LITMIR.BIZ

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left the house before dawn, usually while Rosie was still asleep. From experience, she knew how tired and cranky he could be at the end of the day, too.

      “I hope he’s hired the extra help he needs,” Rosie muttered.

      Allison laid her fork next to her plate. “Mom, are you trying to find out about Mrs. Lamond?”

      Instant color heated Rosie’s cheeks. She could deny it and almost did, but Allison was smart enough to recognize a lie. Rosie nodded. “I apologize, sweetheart, I shouldn’t be—”

      “She quit,” Allison said as she leaned toward Rosie in a conspiratorial kind of way. A smile flashed in her daughter’s eyes.

      “Quit?” Rosie repeated. “When?”

      “Weeks ago. Before Christmas.”

      Before Christmas? That was impossible. Rosie vaguely remembered Zach’s saying he’d given the other woman a promotion. “What’s the matter, didn’t she get a big enough pay raise?” Rosie asked. She didn’t try to disguise her dislike for the other woman.

      “I don’t know anything about a pay raise, but the gossip is she left without notice and Dad was really upset about it.”

      Rosie would just bet he was.

      “The other staff members didn’t like her, either.”

      “Really?” This was interesting, and contrary to what Zach had told her. He’d made Janice sound like a paragon of efficiency and helpfulness, implying that no one could resist liking such a friendly, supportive person.

      “At first Mrs. Lamond was really nice. That’s what Mrs. Long said—you know, the office manager. But then later Mrs. Lamond got all uppity with the other staff. They said she manipulated Dad to do whatever she wanted.”

      As if Rosie didn’t already know that. “I’m sure she did,” she said. “Do you know why she quit like that?”

      “No one seems to have any idea.”

      Rosie would have derived real satisfaction from discovering the details.

      “Do you want me to find out more?” Allison asked, obviously eager to dig up dirt.

      The temptation was strong, but Rosie shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

      She and Allison chatted easily through dinner, laughing frequently and even reminiscing about pre-divorce days. It buoyed Rosie’s spirits to have this relaxed conversation with her daughter—and to learn that the Lamond woman was gone from the office.

      The following afternoon, Rosie dropped by the accounting firm. She hadn’t been to the office since shortly before the separation, mainly because she hadn’t wanted to give Janice Lamond the opportunity to gloat.

      Mary Lou Miller was at the reception desk. She looked up when Rosie stepped into the office, and her face showed surprise, followed almost immediately by genuine welcome. There’d been a time when Rosie’s relationship with the office staff had been pleasant and mutually respectful.

      “Mrs. Cox, it’s so good to see you!” Mary Lou said.

      “Hi, Mary Lou.” The sense of welcome was gratifying and helped ease her nervousness. Rosie hadn’t mentioned to Zach that she planned to stop by. Classes were cut short for the day because of a teachers’ seminar on new curriculum requirements in the areas of math and science. Rosie was exempted, since she’d taken the course while updating her skills. She had a rare afternoon free.

      “How can I help you?” Mary Lou walked over to the counter, which acted as a partition between the waiting area and the inner office. “Do you want me to call Mr. Cox? Unfortunately, he’s with a client at the moment, but I can let him know you’re here.”

      “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary,” Rosie told her. “I came to meet Cecilia Randall.”

      “Oh, sure,” Mary Lou said. “I’ll get her right away.”

      “Cecilia’s on her break,” a woman Rosie didn’t recognize announced from her desk. There’d been a number of changes in the office that she knew nothing about. She and Zach had often discussed office politics, but that had been BJ—before Janice.

      “You can go on back to the break room, if you like,” Mary Lou suggested.

      That was perfect as far as Rosie was concerned. She didn’t want to interrupt Cecilia while she was on the job. Her purpose was to thank her for everything she’d done for Allison.

      Rosie was as familiar with the layout of the office as she was her own home—or what had, at one time, been the home she’d lived in with Zach. These days…well, that was territory she didn’t want to enter.

      Just as Mary Lou had told her, Rosie found a young woman sitting at a table, reading a magazine and sipping coffee. An older woman sat at a separate table, chatting on a cell phone. Cecilia had straight dark hair that hung just above her shoulders and she didn’t look more than seventeen. She glanced up when Rosie walked in.

      “Hello.” Rosie smiled. “I’m Allison’s mom.”

      “Oh, hi,” Cecilia said, smiling back. “She talks about you a lot.”

      Rosie pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. She was astounded that her daughter had mentioned her at all. “I just came to introduce myself and to thank you for being Allison’s friend.”

      “I enjoy working with her.”

      Rosie was sure she hadn’t felt that way in the beginning. “I wanted you to know how much I appreciate your patience with her. She’s going through a rough time, and you’ve made a tremendous impression on her.”

      “I appreciate your telling me that.”

      “It’s true,” Rosie said. “Just working with you has made a real difference to Allison.”

      “Spending time with her has helped me, too,” Cecilia said. “I was only ten when my parents divorced and I remember thinking the breakup was my fault….”

      Rosie was immediately concerned. She’d repeatedly talked to both children about this very thing, but Allison and Eddie had dismissed her questions, and after a while she’d let the matter drop. Surely, Rosie prayed, her children hadn’t taken on any blame for a problem that was clearly between her and Zach.

      “Did Allison tell you she blames herself for what happened?” Rosie burst out. “Because that simply isn’t true.”

      “No, no,” Cecilia assured her, and held up one hand. “I just meant that talking about what happened when my parents split has helped me realize I had nothing to do with their divorce. So you see, it’s been a real advantage to me to look back at that episode in my own life.”

      “I see,” Rosie murmured, relieved. In retrospect, she wished she’d handled so many things differently, not only with the divorce, but her marriage, too. She tried not to think about the last twelve months. What was done was done. Indulging in regrets left her feeling depressed, and she was working hard to get past those negative emotions.

      “I hope you don’t mind my coming by like this, but I did want to thank you,” Rosie said.

      “It’s really sweet of you to do that.” Cecilia closed her magazine. “Did you enjoy your dinner with Allison?”

      Rosie nodded. “It was great, although I almost needed a translator. Words like wicked and righteous and mad don’t seem to mean what I thought they did.”

      Cecilia smiled. “I know. Teenagers have their own way of expressing things, don’t they?”

      “That they do.” It was important Rosie leave before her daughter arrived for work. She got up, ready to head back to the front office, when Mary Lou approached her.

      “Mr. Cox said he’d like to see you,” she said, sounding apologetic

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