“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m calling her in sick to school. We’ll go visit the dog or hopefully pick him up and bring him home. I know she was a bad girl, but that bad girl has been through the grinder with this. She’s limp as a noodle with remorse.”

“Whatever you want,” he said tiredly.

“I’ll stay till you get home tomorrow night. Then you can do whatever you have to do.”

“Well, go find a T-shirt of mine or something. Sleep in my bed.”

But it was hard enough to think about his bed, to think about his wonderful scent on the pillow. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just travel safe.”

“There’s some brandy in the cupboard above the Sub-Zero, kind of hidden behind the Crock-Pot.”

She laughed at him. “Now, I might take you up on that.”

After they hung up, Kelly used the kitchen’s step stool to root out that brandy, poured herself a small bit in a juice glass and settled back on the sofa, wrapped in the throw. And she was really quite happy watching very old, very late night television reruns. She was almost done with her brandy and starting to nod off when she heard an odd sound.

She turned the volume way down. Yes, an odd sound. The wind whistling through the pines maybe. If Spike were here it could be the sound of him whining in the kennel, but he wasn’t here. She threw off the blanket and got up, creeping down the hall toward Courtney’s room, listening. Sure enough—little miss was crying. Scared for her dog probably.

On instinct, Kelly just opened the door. “Hey, hey, hey,” she said, entering and sitting on the bed. “He’s going to be fine. Try not to worry!”

Courtney turned over a bit. “I could’ve killed him!” she said.

“Oh, honey, he got into mischief. That’s why we watch. He’s going to be all right.”

But she turned back and just sobbed into her pillow.

Kelly lay down on the bed behind her, spooning her. “Wow, you have a major pity party going on here,” she said, running fingers along Courtney’s temple, stroking back her hair. “We’ll pick him up tomorrow and I bet he’s not even brain damaged. Probably not any smarter, though, so be warned. You might have to do the majority of thinking in this family for a while.”

More sobbing.

“You’ll probably be grounded forever,” Kelly said, just to get Courtney’s mind off the dog.

“Did you tell him?” she asked through her tears.

“Yes. You were right. I think he’s pissed. But he’ll probably get over it. All we really care about right now is that the dog’s okay. Right?”

“Right,” Courtney said miserably.

“You’ll feel so much better when you know that for sure.”

“I have school,” she said.

“Nah,” Kelly said. “There’s a major illness in the family. Hospitalization, even. I’ll call you in sick. We’ll go together. Pick him up. Bring him home. I’ll stay with you till your dad gets back. You’ll get through this…”

“It’s all my fault,” she whimpered.

“We’ve been through that,” Kelly said. “Even the vet had accidents with his crazy dogs—puppies are intrepid! They can find trouble anywhere.”

“But my fault for not going to the Hawkinses’. I wanted to prove we didn’t need anyone. I wanted my dad to see that he didn’t need anyone besides me. What a dummy!”

“Well, you can put that proving thing off a little while, I think. Just a little assistance here and there until you can drive your own dog to the vet, huh?”

“But it was wrong. Jerry was right—it was wrong.”

“Who’s Jerry?” Kelly asked.

“Oh, the stupid counselor who said we need lots of people in our lives.”

Kelly pulled Courtney a little closer. “Listen, you’re doing fine, kiddo. Don’t take on too much without help, but don’t beat yourself up. I think you’re doing very well. You’re smart, responsible and you love your dad a lot. You get an A-plus.”

“But I really screwed up tonight…”

“Nah,” Kelly said. “You called me. When you needed help, you called. You get big points for that. And we got the job done.”

“But I was trying to keep you and my dad from getting married, and what a dumb thing!”

Kelly was still for a moment. Very still, very quiet. “Honey, didn’t your dad tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m going back to San Francisco. Next week. Oh, I’ll visit sometimes, like once a month or whatever. But I’m going back to the city to work.”

“You are?” she asked softly.

“Yeah. It’s time.”

Quiet filled the space in the room. “Well, if Spike and I need you, I guess you won’t be around…” Courtney said.

“There are plenty of people around. There’s your dad, he doesn’t leave often. Jill and Colin. The Hawkinses.”

“I guess,” she said very softly.

“I do have one suggestion, though,” Kelly said. “Might want to change his name from Spike to Sparky.”

Courtney’s laughter blubbered through her tears.

Spike was discharged, though his tail was indeed a bit shorter. Kelly stopped by the Victorian to get something comfortable for the evening so she wouldn’t have to sleep in her clothes again. She showered at Lief’s and made some kick-ass mac and cheese for dinner. Courtney went to bed with her puppy while Kelly dug around in the cupboard for the hidden brandy. She was just getting real comfortable on the couch in the great room when Courtney appeared. She was holding her pillow and her puppy, now alert, was standing at her side.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked Kelly.

“Coming?”

“I guess you don’t want to sleep in Dad’s room, but you could sleep in mine.”

Kelly thought about it a minute. Then she said, “I’ll be right there.”

Lief’s flight was a little late. He didn’t get back to Virgin River until one in the morning. There was a light left on for him. A note on the counter said Mac and cheese in the fridge.

When he didn’t see Kelly on the couch, he got a little excited, hoping he might find her in his bed. He carried his bags back to his room. Nope, not in his bed.

He doubted she’d leave Courtney alone, not after all that had gone on. With the hall light to illuminate Courtney’s room, he pushed open her door. There, in her bed, Kelly was curled around his daughter, his daughter curled around her dog. All asleep.

Spike lifted his head. He wiggled free of Courtney’s embrace and trotted out toward Lief. When Lief pulled the bedroom door closed, Spike, with a slightly shorter tail, trotted alongside.

“You’re not exactly my first choice,” Lief said to the dog. “But you’ll do.”

A week later, it was time for Kelly to go. Kelly and Jill sat at the kitchen table with their morning coffee. The fire was lit, making it cozy. Though the sun came up bright and the sky clear, it was still cold outside. Jill said, “Well, it was a great fantasy, that you’d cook what I grow, sell it under a family label and stay.”

“Maybe that will still happen someday,” Kelly said. “Just not right now.”

“I’m encouraged by the fact that you’re leaving your furniture on the third floor. At least I’ll see more of you than I used to.”

“Luca has lots of properties around the Bay Area. He insists I use one of his small furnished apartments while I think about where I want to live. And why not? He’s richer than God, and he’s getting a bargain in me. Besides, I want a place like this as my getaway. I’m never going back to the kind of grind I suffered before I walked out on that insane restaurant. People need balance. We can’t work all the time.”

“And there’s Lief,” Jill said.

“And there’s Lief,” Kelly agreed with a smile. “I can’t give him up cold turkey. Because I love him. But hey—he won’t be neglecting his daughter if she spends the night with a girlfriend once or twice a month! He can drive down to the city once in a while. I’ll come up here sometimes.”

Jill held Kelly’s hand across the table. “I know we never lived together after you turned eighteen and went off to study food, but it’s very hard to give you up after having you here for five months.”

Kelly squeezed the hand. “You’re not giving me up. But Jill, you have your business and your relationship. What I have is too much time on my hands, too much room left over in my heart. I need more than work. I learned that when I fell in love with Lief. I need to feel needed, not superfluous. I need to be a part of something that’s vital and growing, not waiting around to see if anything will take root. I’ve given this enough time. It’s no one’s fault. It is what it is. This is the right decision for me. I’ll come back up for a weekend in two or three weeks.”

“What did Lief say when you were with him last night?” Jill asked.

“That he loved me and wishes I could stay, but of course he understands. He was never in a situation like I am. When he met his wife, she had a little girl who instantly adored him. It wasn’t a challenge. He still hopes this can work out between us.”

The back door opened, and Colin was pulling off his gloves as he stepped inside. He wore an army-green canvas jacket over a black turtleneck, his hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was smiling. “I completely repacked the back of your car. Now you’ll be able to actually use the rearview mirror. You’re good to go.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said. “I’m going to miss you, too. But I think I have to hit the road before you get pudgy.”

“You spoiled me, that’s for sure. You call us the minute you get there.”

“Sure.”

“And take your time,” he ordered, opening his arms to her.

“Yes, sir,” she said, walking into his embrace. “Take care of my sister, Colin. I’m counting on you.”

“Jilly’s in good hands, Kell. Take good care of yourself. You’re always feeding everyone else—remember to feed yourself, too. And I’m not just talking about food.”

“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” Kelly hugged her sister. “Thank you for everything, honey. I was so happy here in your wonderful house. You made it so easy for me.”

“You remember, it’s always here for you. Always. If you get tired of working for that crazy Italian, you come up here and make sauces and relishes.”

“I will.”

Colin held the door open for her, letting Kelly precede them onto the back porch. And there Kelly stopped, coming face-to-face with a little sprite a few inches shorter than she was. Courtney looked a little surprised. Maybe nervous. “Well, hello,” Kelly said. “I didn’t expect you to be up so early. We said our goodbyes. Maybe I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

Behind Courtney, leaning against Kelly’s packed car, his hands in his pockets, was Lief. Beside him, sitting politely, was the dog.

“You can’t go yet,” Courtney said.

“Courtney, I have to get moving or I’ll end up in city traffic—”

“No, I mean, don’t go at all. Not yet. There’s still things we can try. Like Jerry said we might try some group counseling to see if we’re all in the same canoe—he likes to say that. He also likes to say ‘Get it out there where we can look at it.’ Here—so you can look at it—most of the time when I wasn’t so nice, I knew it. I’m not even sure why, but I knew it. I can be a lot nicer. Seriously.”

“Why are you doing this now?” Kelly asked.