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  “I meant about the movie,” Phin said. “Your sex life is your business.”

  “It appears to be a love story,” Wes said. “Frank seems to think he’s the lead.”

  “And he’s not?”

  “Judging from what I saw Amy shoot today, that would be Rob.”

  Phin winced. “Frank’s going to be real unhappy about that.”

  “Yeah,” Wes said. “The perfect start to your midlife crisis: Your son sleeps with the woman you always wanted and takes your part in the movie you’ve been waiting for all your life.”

  “But are they shooting porn?”

  “I don’t know,” Wes said. “If they are, I hope they let me watch.”

  “That’ll be a major consolation if Stephen uses that to throw me out of office,” Phin groused. “ ‘At least Wes got to watch,’ that’s what I’ll say.”

  “You’re being irrational,” Wes said. “You haven’t even voted in the permit yet. And you said yourself, Sophie doesn’t look like the type.”

  “I changed my mind,” Phin said. “Sophie is capable of anything except changing a fuse and reading. She’s obsessed with film. I don’t think she’s ever picked up a book.”

  “The movie-quote thing? Amy says she does that when she gets nervous. It was a game they used to play when they were little.” Wes leaned back. “I get the feeling that they didn’t have a great childhood.”

  “I can tell you that sometime during it, somebody like me did a job on Sophie,” Phin said. “She spits every time she sees me.”

  “Maybe she just doesn’t like you,” Wes said, and Phin said, “Thank you. I’m sure that’s it.”

  Wes stood up. “Got you mad, did I? Good. Let’s play pool. Maybe I can beat you, now that you’re distracted.”

  “Don’t count on it.” Phin stood up. “You going to look into this Stephen thing?”

  “Have to,” Wes said. “Insurance companies like to have the whole story. And so do I. I’m thorough. Which reminds me, we’re going to the Tavern tonight.”

  “On a Friday?” Phin thought about the development crowd that came in on Fridays. He liked his bars quiet and dark. “I don’t think so.”

  “You’re driving,” Wes said. “So you can leave and strand me there, and I can catch a ride home with Amy.”

  Phin closed his eyes. “I have to go through this hell so you can get laid?”

  “No,” Wes said. “I just want to get closer.”

  “She’s leaving on Sunday,” Phin said.

  “She’s just going back to Cincinnati,” Wes said. “I can drive an hour to make my move. Nine o’clock. You can tuck Dill in and then go play with Sophie.”

  Sophie. “And I’d want to play with Sophie because she’s so warm and cuddly? No.”

  “Just play with her until I hook up with Amy,” Wes said. “We’re buddies. You’re supposed to come through for me.”

  Sophie. And that mouth. “I’ll pick you up at nine,” Phin said. “No earlier. There’s only so much Tavern and Sophie I can stand.”

  When Rachel got home, her mother was sitting at their red-checked-plastic-covered kitchen table, snapping beans, waiting for her as always.

  “Hello, baby,” Virginia said, “I ran into Georgia Lutz today,” and Rachel thought, Uh-oh. “She told me what a good job you were doing at the Whipple Farm. I’m not sure that’s a good place for you to be.” Rachel started to protest and Virginia added, “But your father seems to think it’s a good idea, so I guess it’s fine.”

  “Daddy does?” That couldn’t be right.

  “I called him after I talked to Georgia, and he said we should let you go out there. He seemed pleased.”

  That definitely couldn’t be right.

  “And that nice Sophie said they were going home on Sunday,” Virginia said. “So you won’t be out there that much anyway.”

  Rachel eyed her mother and risked her next move. “Sophie’s going back to Cincinnati, but Amy’s not. I’m sort of hoping Sophie might hire me to take Amy’s place in their video business.”

  Virginia’s hands stilled over the beans, and Rachel rushed on. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful, for me to get a job so close to home?” She had no intention of ever coming back to Temptation, but her mother didn’t have to know that.

  “I don’t think so, dear.” Her mother smiled as she began to snap the ends off the beans again. “Your father wouldn’t let you go that far.”

  I’m twenty, Rachel wanted to say. I can go wherever I want.

  “And besides, he needs you at the store.” Virginia stopped to smile lovingly at her. “And I just don’t know what I’d do without my baby. I’d worry so much if you left. You don’t want me to worry, do you?”

  Rachel felt a flush of resentment. “What if staying here makes me unhappy? You don’t want me to be unhappy, do you?”

  “Your father and I know what’s best for you, Rachel. You’ve always wanted things that weren’t good for you. Remember when you used to ask for two cotton candies at the fair? And we never let you have two because we knew you’d get sick.”

  “This isn’t cotton candy,” Rachel said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. “This is my life.”

  “Why don’t you find something here in Temptation?” Virginia put the last of the beans in the bowl and stood up. “Let’s see, what could you do? Not something too demanding because you’ll be raising your own children soon.” She picked up the bowl, and Rachel revised her plan.

  “I suppose it’s possible Sophie will stay here and work,” Rachel said, watching her mother from the corner of her eye. “Phin’s interested, you can tell, and if he decides he wants her, she’ll have to stay.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Virginia said, clutching the bowl to her breasts. “The two of you are practically engaged.”

  “Mother.” Rachel took a deep breath. Now or never. “Look, Phin and I were never engaged, we never wanted to be engaged, and we’re never going to be engaged.” Her mother’s eyes narrowed, and Rachel backtracked fast. “And anyway, I’m sure he’s after Sophie now. He gets that look in his eye whenever she’s around. He never gets that look for me.” Thank God.

  “That’s just physical,” Virginia said primly. “He made that mistake with that Diane but he won’t do it again. Liz‘ll see to that. I’ll call her and tell her about this Sophie and she’ll put a stop to it.” She nodded at Rachel. “You’re the right one for him, and Liz knows it. The two of you have known each other forever. That’s a real foundation for a marriage. Now, come peel potatoes, and then you can do some weeding.”

  “Fabulous,” Rachel said, more determined than ever to get out of town.

  By nine, the Tavern was as bad as Phin had thought it would be: Too many people determined to have a good time if it killed them, and Billy Ray Cyrus on the jukebox. He and Wes took their beers back to one of the initial-scarred booths along the back wall; half an hour later, he had a second beer and a headache, and he was ready to strand Wes for real.

  “It’s after nine,” he told Wes. “They’re not coming. Let’s go back to the store and play pool.”

  Then Wes smiled past him, and he turned and saw Amy in a blue tube top.

  And behind her was Sophie.

  Sophie’s hair was in loose, dark ringlets on her shoulders, and her cheeks were flushed, and she was wearing a short pink dress that fit tightly under her breasts, and it wasn’t until Phin had taken it all in that he realized he had no idea what she’d been wearing the rest of the week. Something brown, he thought. Nothing like this.

  He hadn’t even noticed she’d had breasts until this. Just what he needed, something else to think about besides her mouth.

  “Now what?” she said, looking at him warily as he tried to keep his eyes on her face.

  “Cute dress.” He slid over to make room for her since Amy had already taken a seat on the other side of the booth next to Wes.

  “It is not cute.” Sophie slid in beside him and put her drink on the pitte