“I was. But that doesn’t mean I like it.” Gaines clarified his earlier statement. “It’s the original stuff that was in the house when I bought it. Except for the couch. That was from my basement.”

“I think someone should declare a state of renovation emergency.” Ellie clapped her hands together with delight.

There was a moment of awkward silence when Gaines took the next step. “I have Carter this weekend, and the following I have a seminar. How is three weeks from now?”

“I’ll need someone to cover for me here.” Luna was between elation and panic.

“I’ll get Sabrina or one of the other pages,” Ellie offered right away. She was not going to let Luna squirm her way out of spending time with Gaines.

All eyes were on Luna. “I guess it’s a plan, then.”

She was just about to add, “Should we ask Cullen,” but bit her lip. What about sleeping arrangements? she thought.

As if he read her mind, Gaines immediately offered, “You can stay in Carter’s room. He’ll be at his mom’s.”

“How old is your son now?” Ellie asked.

“He’ll be thirteen in a couple of months.”

“That’s a very active age.”

“You’re telling me. Between his studies, his sports, his dog, and puberty, I have my hands full!”

“Especially the puberty part!” Ellie joshed.

“You bet. That’s the worst of it!” Everyone broke out into cackles and guffaws.

“What’s all the hilarity?” Cullen came bounding in.

“Teenage talk.” Gaines dragged another chair over to the small table. Normally, they were arranged to accommodate two or three people, but that morning five were huddled in the corner.

“Christopher was telling us about his son and his many activities,” Chi-Chi replied.

“A teenager? I can only imagine!” Cullen pulled the chair so he could be closer to Chi-Chi.

“You have some very strange customs,” Chi-Chi said matter-of-factly.

“But you’ve been here for years!” Luna exclaimed.

“That does not mean I understand any of it.” Chi-Chi smiled. “We had a very strict upbringing. There was a lot of love, but also a lot of discipline.”

“Sometimes I wonder who is in charge nowadays,” Ellie mused. “I see some of the kids who come in here and I want to smack the parents! They let them run wild.”

“You should direct them outside,” Cullen chimed in.

“I wish I could, but it’s starting to become a problem. Some of the mothers think this is a babysitting service while they guzzle wine and eat their gourmet salads.”

“I noticed that, too,” Luna added. “They buy a bottle of wine at the Wine Cellar and salads at the Blonde Shallot, sit at a table on the patio, and set their screaming kids loose.”

Ellie had a bit of a troubled look on her face.

“Maybe you should hire a security guard for the atrium,” Gaines suggested.

“But we have excellent security surveillance.”