“I’ve never been happier than I have been since we’ve been here and Noah is doing so well, but my work is in Minneapolis. And even though Owen wants us to stay and says he isn’t worried about whether I work, I don’t know what I’ll do without work. It’s not just the income, it’s the feeling that I’m doing something useful, that I’m contributing. Not that being Noah’s mother isn’t useful...”

Sheila laughed. “You don’t have to explain to me of all people. Mothering is a blessing and rewarding, but you should have something to give yourself to. Something you’re not giving to someone else but filling your own well.”

“Owen talks about his well a lot,” she said. “I’ve been helping him in the shop—transferring pictures onto other mediums. It’s fun but I don’t know if it would keep my interest over the long term.”

“You know what Owen really needs? A business manager,” Sheila said. “Someone with PR experience who could set up shows for his work, keep the books, write press releases, make his travel arrangements, interact with his agent and publisher, help him sell his work. I bet his financial books are a wreck by now—I used to take care of all his billing and receivables. He used to keep everything in a leather binder, completely disorganized...”

“He’s almost paperless now,” Hannah said. “I’m a little reluctant to get into his personal business.”

“That’s not personal,” Sheila said. “It’s his business and it has many very bothersome details from his corporation to his taxes and pension. And he hates it. Owen was made to wander with a camera and dream. He’s not practical and he doesn’t like practicality. He’d be happiest if he could just take pictures.”

Hannah was quiet for a moment. “I was in sales, then I was a sales manager, which put me in charge of several salesmen. But I would never presume...”

“Maybe the subject will come up and you can let Owen know that you’re qualified, if he’s interested.” She smiled coyly. “You wouldn’t be the first family business on record.”

“You are an amazing person,” Hannah said. “How did you do it? How did you divorce, keep a great relationship with Owen and build yourself a new life? I think you still love him and it seems perfectly natural.”

“I will always love Owen,” she said quietly. “But we were bonded by tragedy and then, in order to survive, we moved in opposite directions. I threw myself into child advocacy, my role growing by the day. Owen just wanted to be out of the public view, to find his peace. His own peace. He’s great with people, he’s a fantastic neighbor and a good friend. He was a wonderful husband and father. But I went to one of his shows in Denver a few years ago and a lot of strangers looking and judging his work put red splotches on his neck. He’s not a hermit, but being the center of attention doesn’t really sit well. Me? I’m okay with being the center of attention! Ha!” She laughed. “I’ve testified before Congress, though I was terrified. The high I was on after doing a good job kept me afloat for days. Owen would have to sleep for a week just to recover after something like that.” She smiled. “We each have our own gifts. We’re better with people who understand and are a little like us. The secret is learning to accept people as they are, not as you wish them to be. You and Owen are good together. You seem to be a lot alike and just different enough to balance each other out.”

I haven’t had the best of luck in relationships, she thought. But none of them were anything like Owen.

* * *

The next morning there was a lot of commotion getting Sheila, Lucas and the kids breakfast, the car loaded and on the road back to the airport. There was a lot of hugging and promises of future visits. And when they were gone, trundling off down the road in their leased van, Owen, Hannah, Noah and Romeo just stood in the yard watching them go. A bird tweeted and a fish jumped.

“Sure is quiet,” Noah said. He looked up at Hannah. “What are we going to do now?”

“We’re going to have a day of rest,” she said.

* * *

Victoria Addison fixed herself a drink and phoned Roger.

“Mother. Are you all right?” he asked by way of a greeting.

“I’m doing all right—I’m in Colorado. I tracked down my grandson, Noah. This Hannah, newly appointed guardian of my grandson, is going to be difficult. And she has hooked herself up to a man. A man who is emotionally connected to the boy. Do you remember Hannah?”

“I’m sure I never met her,” Roger said. “It’s not as though Erin shared her friends with me. Do you intend to make trouble for her?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” she snapped. “I only want to help her out. And get to know my grandson. I should have known Erin would do something like this—give my grandson to someone outside the family.”

“I can’t believe you want to be tied down to a child...” Roger said. “You don’t actually like children. But then, you’ve tied yourself down to old people and you don’t like them, either...”

“What is that noise?” she asked him.

“The radio...”

“Where are you?”

“At home...”

“You’re lying to me! Where are you and what are you doing?”

He sighed into the phone. “I’m at home. A couple of friends came over. I’m not out. I’m not at your house. I was last there a month ago to cut your grass and I haven’t been back since. I’m at my place. I have friends over. We’re playing poker.”

“Get yourself and everyone else out of my house! What did I tell you? I’m not supposed to have any contact with you! I’ve told everyone I haven’t seen you or let you stay with me for a long time!” Then she disconnected.

If Roger was in her house with friends, word could get back to the landlord and she was dodging the landlord.

She took a sip of her drink. She knew this day would come. She would be officially breaking ties with Roger. Never mind she’d already told the judge they were estranged and had been for a long time. But this was inevitable; Roger was no longer of any use. Their relationship had always been stormy, fluctuating from highs to lows. There was a time she could count on Roger to listen to her. Now they managed best when he was in jail because when he wasn’t, he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and when he was using, he made foolish mistakes.

He denied he was using; he claimed he had to take regular tests while he was on parole. He said he went to AA. But he was a perpetual liar and couldn’t be trusted.

In earlier days, Victoria had much better control over Roger. Lately he’d become defiant and she couldn’t fathom it—he owed her. She stood by him through every piece of trouble he’d gotten himself into. Well, she wasn’t about to tolerate this now. She had no margin for error at the moment.

She had learned her last place of employment was being investigated, that most of the employees were being questioned by police, even those who had resigned before they went out of business. A couple of former employees had been indicted for fraud, embezzlement and theft, accused of taking advantage of their clientele, mostly elderly people who needed help with their insurance, benefits and finances. They hadn’t gotten around to her yet.

It wasn’t the first time there had been suspicion surrounding a business or charity she’d been involved with but it was by far the most serious. This time the attorney general was involved. And also for the first time she could be in serious trouble.

Victoria was good at winning people’s trust. She’d learned most of her techniques from a man she’d been involved with when she was much younger. There was good money to be made from people who needed her caring and expertise. There was a reason she’d been named beneficiary in two wills. She’d been very careful before accepting any inheritance—those dear souls had no family and it hadn’t been much that they’d left behind. She couldn’t be named as a beneficiary in a lot of wills without raising suspicion because it was a suspicious world; people would just believe the worst.

But then she’d had a slip. She became the guardian of a rich old man, another man without a family, and she stood to collect $800,000 of his money when he passed. That was when she worked at her company, doing what they did, submitting invoices for her management of his property and caretaking, paid out of his bank account. Everything from lawn care and pool service to chauffeuring to medical facilities to scheduling him for screenings and health care providers’ evaluations, none of which she actually did. He passed at home, the dear old soul, and she was just waiting for the paperwork and probate to clear when there was a hitch. It wasn’t a family member, but a library. The man was a patron and had given a copy of his will to the librarian saying all of his money would be left to the library. They objected to this guardian stepping in and claiming to be the new beneficiary, even though she had a copy of his will, one that had been hastily written while he was in hospice care.

A public library. That began a lot of poking around so she quit her job and made herself scarce. She needed money but was afraid to show her face while the authorities were questioning the validity of the will.

Erin had not been deceased long and all she could learn was that everything had been left to Noah. She had no idea how much but Erin was stingy and clever with her money. Victoria made a bold decision—she would argue for custody. If there wasn’t much inheritance, she could make the magnanimous gesture of letting Hannah keep the boy.

She didn’t have a lot of time and she had ideas, but no plan. And so far, it wasn’t going well. This Hannah had surrounded herself with lawyers and protectors.

Victoria moved what liquid assets she had, not nearly enough to retire on, sold a few things, packed up and headed south to Colorado. It was time for her to move on anyway. She left her house and stopped paying rent, having convinced the owners she’d been ill and was in recovery.