Considering the look on Michael’s face, I decided not to tell him about Cousin Alice, the relative who had spent the most time taking care of me during my first three or four years. Even though it was justifiable homicide and she’d served her time, I sensed he wouldn’t react well.

“So your mother didn’t actually do anything?” he asked.

“She was an early adopter of the ‘it takes a village’ approach to child-rearing. With Mother in the all-important role of lady of the manor. She supervised.”

“That’s it?”

“If you’re wondering, I don’t think it’s ideal, and it’s not how I’d approach parenthood, but it worked pretty well. Pam and Rob and I didn’t turn out too warped, did we? Well, Pam and I, at least. And you can probably put down Rob’s eccentricities as much to heredity as environment.”

“It’s . . . different,” he said. “And it does rather explain a few things.”

“Such as?”

“Well, it explains why you’re not bothered by Rob moving in.”

“Moving in where? Here? You’re joking, right?”

“He hasn’t formally moved in—no mail forwarding or anything. But he has started leaving a bunch of his stuff in one of the bedrooms on the third floor.”

“You’re serious. How long has this been going on?”

“Couple of weeks. It wasn’t till this week he brought over the sleeping bag. He probably doesn’t realize anyone noticed.”

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I knew Rob wasn’t happy at the run-down apartment building where he’d been living, and several times I’d suggested that I’d gladly help him look for a better place. If he’d gotten fed up with the Whispering Pines, why couldn’t Rob just come out and ask if he could stay with us while he found new quarters? Since the house was several times larger than we could possibly need, his chances of guilt-tripping us into saying yes were probably near a hundred percent.

Unless his plan was just to move in and skip hunting for a new place altogether. Also a possibility. Why did everyone in my family have to sneak around and make things dramatic and complicated and—

“I’ll talk to him,” I said.

“I’m not saying it’s a problem or anything, Rob being here,” Michael said. “I just didn’t want it to come as a big shock if you found out yourself.”

“Good; so you won’t mind if I don’t kick him out immediately. He might come in handy with Timmy.”

“He might come in handy generally,” Michael said. And then, as if deciding he’d veered too close to the all-important subject of starting a family of our own, he chuckled and added, “If only to have someone willing to take care of Spike when we need a break.”

Just then Rob came strolling in holding Timmy at arm’s length.

“Knee Pompey,” Timmy said. At least that’s what it sounded like—I had no idea what he actually meant, though from his expression, Timmy clearly thought he was imparting critical information.