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When he walked in, the aroma of simmering barbecue sauce tickled his nostrils.

“Lori?”

“Hi, honey, I’m out back.”

Linc followed her voice and found her dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, standing over their barbecue grill on the small patio. He kissed her the way he always did, and the instant his mouth settled over hers, Linc’s worries fled. He held her tight against him, enjoying the feel of her body so close to his. Give up Lori? Walk away from the most precious gift he’d ever received? Bellamy was out of his mind, and if Linc had the chance, he’d tell him that.

Thirty

Tanni knew from the nervous, excited way her mother was acting that Larry Knight must be arriving any minute. They had a Friday-afternoon date, and Shirley had spent the past hour getting ready.

Watching the changes in her mother since she’d met Larry had been interesting. Tanni used to wonder how she’d feel if her mother became involved with another man. It seemed weird to think of Shirley falling in love with someone other than Tanni’s dad. What surprised her was that she was all right with it. That might not have been the case if it was anyone other than Larry. He was special, and Tanni understood why her mother had fallen for him. Besides being a fabulous artist, Larry was thoughtful, generous and just plain nice. Not only was he responsible for helping Shaw get into art school, but he’d brought the spark back to her mother’s eyes.

In the past few weeks, her mother and Larry had been on the phone practically every day, and these weren’t short conversations. One night they talked for three hours straight. Tanni knew because she kept track of the time. She’d taken delight in teasing her mother. Even more fun was seeing the flush that crept over her cheekbones. Shirley had it bad. This Tanni recognized because she’d once had those same intense feelings for Shaw. Not anymore, though.

“Do I look okay?” Shirley asked. She wore pale linen pants and a white top with a teal-and-lime-green scarf. She’d thrown a linen jacket over the whole ensemble.

“You look great.” Tanni wasn’t just saying that. Her mother had been paying far more attention to her hair and makeup since she’d started dating Larry. Even when all they did was talk on the phone, her mother’s hair was brushed, her makeup applied and she was neatly dressed. She’d stopped wearing old jeans and her father’s too-large sweatshirts around the house. It was as if she thought Larry might drop in unannounced at any second. Tanni found that amusing but remembered she’d been the same way when she first met Shaw, too.

Shaw… She didn’t want to think about him. It was over. She hadn’t heard from him in more than two weeks, but the choice had been hers. She’d decided to cut off the relationship. That had been painful, but as Kristen had assured her, it was the right thing to do. Tanni had taken control. Rather than let him ignore her, she’d quit playing the game.

Shirley tugged at her jacket sleeves. “Miranda insisted I wear this.”

“It’s nice, Mom.”

“Miranda has such a good eye for color.”

“So do you,” Tanni said, surprised her mother lacked confidence in her own sense of style. Shirley worked with fabric and color all the time, so no one, in Tanni’s opinion, had a better eye than she did.

Shirley thanked her with a brief smile, then glanced at her watch.

“When’s Larry due?” Tanni asked.

“Around one.” She set her purse by the front door.

“Where’s he taking you for lunch?”

“I…I didn’t ask.” She grew flustered. “How silly of me.”

Tanni couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. “Was I this dopey after I met Shaw?” she asked.

“Worse,” her mother said wryly.

“That’s hard to believe.”

They exchanged a smile. She felt relieved to be on good terms with her mother again. The change had come about gradually over the past few months, ever since Shaw had moved to San Francisco. They used to be at odds with each other all the time, and now they weren’t. “Do you have plans this afternoon?” Shirley