Cooper’s chair scraped the wood floor as he rose. “Yes, ma’am. I know,” he said, carrying his dishes to the sink. He left them there and made a beeline for the exit. “I’ll go get dressed.”

Julia shook her head. “You’ve got to keep an eye on him,” she said to Linnea. “He’s doing so well. We don’t want him to slip.”

Linnea bit her tongue and kept silent. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what her conservative mother would say if she knew what was going on in this house with Cooper.

“Is that coffee fresh?” Julia walked to the pot and inhaled. “Smells heavenly.” She made herself at home, fixing herself a cup of coffee. She always drank it black, mindful of calories. She took a sip then smiled. “You always make a good cup of coffee,” she said with approval.

Linnea didn’t think it wise to tell her it was Anna who’d made the coffee this morning because she had slept in.

Julia walked to the pile of bags she’d carried in and pulled out the largest one, bearing the Target logo. “Here, darling. I bought this for you,” she said, handing it to her.

“Gosh, what’s this?” Linnea pulled a large box from the bag. “An instapot?”

“Yes!” Julia exclaimed, clearly excited by the gift. “Cara told me about them. She’s been making soups and stews and absolutely loves it. I bought one for myself and one for you. You can make those beans and lentils you like in no time at all. And they’re a wonder with beets.”

Linnea looked at the small amount of counter space in the galley kitchen and wondered where she was going to put it. “Thanks, Mama. That was very thoughtful.”

“You know how everyone is cooking up a storm these days. When I saw you last night, I thought you looked a bit thin. Are you all right?”

“Me? I’m fine,” she said. “It must be the yoga. I’m firming up.” Linnea knew she’d lost a little weight from all the stress of the past few weeks, but the yoga excuse would involve a lot less prying.

“Yoga?” Julia brightened at the idea. “You’ll have to teach me. Maybe we can do it together.”

“Uh, sure.”

“How are things with Gordon?”

“Fine,” Linnea said, bringing her mug to her lips and taking a sip. She saw her mother’s eyes glittering with curiosity.

“Oh, just a minute,” Julia said, setting her coffee on the counter. She went to pick up the other bags, which were from Anthropologie. “Be right back.”

“Mama, wait,” Linnea called, springing to her feet. But her mother was already heading down the hall to the bedrooms. She stopped in front of the seaward room and knocked briskly.

“Cooper? It’s me. I have something for you.”

Before Linnea could stop her, Julia pushed opened the door. Linnea looked over her mother’s shoulders, then groaned silently. Julia’s smile fell to an open gasp when she saw Cooper in his boxers tugging a T-shirt over his head and talking to Anna, lying on the bed with her kimono falling open, exposing a breast. The room was littered with Anna’s clothing. But the real shock was seeing Cooper’s dirty boxers lying on the floor as well. The stunned looks on their faces told Julia all she needed to know. She set down the bags and fled from the room, her cheeks pink against a pale face.