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of her life. Chase would get under her skin only if she allowed it. She wouldn’t.
    Jena reached for the rest of the day’s mail and sorted through the junk. She came to an envelope from a bank. Tearing it open, she saw the bright red word, FORECLOSURE, at the top. Her stomach lurched. After reading the letter she dropped to the couch and looked around the room. This couldn’t be possible. There had to have been some kind of mistake.
    Her brother-in-law was a successful surgeon. They were respected members of the community. Jasmine was a volunteer and was responsible for the building of a children’s wing at the hospital. For God’s sake, they were wealthy!
    The chaos by way of the kitchen signaled the return of Mrs. R. and Andrea from their shopping trip. She shakily tucked the two envelopes in the side table drawer and made her way to the kitchen.
    “Hi, Aunt Jen! Mrs. R. bought me a chocolate bar.” Andrea’s toothless grin greeted her.
    Forcing a smile she replied, “Looks like you got more on your face. Let me help you with those, Mrs. R.”
    The phone ringing broke into Andrea’s chatter. “I’ll get it!”
    Jena was making idle conversation when she heard Andrea say, “Hi, Uncle Chase! Are you coming for supper? I don’t know what she’s making…uh-huh…she’s here. Aunt Jen, it’s for you.”
    The confidence she talked herself into evaporated. What could he want already? “Hello.”
    “Hey, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have handled the…situation…that way. I’m sorry.”
    His words seemed sincere. “I’m guilty, too. Chase, really…I need to make some decisions with a clear head.”
    “With a lawyer’s logical thinking?”
    Disapproval was obvious in his delivery. “I’m not going to argue with you anymore.” She turned to find Andrea and Mrs. R. leaning into the conversation. Opening the door she stepped onto the patio and out of earshot. “Honestly, I have open wounds where you’re concerned, and I need time to heal. I need time to deal with you on a different level.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “I’m not sure yet.”
    “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner tonight? We can talk this through. Maybe we can come up with some kind of compromise.”
    “I don’t know…” Jena said hesitantly. Her instinct was to say no, but they did need to resolve the issue of custody. She needed to get the house for sale as quickly as possible. She didn’t want her sister’s house selling at a Sheriff’s auction.
    “C’mon, Jen, live a little. It’ll be fine,” he coaxed.
    “Okay, but two conditions.”
    “And what would that be?”
    The amusement in his voice wasn’t hard to miss. “One, no arguing. We sincerely try to come to a compromise.”
    “That’s easy enough. The second?”
    “It’s not a date.” Her stomach did flip-flops waiting for his reply.
    “Right, okay…not a date. I can live with that. I will pick you up at 6 for our not-a-date.”
    “Chase, I’m serious. It’s dinner between two old friends.”
    “Right.”
    “Okay,” she paused, “I’ll be ready at six. Bye.” She didn’t wait for him to respond before ending the call. Losing her nerve was a definite possibility.
    Both faces whirled in her direction as she entered the kitchen and laid the phone down on the counter. “What did he want, Aunt Jen? Is he coming to dinner?”
    Jena gazed at her niece, seeing her for the first time. She loved her uncle…adored him. The mention of his name brought joy to her face. How could she take her away from him for her own selfish reasons? Her heart sank with the realization.
    “No, he’s not coming to dinner, sweetie.” Jena ignored the child’s sigh, afraid the next sentence would get stuck in her throat if she didn’t get it out. “Do you think you could stay with Andrea for a couple of hours tonight? Chase asked me to dinner,” she quickly added, “but it’s not a date.”
    “I sure can! It’s about time that boy