‘‘Well, you do.’’ Grace chuckled at Julie’s wince. ‘‘But I like it.’’

‘‘I love you and Aubrey, Grace.’’

‘‘I know you do. Now stop worrying about it, and tell me where you’re going with Jeff the cute computer guy?’’

‘‘Safe date. Movies and pizza.’’ Julie let out a soft sigh of relief. She’d have . . . shaved her head and dyed itpurple, she decided, before she’d do anything to hurt Grace. Hoping to make up, just a little, for her insensitivity, she beamed a smile.

‘‘You know, I’d be happy to keep Aubrey on your next night off if you and Ethan want to go out.’’

Grace had finished folding the rompers and started on socks. She stopped, staring, with a tiny white sock trimmed in yellow in each hand. ‘‘What?’’

‘‘You know—catch a movie, go to a restaurant, whatever.’’ She wiggled her brows on the ‘‘whatever,’’ then fought to bite back a grin at Grace’s expression. ‘‘You’re not going to stand there and tell me you’re not seeing Ethan Quinn.’’

‘‘Well, he’s . . . I’m . . .’’ She looked helplessly down at Aubrey.

‘‘If it was supposed to be a secret, he should be parking his truck somewhere other than your driveway on the nights he sleeps over.’’

‘‘Oh, God.’’

‘‘What’s the problem? It’s not like you’re having this illicit affair—like Mr. Wiggins has been having with Mrs. Lowen on Monday afternoons at the motel on Route 13.’’ At Grace’s strangled sound, Julie just shrugged. ‘‘My friend Robin’s working there and taking night classes at the college, and she says how he checks in everyThursday morning at ten-thirty while she waits in her car. Anyway—’’

‘‘What must your mother think?’’ Grace whispered.

‘‘Mom? About Mr. Wiggins? Well—’’

‘‘No, no.’’ Grace didn’t want to think about the portly Mr. Wiggins’s weekly motel romp. ‘‘About . . .’’

‘‘Oh, you and Ethan. I think she said something about ‘high time.’ Mom’s not an idiot. He’s such a hunk, ’’ Julie said with feeling. ‘‘I mean, the way he fills out a T-shirt is awesome. And that smile. It takes, like, ten minutes for it to finish moving over his face, and by then, man, you are drooling. Robin and I went down to the waterfront every day for a month last summer just to watch him offload his catch.’’

‘‘You did?’’ Grace said weakly.

‘‘We both built a real case on him.’’ She reached into the white stoneware cookie jar and found two oatmeal raisins. ‘‘I flirted with him, big time, whenever I got the chance.’’

‘‘You . . . flirted with Ethan.’’

‘‘Mmm.’’ She nodded, swallowing cookie. ‘‘Really put some effort into it, too. Mostly I think it embarrassed him, but I got a couple of great smiles out of him.’’ She smiled sunnily when Grace kept staring. ‘‘Oh, I’m way over it now, so don’t worry.’’