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Emmie hugged her. “It sounds like a well-earned break for you.” She turned to Tony for another hug. She’d always liked him.

“Is Lauren all right?” asked Gemma. “She won’t get out of the hospital until tomorrow. They were worried about her blood pressure. Is that usual?”

“No, but it’s treatable,” said Emmie. “The important thing is that Rick took Lauren to the hospital right away to treat her blood pressure. It turned out not to be eclampsia, which is more dangerous. But she’ll have to be careful.”

“The pictures of the baby are adorable,” gushed Gemma. “Lauren says that he’s tiny but healthy. I can’t believe I’m an aunt. How do you feel about being a grandmother? You’re only in your fifties.”

“I’m delighted,” said Emmie. “Come see the baby’s room. And Rick, help yourself to coffee or anything you want. I’ve got healthy drinks in the refrigerator.”

“Will do,” said Tony, heading for the kitchen.

Emmie led Gemma to the baby’s room and stood back to give her daughter the full effect of the changes made to her father’s office.

Gemma turned to her with brimming eyes. “It’s perfect, but now Dad really is gone.”

“I was sad, too, but now it’s such a blessing to have space for Clark in the family home,” said Emmie, suddenly realizing she wasn’t quite ready for the change.

Gemma wrapped an arm around her. “Are you okay, Mom? I’m sorry you had to end your vacation. What about the days you didn’t use?”

“I’m going to talk to the owners to see if I can use those days to book a reservation for later in the year. It’s a gorgeous hotel. I’m hoping you girls and your families can join me there one day.”

“That sounds fantastic. Let’s make it work,” said Gemma.

Tony appeared at the office door. “Cool, huh?”

“It’s excellent for Clark,” said Gemma. “Are you ready to go?”

“Anytime,” Tony answered. “We wanted to make sure you were okay, Emmie. It’s nice to see you home, and everything seems ready for Lauren and her family.”

“I’ll walk you out,” said Emmie. “After the new year, you’re looking for a house. Is that right?”

“Yes. We have appointments lined up already,” said Gemma. “I’m not ready to have a baby, but the Romanos are hoping that moving to a house will be the first step.”

“My grandmother wants to still be here for our firstborn,” said Tony, grinning at Gemma.

“That’s typical of Tony’s family,” said Gemma. “I’m still not used to all their teasing.”

“They love you, and that’s what counts,” Tony said, and they smiled at one another.

###

After Gemma and Tony left, Emmie wandered inside. The house was a large colonial with five bedrooms, four and a half baths, an office, a library, a living room, a dining room, and a large kitchen with a small gathering nook. It was a house full of mostly pleasant memories. She knew it was too large for one person, but as she’d thought earlier, she wasn’t ready to leave it.

She returned to completing her task list. She wanted things in order before the kids moved in, and she went back to work.

Emmie spent the rest of the day cooking and freezing meals for the three of them. She knew she’d be too tired after work to do that each evening. Rick and Lauren were used to ordering meals in, and that would help, too.

Sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying a glass of wine, Emmie turned on the television for local and state news and was startled to see Ted’s face. A row of battered Jeeps sat in the background.

“We were sorry to learn about all this damage,” said an interviewer. “How do you handle a loss like this?”

“It’s a lengthy process to deal with insurance companies,” Ted said. “We’ll continue to do so. But we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that a young man, only twenty-two years old, lost his life on our site due to drunk driving. We will donate funds to our local MADD chapter. These mothers against drunk driving can be a powerful force in teaching our children about drugs and alcohol.”

“Thank you, Mr. McAllister, for your time. McAllister Motors is a valued community member throughout our region in the state.”

“Thank you,” said Ted, looking directly at the camera.

Emmie’s pulse pounded inside her. Those startling blue eyes had gazed at her with interest, and she’d loved it.