“That was so nice,” he whispered. “Hard to believe you had trouble with orgasms before. They come to you very easily now.”

“Hm, now. The second you touch me, I have to hold back so you can come with me.”

“Loving you is the best part of my life,” he said.

She touched his handsome face. “I never thought I’d have this,” she whispered. “I was planning to be alone. Alone and quite content.”

He chuckled. “So was I. But at least neither of us was planning to be a priest.”

“Weren’t they the most beautiful couple? The chemistry was rolling off them in waves. It was really hard for me to imagine Tim that way, lusty and sexual and...”

“And not a priest?” he finished for her.

“There was nothing priestly about him at the wedding,” she said, snuggling closer. “Every time I saw him, he was kissing Angela. I think he’s thoroughly in love.” She kissed him. “I’m thoroughly in love, too. In case you’re interested.”

They made love again, the urgency sated. It was slower and sweeter but no less wondrous. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they began to drift into sleep.

Then there was an explosion that shook the house.

* * *

Beau’s truck in Lauren’s drive was ablaze and he acted quickly. He didn’t go outside and told Lauren to stay in the kitchen, far away from the windows. He called 911 and explained that his truck was on fire and there was no explanation for it, but there had been a loud explosion. He heard sirens before he completed the call and within a couple of minutes there were fire trucks, a paramedic rig and lots of police vehicles.

“Get dressed, Beau,” she said, handing him his jeans.

He saw that she’d hurriedly pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt and some slip-on tennis shoes. While he was getting into his pants and T-shirt, there was pounding at the door.

Lauren opened the door to a firefighter. “Everyone in here all right, ma’am?”

“I think so,” she said. “We woke to the explosion...”

“I’m going to need you to evacuate for now. You can sit in one of the police cars. The bomb squad and arson investigators are going to take over when the fire is out. Then I’m going to suggest they have a run through the house.”

“The house?” she said, her hand going nervously to her throat.

“It looks like it was some kind of bomb. I have no idea how sophisticated it might be. Anyone looking to hurt you?”

Beau came to the door while tucking in his shirt. “It seems preposterous, but you never know. We’re both going through divorces and the exes aren’t happy. And before you ask, no, we’re not the reason for the divorces.”

“Right,” he said. “You can explain all that to the cops.”

“They’re a pain in the ass, our exes, but... This could have hurt someone!”

“You need to get jackets,” the firefighter said. “It’s cold tonight.”

They were relegated to the back of a squad car and all attention was focused on evacuating the neighbors on either side of Lauren. “My neighbors must hate me,” she said.

“We’ll talk to them together,” Beau said. “We’ll explain we don’t have any idea what this is about and promise to give them the details when we have more information from the police.”

“They’re going to hate me just the same. This was a quiet, well-kept little neighborhood until I came along.”

“Have you had any contact from Brad?” Beau asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “I told you what Lacey said, that she thinks Brad somehow managed to get me put out of a job, but she can’t be sure. It could be the things he was saying meant he thought he’d finally outsmarted me and will get even in the settlement. I have no reason to suspect him of blowing up your truck. Oh God, what if that was meant to hurt us? Or kill us?”

“Let’s not go there until we get more information,” he said.

“But what if one of them, probably Brad, wants that level of revenge?” she asked.

“Come here,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to be okay.”

They spent the rest of the early morning in the police department, answering questions. What was left of Beau’s truck was towed to a special section of the impound lot for examination by detectives and the arson investigator, although the remnants of a pipe bomb were discovered. It appeared the pipe bomb could have been tossed in the bed of the truck, which actually brought Beau and Lauren a small bit of comfort. Had it been wired to explode while they were occupants in the cab, it would have been so eerily terrifying.

They were separated and answered many questions for about three hours before they were released and asked to remain available to police. The first order of business was a nap—at Beau’s house. Then they visited the neighbors on either side of Lauren’s house to explain as much as they could and Lauren packed a small bag.

There was a devastating black charred mark left on the driveway.

“This is so scary,” Lauren said. “Is there any way to clean that away? Just looking at it is a horrible reminder.”

“I’ll find a solution to that,” Beau said. “I think you have to stay with me now. Just to be safe.”

Drew was shocked and agreed, Lauren should stay with them. No one was sure who the target was—Beau or Lauren or both of them or just the property—but no one was willing to take any chances. Beau had installed security cameras a few years earlier. He looked at the footage surrounding his house for the past month. There was only one suspicious figure—Christmas Day, a little after 3:00 a.m. It was a female in a disguising hoodie. He wasn’t 100 percent sure, but the woman moved like Pamela.

* * *

Lauren was a bit surprised by how easily she slipped into living in Beau’s home. From the very first morning after a full night’s sleep, when she was sitting at the table in her robe, working her crossword puzzle and Drew came into the room. He said a pleasant good-morning as though this was a typical routine. He began rooting around for cereal and toast and Lauren said, “Let me make you a couple of eggs. It’ll only take a minute.”

“Um, you have time?”

“Right now I have nothing but time, but when I get back to work you’ll be on your own again. I’d love to right now.”

“Um, sure,” he said.

She turned a couple of eggs in the pan, microwaved a few slices of bacon, made him some toast and presented a plate in five minutes or less. She filched a piece of bacon for herself and opened a yogurt.

Drew dug in. “You sleep okay?” he finally asked.

“I did, but I admit, I woke up a lot. Every little noise.”

“Try not to worry,” Drew said. “Dad’s got this place wired. No one’s getting in here without a lot of bells and whistles.”

“I’m relieved by that,” she said. “Are you off to school?”

“I don’t have classes today so I’ll run by my dad’s office and see if there’s anything for me to do around there. When I’m not working with landscapers, I do stuff around the office. Then I’ll meet Darla after her classes. I don’t know if I’ll be around at all today. Do you need anything?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Thanks, Drew. I’m fine. I have a few errands.”

“Be very careful,” he said. She had to remind herself that Beau was not Drew’s father—he looked so much like him, especially when he was solicitous.

“Believe me, I will,” she said.

Beau was planning to try to buy a new truck but Lauren was going to see Sylvie Emerson. It was so coincidental that Sylvie had called yesterday and asked if she could manage lunch. Lauren didn’t say anything about their adventure with the bomb and couldn’t imagine Sylvie knew.

Lauren genuinely admired Sylvie. She would be like her if she could, giving so much to so many important causes and reigning over society with such grace and kindness, yet having that no-nonsense grasp of reality. Just the way she had admitted Brad had never fooled her—that wisdom and intuition—if Lauren aspired to anything, it was that.

Sylvie was a lot like Honey, Lauren realized.

Even given all that, Lauren didn’t feel like a close friend, but rather a friendly acquaintance. That was all right; Lauren didn’t run in Sylvie’s circle, nor did she want to. All she really wanted was Sylvie’s respect and she believed she had that.

The day was dark, foggy and wet. Lauren took the ferry to the city and a cab to Sylvie’s large home. Sylvie answered the door herself, even though there was staff in this house.

“Lauren,” she said, giving her a friendly hug. “So good of you to come out on a day like this!”

“While I have the time, this is my first choice of things to do. Thank you for inviting me.”

“I’ve looked forward to this and I finally had some free time. We’re set up in the library. Let me take your coat.”

Before Sylvie could take the coat a casually attired woman Lauren recognized from her last visit took the coat and whisked it away. “Thank you, Mary,” Sylvie said. “Come with me,” she said to Lauren.

They walked down the hall past a sitting room, an office and a dining room to the front corner of the house. Lauren had been here a few times but had been unaware of the library. It was beautiful with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a couple of ladders, a leather sofa and a blazing fireplace. A small table occupied the center of the room and was appointed with a linen tablecloth and delicate china. The chairs were leather captain’s chairs, comfortable and deep. The room was dimly lit and without windows but there were a couple of flickering candles on the table.

Lauren was mesmerized. “Sylvie, this is beautiful!”

“I thought it was best for today, since the garden is out of the question.” She flipped a switch and bookshelf lighting came on. “It’s a dark room but I find it cozy, especially in winter.”