“Why do you say that? If Flynn gets a wandering eye, then he should . . .” Nessa paused to take a cookie. “I was about to sound like my father and say he should pray about it, but that’s not right. We three cousins need to set aside some time each month for one of our sessions. What’s wrong with us was thirty years in the making. We won’t solve everything in one week, but we understand each other. This is the house that will rebuild us, kind of like we hear about in Miranda’s song. We’ve helped each other come this far. April and I were listening to another song—Kenny Chesney’s ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.’ We decided that was our new theme song. The lyrics might not all match our situation, but the title sure does.”

Flynn laughed, shaking his head. “I guess you’re right.”

“And you deserve as many cookies as you want for not falling into bed with Tilly.” April grinned.

“Well, thank you.” Flynn smiled back at her. “Now it’s your turn, April.”

“Hello, my name is April O’Riley.” She held up a hand like a grade-school child. “I’m a messed-up woman, but I’m trying to get my life back together. I’ve always lived in the moment and never worried about the future.” She lowered her hand and kept talking. “If people can smell fear in others, then I wonder if they can also get a whiff of something from folks like me who would do anything just to get someone to love them. That’s all I’ve ever wanted—and that’s what kept getting me into trouble. Some old boy would say those three magic words, and I’d fall into bed with him. I’ve decided to trust no one for a long time, not until I figure out how to tell the difference between love and lust.”

“Have you been to an addiction thing before, like drugs or AA?” Flynn asked.

“I went to an AA meeting,” April admitted. “Even though I’m not addicted to alcohol, I thought they might help me understand why I was addicted to the wrong type of man. They didn’t. I took one of the guys that was there that night home with me and let him move in the next week. He stole all my money, and the café I had been working in closed its doors. Times have been tough these past couple of years, so I was living in my car when I got the call about this place.”

“How did that make you feel?” Nessa asked.