Lauren bookmarked several web pages to peruse later when she wasn’t so dog tired. She still had to contact the newspapers in the surrounding towns and place the ads she’d discussed with Brent. Having the ability to do this at home—using the Internet was so easy—she completed the task in minutes. If she’d called, as her father would have done, she would have been on the phone forever making sure the ads were correct. And she could not have done it until the morning. Why he couldn’t bring his life and her mother’s into this century continued to baffle her. Lauren would try to convince him this truly was the way of the future, but not now. She was completely wiped out. Slipping into a pair of flannel pajamas, she slid beneath the covers and was asleep within minutes.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Lauren couldn’t believe what a good night’s sleep could do for one’s disposition. She’d gone to bed a bit ticked at her father’s stubbornness and her mother’s willingness to play along.

But it was a new day, and she decided that she would keep the details of her newly acquired contract to herself. Angela had sent her a copy of the book contract late last night, and she’d read through it this morning while she lingered in bed. Though it was so common in most households, she decided against revealing she had access to the Internet at home. That old saying “What you don’t know, won’t hurt you” could be applied in this case.

Lauren closed her laptop and quickly made up the bed. Twenty minutes later, she was showered, dressed, and sipping a cup of tea in the kitchen. Her parents were still sleeping. She enjoyed the early-morning quiet, the privacy, and was having second thoughts about continuing to live in the house. She could stay in the guest cottage, though it would require a few repairs; she would mention it to her mother later, when they decided to act like grown-ups instead of ten-year-olds. Or not. But then she’d be acting like a kid herself. That would be silly, and she laughed at the pure childishness of her thoughts.

“Somebody’s in a good mood,” her mother said, entering the kitchen.

“Mom, you’re up early,” Lauren commented. “Dad okay?”

“I let him sleep in; he needs his rest.”

Lauren placed a pod of her mother’s favorite Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in the Keurig—the sole twenty-first-century item to be found in the house, only tolerated because Lauren had insisted on having one when she had come home three years ago—then clicked the BREW button. As soon as the cup finished, she held the cup out to her mother. “No cream or sugar, right?”