“Sleep well?” asked Cooper without looking up.

Anna snorted a laugh as she ducked her head into the newspaper.

“Ha-ha,” Linnea said. Then, bringing her mug to her lips, she added, “Actually, I slept very little.”

Cooper made a face and shook his head. “TMI. I’m your brother. Please.”

Anna looked over her shoulder and offered an expression of approval. “Help yourself to granola.”

Anna offered her homemade granola every day, and nearly every day Linnea politely declined. It was delicious, she’d tried it. But she wasn’t a fan of a sweet breakfast, preferring fruit and yogurt, maybe some eggs, all of which she had waiting in the fridge to prepare for Gordon.

“No thanks, I’m waiting for Gordon to wake up. How long did y’all stay out last night?” she asked, coming to join them at the table.

“Not much longer after you left. You kind of took the mood with you,” Anna said.

“Yeah,” Cooper added, chewing. “John looked really bummed. He sat pounding away the beers in a stony silence. A real downer.”

“Be fair. Cara and David had to leave to take Hope to bed,” Anna said to Cooper. “That’s what really started the exodus.”

“Whatever you say,” Cooper said. Then he looked over his shoulder toward the bedroom, making sure the coast was clear. “I don’t know if you want to hear this,” he began in a lowered voice. “You say it’s over between you, but I don’t think John’s feeling the same.”

Linnea waved her hand. That was old news for her. “It doesn’t matter, does it? I’m with Gordon now.” Her tone brooked no discussion.

“Cool,” Cooper said, and dove back into his cereal.

The front door opened, and from the living room they heard Julia’s voice calling out brightly, “Good morning! It’s me. Your mother! I hope you’re decent!”

They all bolted upright. Anna practically choked on her cereal and, after a moment’s freeze, made a comical dash for the outside.

“She ran out faster than a cockroach when the light turns on,” Cooper joked.

Linnea wished she’d done the same. She glanced back to make sure she’d closed her bedroom door.

The scent of her perfume arrived before Julia did. She entered all smiles, wearing a blur of pastels. She was neatly coiffed, her arms laden with several large bags.

From the corner of her eye, Linnea caught sight of Anna streaking across the deck on her way to her room. It was hard not to laugh.

“Mama, what are you doing here?”

“Can’t a mother come visit her only two children?” she asked airily. “My children won’t come to see me, so I had to come see them. It’s after nine,” she said, checking her watch. “You two aren’t even dressed. I can see what’s going on here.”

Cooper and Linnea exchanged glances.

“Just because you’re not working doesn’t mean you should let your lives go to ruin. And you,” Julia said, spearing Cooper with a gaze. “Your father is waiting for you to call him. He’s holding a job for you.”