“Isn’t adolescence so difficult?”

Actually, Rina found the boys easier the older they got. But she answered, “It can be trying.”

“Mendel’s turned into a very quiet boy. He’s lovely, but I can never tell what he’s thinking. And Minda is so moody. Everything I say, she jumps down my throat. We all really need this vacation. So you think you can put us up?”

“I’m pretty sure I can, but I have to check with Peter.” Rina paused. “Not that it’s any of my business, Honey, but Gershon doesn’t mind doing worldly things like going to Disneyland?”

Honey didn’t answer. There was background chatter over the line.

“Hello?” Rina asked.

“Sorry, I was distracted,” Honey said. “Gershon’s not coming. He’s in Israel. Didn’t I mention that?”

It was Rina’s turn to pause. “I don’t remember. Does he know of your plans to take them to Disneyland?”

“He didn’t ask and I didn’t say. All he knows is that I’m going back to Los Angeles to visit some old friends.”

“Very old,” Rina answered dryly.

“We’re not exactly ready for the glue factory,” Honey said. “Though sometimes it feels that way. Rina, it’s been wonderful talking to you. Thanks so much for everything. And if it’s too much trouble—”

“Not at all,” Rina said. “I’ll ask Peter and call you back.”

“Great. I’ll give you the bakery’s phone number. Just leave a message that you called and I’ll ring you back.”

Honey gave her the number. Rina wrote it down.

“When exactly are you planning to come out, Honey?”

“Soon. In two days.”

“Two days?” Decker looked at his wife. “She didn’t give you much notice, did she?”

Rina spooned yogurt into Hannah’s mouth. “Not a lot.”

Decker sipped his coffee, then took a bite of his turkey sandwich. Watching Rina feed their daughter, he was grateful for the peaceful interlude. His new assignment at the Devonshire station took him farther from the ranch each morning. But work was still close enough to steal an occasional lunch at home. He sat contentedly, smiling as Hannah smeared coffee-colored goop over her mouth…Rina was trying to keep her tidy but it was a losing battle—baby one, parent zero.

Decker’s eyes swept over the cherrywood dining table. Crafted in his bachelor days, it was too small for the family, the surface scratched and gouged. But Rina could be hopelessly sentimental. She refused to part with his handiwork.

“Who is this Honey lady anyhow?” Decker said. “I never heard you mention her name before.”

“That’s because we weren’t close.”

Decker finished half his sandwich. “So what’s she looking for? A free hotel?”

Rina wiped Hannah’s mouth. “I think there’s more to it than that.”

“Such as?”