom of where this sense of inferiority comes from."

“Yes, Momma," she whispered. She glanced around at the half-cleaned mess of the kitchen.

“Don't worry about that," Rachel said, her dark eyes gleaming. "I'LL take care of it. Go."

As soon as Sarah left the room, Rachel sent a text message to Alex.

Come back home before noon tomorrow, and I cut your balls off. : )

She turned off her phone and walked back out to the deck, where Joshua was sitting on the swing chair with a glass of wine in his hand. His head was tipped back and for a moment she was afraid he had fallen asleep.

“Looking at the stars?" she guessed, sitting down beside him.

"Yep," he replied, not moving. "I could see them a Lot better in Peru," he continued.

“Less Light pollution. But I suppose Woodridge does have its charms." Without looking he reached out an arm and hooked it around her waist, pulling her close so he could give her a long, leisurely kiss.

“I just saw some headlights pull out," he said, when their mouths finally parted. "Jeremy?"