On the way home, Allison picked up a big order of Chinese takeout. She was hungry, and hopefully Burke and Brianna would be, too. Maybe tonight they could even eat together at the table like a real family.

Kate had been a legendary cook, or so Allison had been told by Burke’s friends. Allison’s own cooking skills were limited to the basics, and when she was working, as she’d done most of her life, she didn’t have the time or energy for fancy meals. For tonight, takeout would have to do.

Coming into the house, carrying the large sack, she passed the open door to Burke’s study and noticed that the light was on. He was at his desk, working on his computer. He looked up and gave her a smile. “Hey, that smells good,” he said.

“Chinese. It’ll be on the table in a few minutes. Is Brianna home?”

“I think she’s in her room,” he said. “I can call her phone if she isn’t on it, talking to that long-haired boyfriend of hers. First, how did your afternoon go?”

“So-so. Nothing big to report. I’ll tell you later.”

“Fine. I’ll call Brianna and tell her there’s food down here.”

He sounded good, Allison thought as she unloaded the sack on the kitchen table and set three places. Maybe he’d gotten some rest, or maybe he was feeling better about getting the loan application to the bank.

“Chinese! Yum! I’m starved!” Brianna burst into the kitchen. As Allison filled glasses with ice water, she rummaged in the cupboard and found napkins and soy sauce. “I hope Dad is going to eat with us.”

“He is. Why don’t you go tell him everything’s ready.”

She darted off and came back moments later with Burke. They took their seats and began passing around the paper cartons filled with steamed rice, noodles, dumplings, meat, and vegetables. This is how it should be, Allison thought. The three of them together, everybody eating, nobody sulking or fighting. Why couldn’t this happen more often?

“How was your job today, Brianna?” Allison asked, hoping to start a conversation.

Brianna wrinkled her pretty nose. “I’ve had better days. In the morning, I interviewed the supervisor of the sewage disposal plant for the paper. Then in the afternoon I put in three hours of community service helping clean at the county animal shelter. Those poor dogs. It was all I could do to walk out of there without taking three or four of them with me.” She turned to her father. “I really miss Captain, Dad. Can’t we get another dog?”

“Dogs need a lot of time and attention,” Burke said. “You can’t take a dog when you go back to school—unless you plan to keep living here.”

“But couldn’t you and Allison take care of the dog for me?”