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from the back. “Might eliminate some of the bloodshed.” He caught himself and offered Donna an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I promise that’s my last joke.” He carried a black guitar case to the front porch, then returned to the vehicle for another load.
    Donna shook her head and smiled, and Lark realized that her mother couldn’t help being charmed by Ollie’s quick wit and clever banter. In spite of herself, Lark was warming to him, too. Maybe if he could rein in his overblown opinion of himself and edgy jokes long enough to keep from sabotaging her mom’s plans for the band’s success, Ollie might be fun to have around.
    But as Ollie and his bandmates took the last few bags out of the SUV, he suddenly shouted, “I bagsie a room with a view of the pool!” and started sprinting toward the front door.
    â€œNot if I beat you to it, mate!” called Aidan, chasing after Ollie with Max in hot pursuit.
    Ollie had nearly reached the front door when Aidan tackled him from behind. A moment later, Max piled on top of both of them. The next thing Lark knew, all three boys were rolling around on the perfectly manicured grass of the front lawn.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Donna shrieked. “Boys! What are you doing?”
    Ollie had Max in a headlock; Aidan struggled to get to his feet but stumbled over Ollie’s outstretched leg and crash-landed in the flowerbed. The one the landlord had specifically told them was custom-designed by LA’s most sought-after landscape architect.
    â€œGet off me!” Aidan demanded, laughing wildly as handfuls of stems and petals went flying into the air.
    Suddenly, the air was pierced by a shrill whistle. All three boys and Lark and Donna whirled to see Mrs. Fitzpatrick, standing on the front steps of the house. She had the thumb and index finger of her right hand poked into her mouth; in her left hand she was holding a gorgeous Fender Stratocaster.
    Lark’s mouth dropped open, not only because she hadn’t known her housekeeper could create a sound like that, but also because she’d never seen such a gorgeous musical instrument in her life.
    Ollie looked up from the wrestling match and his face went deathly pale. “W-what are you doing with my guitar?” he croaked.
    Mrs. Fitzpatrick turned the guitar so it gleamed under the porch light. “That all depends,” she said, “on whether you young men are going to start acting like civilized human beings or not. If you are, then I will place this guitar carefully back into its case. But if you insist on shouting and wrestling, then I am going to smash this instrument into a million little pieces right here on the driveway.”
    â€œNo!” cried Ollie. “Please don’t. We were just playing. Blowing off steam after the long flight, you know.” He scrambled out of the flowerbed, holding up his hands in surrender. “We were just messing around. I promise, we’ll be more careful from now on.”
    â€œVery well.” Mrs. Fitzpatrick nodded, smoothed down her apron that read, In the Kitchen, I’m the Boss, and went back into the house.
    â€œI guess we’d better stay on her good side,” Aidan observed, quirking his mouth.
    â€œI’m going to go unpack.” Max picked up his suitcase and headed inside. “Before she gets any ideas about my stuff.”
    Ollie took off after him. Aidan followed, leaving Lark and her mother alone in the driveway.
    Donna was staring at the torn-up flowerbed in dismay. “We’re going to have to pay for that,” she muttered. Then she turned to Lark with an expression that didn’t quite make it to confident. “It’s been a long day. After they’ve had a good night’s sleep, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” She gave Lark a forced smile. “It’s going to be awfully exciting having them around, isn’t it?”
    â€œYou can’t be