At the half question, Roz nodded. "Yes, I know. "
"Somewhere along the line I stopped thinking, What would Kevin say about this. Or, What would Kevin do, or think, or want. So I took off my ring. It was hard. Almost as hard as losing him. "
"I took mine off on my fortieth birthday," Roz murmured. "I realized I'd stopped wearing it as a tribute. It had become more of a shield against relationships. So I took it off on that black-letter day," she said with a half smile. "Because we move on, or we fade away. "
"I'm too busy to worry about all of this most of the time, and I didn't mean to get into it now. I only wanted to apologize. "
"Accepted. I'm going to take my coffee up. I'll see you in the morning. "
"All right. Good night. "
Feeling better, Stella finished making her tea. She would get a good start in the morning, she decided as she carried it upstairs. She'd get a good chunk of the reorganizing done, she'd talk with Harper and Roz about which cuttings should be added to inventory, and she'd find a way to get along with Logan.
She heard the singing, quiet and sad, as she started down the hall. Her heart began to trip, and china rattled on the tray as she picked up her pace. She was all but running by the time she got to the door of her sons' room.
There was no one there, just that same little chill to the air. Even when she set her tea down, searched the closet, under the bed, she found nothing.
She sat on the floor between the beds, waiting for her pulse to level. The dog stirred, then climbed up in her lap to lick her hand.
Stroking him, she stayed there, sitting between her boys while they slept.
* * *
On Sunday, she went to her father's for brunch. She was more than happy to be handed a mimosa and ordered out of the kitchen by Jolene.
It was her first full day off since she'd started at In the Garden, and she was scheduled to relax.
With the boys running around the little backyard with Parker, she was free to sit down with her father.
"Tell me everything," he ordered.
"Everything will go straight through brunch, into dinner, and right into breakfast tomorrow. "
/> "Give me the highlights. How do you like Rosalind?"
"I like her a lot. She manages to be straightforward and slippery. I'm never quite sure where I stand with her, but I do like her. "
"She's lucky to have you. And being a smart woman, she knows it. "
"You might be just a tiny bit biased. "
"Just a bit. "
He'd always loved her, Stella knew. Even when there had been months between visits. There'd always been phone calls or notes, or surprise presents in the mail.
He'd aged comfortably, she thought now. Whereas her mother waged a bitter and protracted war with the years, Will Dooley had made his truce with them. His red hair was overpowered by the gray now, and his bony frame carried a soft pouch in the middle. There were laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, glasses perched on his nose.
His face was ruddy from the sun. The man loved his gardening and his golf.
"The boys seem happy," he commented.
"They love it there. I can't believe how much I worried about it, then they just slide in like they've lived there all their lives. "
"Sweetheart, if you weren't worrying about some such thing, you wouldn't be breathing. "
"I hate that you're right about that. Anyway, there are still a few bumps regarding school. It's so hard being the new kids, but they like the house, and all that room. And they're crazy about David. You know David Wentworth?"
"Yeah. You could say he's been part of Roz's household since he was a kid, and now he runs it. "